(Genesis) Genesis 43:31-34 — J. Vernon McGee

Joseph’s Self-Control Foreshadows Christ’s Revelation

And he washed his face, and went out, and refrained himself, and said, Set on bread.". Now, here is a marvelous, wonderful picture that is yet to be fulfilled, and I hope that you'll see in this something that's quite wonderful.

The Messiah Revealed to His Brethren

Zacharias said that he's going to make himself known unto his brethren someday. They're going to ask him about nail prints in his hands, and that he's going to, at that time, the Lord Jesus, said, I received those in the house of my friends.

Salvation and Redemption at Christ’s Second Coming

Then they'll know him, they'll recognize him, and then they will weep. But he has provided salvation for them. He's provided redemption for them. Now, that's going to take place when the Lord Jesus comes back to the earth a second time.

He'll be revealed to his brethren, the nation Israel. That is, there'll be that remnant there, there'll be many there that they didn't know him, they didn't believe he came the first time, but then they're going to know him.

Joseph’s Brothers and the Warning Against Anti-Semitism

Remember, the brethren of Joseph are the ones who delivered him into slavery. They sold him, they got rid of him. Now he's going to make himself known to his brethren. And may I say to you today, Christian friend, beware of anti-Semitism.

Some of those people are the brethren of our Lord. And there's coming a day when he's going to make himself known unto them. It's a family affair. You better let his family alone. No Christian can engage in anti-Semitism.

And I don't care how blind the nation Israel is, and I don't care what they engage in today. I'm perfectly aware of what you are aware of, that they are not always as lovely as some of us are, especially those of us that are Scotch.

Oh, are we lovely people. Yes, but may I say some of the Scotch have been pretty mean. Again, let me repeat, friends, this is a wonderful scene here. It's a dramatic scene. Notice, he washed his face, went out, refrained himself, and said, set on bread, let's eat, get it over with.

The Separate Tables at Joseph’s Feast

But this is an amazing meal. And they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians which did eat with him by themselves, because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination unto the Egyptians.

Now, there are several things at this meal that these brethren, if they hadn't been so frightened, might have noticed. The first one is this, that he's not eating with the Egyptians. The Egyptians ate alone.

Joseph was separate from them. But after all, he's the brass, he's the head man in this particular place. Now, will you notice something else? And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth, and the men marveled one at another.

Joseph’s Knowledge and Favor Toward Benjamin

Now, when Joseph put the place cards around, Joseph went around and he said, Reuben, you sit here. He put Benjamin way down at the end, and he put all the brethren in their right order. And they looked at each other in amazement.

How did he know all that? But they're not suspicious at all of who he is, because naturally they're blind to who he is. Now, will you notice, and he took and sent messes unto them from before him. He served them, you know, he served their plates.

And I wish we had another word here instead of sent messes to them, because it sounds rather messy, but it wasn't. But Benjamin's mess was five times so much as any of theirs. Again, he just couldn't refrain from showing his affection for his own brother.

So he gave him five times as much. I bet that boy that had been through that famine, I bet that he had a real meal for the first time. And they drank and were merry with him. It was a glorious affair.

What a wonderful day it'll be when he reveals himself to his brethren.