Speaker 1: Previously on the Chosen People.
Speaker 2: Do not fear the unknown. I am your God, am
Speaker 2: the God of your father. Do not fear going down
Speaker 2: to Egypt, For there I will make you a great nation.
Speaker 2: I will go before you, and I will also bring
Speaker 2: you back up again when the time comes, and when
Speaker 2: it is time for you to depart from this world,
Speaker 2: twill be Joseph who closes your eyes.
Speaker 3: If I have found any favor in your sight, you
Speaker 3: will deal kindly and honestly with me. Do not bury
Speaker 3: me in Egypt. I don't want monuments. Ah, I don't
Speaker 3: want a palace. My dead body's roten.
Speaker 4: No. No, let me lie with my fathers.
Speaker 3: Place me in the hills beside Abraham and Isaac.
Speaker 4: I will see it done.
Speaker 5: As the shadow of death looms. Can a heart, once
Speaker 5: broken by betrayal, find the strength to forgive the shallow?
Speaker 5: My friends, from here in the holy land of Israel,
Speaker 5: Amya l Exstein with the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews,
Speaker 5: and welcome to the Chosen People. In the final chapter
Speaker 5: of Genesis, we encounter Joseph, the Favored Son. Now we're
Speaker 5: ruler in Egypt, facing his brothers, the very ones who
Speaker 5: betrayed him. Their father Jacob has died, and fear fills
Speaker 5: the brother's hearts. They worry Joseph will seek vengeance. Yet
Speaker 5: within this tension lies the potential for profound transformation. What
Speaker 5: does it mean to forgive? To move beyond betrayal and
Speaker 5: embrace healing? Can love triumph over fear? Let's ponder these
Speaker 5: questions and prepare our hearts to witness a tale of
Speaker 5: mercy that echoes through the ages.
Speaker 1: Joseph buried his face in his father's hand. It was
Speaker 1: still warm, but only for a moment before the coolness
Speaker 1: of death came upon his body. Tears of agony trailed
Speaker 1: down Joseph's face. He kissed his father on the forehead,
Speaker 1: then called for Net in the other room.
Speaker 6: Net come in at once, Yes, suffit not, Pania, send
Speaker 6: for the physicians and have them in balm my father,
Speaker 6: spare no expense. I want him to receive the highest
Speaker 6: honor that Egypt can give.
Speaker 7: It will take forty days, my lord. The embalming is
Speaker 7: a lengthy process.
Speaker 4: Very well. After that is complete, the nation will weep
Speaker 4: for seventy days of mourning, according to tradition.
Speaker 7: My lord, a royal procession. Do you think that's wise.
Speaker 7: Most Egyptian nobles don't receive seventy days. Barow himself receives
Speaker 7: seventy two.
Speaker 4: If you knew my forefathers and the god they served,
Speaker 4: you would not ask me such things. Go and fetch
Speaker 4: the priests and physicians.
Speaker 1: The chamber was filled with the acrid scent of natron
Speaker 1: and resins, mingling with the faint trace of incense that
Speaker 1: clung to the air. In the heart of the temple,
Speaker 1: under the vigilant gaze of Anubis's stone effigy lay the
Speaker 1: body of Jacob. Joseph stood watchful and silent as the
Speaker 1: priests of Anubis worked with methodical precision, their hands steady
Speaker 1: and skilled, weaving the ancient magic of their craft. They
Speaker 1: drained the old man's lifeblood, replacing it with a concoction
Speaker 1: of sacred oils and preserving agents. Each incision, each careful
Speaker 1: wrapping of linen, was a ritual unto itself, a dance
Speaker 1: of death and reverence that spoke to centuries of tradition.
Speaker 1: The mummification process was an art demanding the balance of
Speaker 1: scientific exactitude and spiritual devotion. The embalming took forty days,
Speaker 1: a span during which the lamentations of the people became
Speaker 1: a constant undertone. For Jacob had not been merely a
Speaker 1: foreign patriarch. He had come to be respected, his presence
Speaker 1: a bridge between the proud sons of Egypt and the
Speaker 1: wandering tribes of Canaan. As the days stretched into weeks,
Speaker 1: Egypt mourned from the sun drenched Nile to the shadowed
Speaker 1: temples of Thebes. The people dressed in the colors of sorrow.
Speaker 1: The mourning rites extended beyond the sacred chamber, beyond the
Speaker 1: reach of the palace. Seventy days of lamentation followed a
Speaker 1: time decreed by Pharaoh himself, for such was the honor
Speaker 1: shown to Joseph and his father by the river Nile.
Speaker 1: Men and women gathered in throngs, their cries as symphony
Speaker 1: of grief. Professional mourners led the dirges, their voices rising
Speaker 1: and falling like the very breath of the gods. The
Speaker 1: Lamb's great and humble alike joined in the solemn observance,
Speaker 1: their faces streaked with tears and dust. During this time,
Speaker 1: Joseph was a figure both of strength and vulnerability. He
Speaker 1: moved through rituals with the gravity of a man bearing
Speaker 1: the weight of two worlds. His brothers strode behind him
Speaker 1: garments black faces, as still as the tombs looming in
Speaker 1: the back drop. As the embalmers completed their task, wrapping
Speaker 1: Jacob in fine linen, amulets and charms nestled against the
Speaker 1: aged skin to protect him in the after life. And
Speaker 1: so with a hard bound in sorrow and duty, he
Speaker 1: prepared for the journey back to Canaan to lay his
Speaker 1: father to rest in the land of his forefathers. As
Speaker 1: was promised, Joseph stepped across the marble stone steps rising
Speaker 1: out of the lily pond. Beyond the pond was an
Speaker 1: archway adorned with fragrant flowers, jasmine and marius. The household
Speaker 1: of Pharaoh was a world within a world. The gardens
Speaker 1: leading up to his estate were filled with exotic birds.
Speaker 1: Antelopes adorned with spiraling horns reaching heaven, grazed along the
Speaker 1: grass underneath the shadows of stone monuments, fixtures of past pharaohs.
Speaker 1: No matter how much Joseph visited, he couldn't quite get
Speaker 1: used to its opulence. The doors always opened for Joseph.
Speaker 1: He never needed to announce himself or his business. He
Speaker 1: was Pharaoh's hands and feet, the scepter by which justice
Speaker 1: and wisdom were enacted. The halls were thick with the
Speaker 1: smell of roasted pine nuts and wine pressed with figs
Speaker 1: and dates. A cup was placed in Joseph's hand, and
Speaker 1: a small throne was brought in for him to sit
Speaker 1: opposite Pharaoh. His entire household was present at the table.
Speaker 1: His sons, daughters, wives, and cousins. Each had subtle disdain
Speaker 1: for Joseph hidden behind their noble eyes and regal chins.
Speaker 1: Joseph wondered what would become of his family once this
Speaker 1: pharaoh had passed and his son took his place, but
Speaker 1: that was a matter for another time.
Speaker 8: Zavarnath, pinea, have the songs of the men have ceased?
Speaker 8: How is your family faring after your father's death?
Speaker 4: The entire nation has honored me and my father. I
Speaker 4: am very grateful, Lord Pharaoh.
Speaker 8: That is not why you've come, though, is it?
Speaker 4: You are as wise? This is the stars, Lord Pharaoh,
Speaker 4: before your household. I have come with a request.
Speaker 8: Speak.
Speaker 4: If I have found favor in your eyes, please allow
Speaker 4: me to leave the country and go into the land
Speaker 4: of my father. He made me swear to him that
Speaker 4: I would bury him there with his father and grandfather.
Speaker 4: I will return swiftly after this is done.
Speaker 8: The last time you were in that land, you were
Speaker 8: bound as a slave. I would think you wouldn't want
Speaker 8: to return there. My father made me swear, Lord Pharaoh,
Speaker 8: I was bound as a slave when I left. Now
Speaker 8: I am bound to honor to return honor you are
Speaker 8: Zaphnath Panaia. Honor is bound to you, not you to honor.
Speaker 8: But I will grant your request. Since your father made
Speaker 8: you swear, go up to Canaan.
Speaker 4: My gratitude is as vast as the sea of Reed's Lord, pharaohar.
Speaker 1: Joseph bowed and turned to leave, But before he could
Speaker 1: exit the great halls, Pharaoh stopped him. His low, growling
Speaker 1: voice echoed like the purs of a lion.
Speaker 8: Zavoneth Peneia, Your God has delivered this nation. That is
Speaker 8: why I allow such grace. I have allowed processions of
Speaker 8: mourning to fill my streets. The shores of the Nile,
Speaker 8: a testament to my glory, were host to choirs singing
Speaker 8: songs about your father. When you return, tread.
Speaker 1: Lightly, Joseph dipped his head and turned. He knew what
Speaker 1: Pharaoh meant. He had been a slave long enough to
Speaker 1: understand at all costs, Joseph had to ensure his family
Speaker 1: did not pose a threat to Pharaoh. The journey from
Speaker 1: Egypt to the land of Canaan was one of both
Speaker 1: grandeur and melancholy. The con stretched like a river of
Speaker 1: sorrow through the arid plains and rolling dunes. Chariots and
Speaker 1: horsemen of Egypt accompanied them, a formidable escort of warriors
Speaker 1: and servants, their armor glinting in the sunlight. As they traveled,
Speaker 1: the landscape shifted from the fertile banks of the Nile,
Speaker 1: teeming with life and verdant fields, to the stark, austere
Speaker 1: beauty of the desert. The sands whispered beneath their feet.
Speaker 1: Abraham traversed this same path, up and down, in both
Speaker 1: victory and defeat. Joseph thought about the last time he
Speaker 1: had traversed this desert. He was bound in rope, feet
Speaker 1: scraping against the jagged path below. He never thought he'd return,
Speaker 1: Yet here he was, walking the path of his great grandfather,
Speaker 1: bringing riches to Canaan.
Speaker 4: Lost in your dreams again, Joseph, always, it isn't on
Speaker 4: me that this journey must be hard for you. It
Speaker 4: is more than you'll ever know. I pray your forgiveness
Speaker 4: and yours, Joseph, even though our father has passed.
Speaker 1: Joseph said nothing. He hopped on to one of his
Speaker 1: chariots and darted to the front. Worries squeezed his heart
Speaker 1: with a steel grip. With Jacob gone, would Joseph's mercy remain?
Speaker 1: The sun beat down relentlessly, Yet the procession moved with
Speaker 1: unwavering resolve, driven by duty and the sacred promise Joseph
Speaker 1: had made to his father. Upon reaching the threshing floor
Speaker 1: of Atad, near the Jordan, they halted. It was a
Speaker 1: place of ancient significance, where the patriarchs had often communed
Speaker 1: with the divine. Here the company made camp, and the
Speaker 1: rights of mourning intensified. For seven days, the sons of
Speaker 1: Jacob lamented, their voices, rising in a keening whale that
Speaker 1: echoed through the hills. The sound was one of profound
Speaker 1: loss and reverence, a tribute to the man who had
Speaker 1: shaped their lives. The Canaanites, seeing the grandeur and the
Speaker 1: depth of the morning, murmured amongst themselves. Awed by the sight,
Speaker 1: they named the place able miss Raem the mourning of Egypt,
Speaker 1: for the display was unlike any they had witnessed. The
Speaker 1: blending of cultures, the reverence of the Egyptians, mingled with
Speaker 1: the ancient traditions of Jacob's descendants, created a spectacle that
Speaker 1: would be remembered for generations. When the days of morning
Speaker 1: were complete, Joseph gave the signal, and the procession moved
Speaker 1: once more. The land of Canaan rose before them, its
Speaker 1: hills and valleys a patchwork of history and memory. They
Speaker 1: came to the cave of the field of Machpela, the
Speaker 1: burial place of Abraham, Isaac, and now Jacob. The cave
Speaker 1: bought by Abraham from Efron the Hittite, was a place
Speaker 1: of sacred memory, hallowed by the bones of their ancestors.
Speaker 8: The last time we were here, we were burying our mother.
Speaker 9: I still can't believe he wanted to be buried next
Speaker 9: to her.
Speaker 1: With reverence, the sons of Israel lay Jacob to rest
Speaker 1: in the tomb, placing his embalmed body beside Leah. The
Speaker 1: air within the cave was cool and still filled with
Speaker 1: the presence of the past. As they sealed the entrance,
Speaker 1: a sense of finality settled upon the company the promise
Speaker 1: had been fulfilled, and the patriarch had been laid to
Speaker 1: rest among his forbears. Joseph and his brothers lingered for
Speaker 1: a time, offering prayers and sacrifices, their hearts heavy with
Speaker 1: grief and gratitude. As the sun set over the land
Speaker 1: of Canaan, casting long shadows over the tomb, they turned
Speaker 1: their faces to the camp they once called home. The
Speaker 1: ghosts of their past could be seen there, images of
Speaker 1: them as children playing around the well and chasing sheep
Speaker 1: through the valley. The brothers scaled down the hills and
Speaker 1: settled there for the night. A large fire billowed in
Speaker 1: the center. Joseph sat among his brothers but said nothing
Speaker 1: all night. His eyes were fixed on the stars above.
Speaker 1: Joseph was searching for something in them. He yearned for closure.
Speaker 1: The sons of Israel stared at one another, worried, creasing
Speaker 1: upwards on their boughs. They took his silence as disdain.
Speaker 9: Now that Father is dead, Joseph may want to pay
Speaker 9: us back for the evil we've done to him.
Speaker 4: He would be justified him killing all of us from
Speaker 4: what we did.
Speaker 8: One of Father's dying wishes is that Joseph would show
Speaker 8: us mercy.
Speaker 9: Maybe he won't kill us, but he could have us
Speaker 9: thrown in prison, or leave us here in Canaan, away
Speaker 9: from our families. At least that's what I would do
Speaker 9: if I were him.
Speaker 4: Joseph is not the brute you are.
Speaker 2: Same.
Speaker 9: We don't know who he really is, Judah. He's an
Speaker 9: Egyptian lord who knows what he's capable of.
Speaker 8: Now I'm too old to sit for too long wondering,
Speaker 8: I'll ask him.
Speaker 1: Reuben stood to his feet and marched to Joseph. He
Speaker 1: bent to knee with fists to the dust.
Speaker 8: Your father gave his wishes before he died, that you
Speaker 8: would spare us for the wrong we've committed against you.
Speaker 8: So here I am on his behalf and mine, asking
Speaker 8: that you would forgive the transgressions of your brothers. We
Speaker 8: have done a great evil again, We've caused you to
Speaker 8: suffer beyond imagination. Please forgive us, forgive me. We are
Speaker 8: your servants and at your mercy.
Speaker 1: Joseph looked at Reuben, who was face first in the dirt,
Speaker 1: the same dirt he had been shoved into as a child.
Speaker 1: Joseph scanned the faces of his brothers. The fire illuminated
Speaker 1: genuine worry on their faces. Joseph shook his head and stood.
Speaker 1: He placed a hand on Reuben's head under the same
Speaker 1: canopy of stars where Abraham once stood. Hearing the promises
Speaker 1: of God Almighty, Joseph spoke to.
Speaker 4: Them, Am I God, that I would determine your fate? No, no,
Speaker 4: do not shear.
Speaker 1: Joseph's tears shimmered in the firelight. He shook his head,
Speaker 1: finally understanding what he was wanting this whole time. Being
Speaker 1: back in Canaan, the place of his betrayal, brought forth
Speaker 1: the rest of Joseph's sorrow and anger. It spilled out
Speaker 1: of him in tears and fell to the dead.
Speaker 4: What you did was evil, and you meant it to
Speaker 4: be evil. There is no mistaking it. Brothers. You wanted
Speaker 4: to harm me, you wanted me dead. But what you
Speaker 4: meant for evil, God meant for good. He took me
Speaker 4: away from here so I could rise and save you all.
Speaker 4: Don't fear for your lives. Don't worry about your children.
Speaker 4: I will provide for you. I will protect your little ones.
Speaker 4: As long as I breathe, I accept the role God
Speaker 4: has given me as your redeemer.
Speaker 1: Years passed, and the House of Joseph flourished in the
Speaker 1: land of Egypt. The land was at tapestry of life
Speaker 1: and prosperity, the fields rich with grain, and the rivers
Speaker 1: teeming with fish. The shadows of time crept inexorably forward. Joseph,
Speaker 1: once a beacon of youth and vigor, now bore the
Speaker 1: marks of age. His hair, once as vibrant as the
Speaker 1: fields of grain, had turned to silver. In the twilight
Speaker 1: of his years. Joseph gathered his family around him, the
Speaker 1: sons of Israel, now numerous and strong. Most of his
Speaker 1: brothers had passed, but their children and grandchildren were vast
Speaker 1: in number, multiplying every year. Their faces reflected both the
Speaker 1: legacy of Jacob and the promise of the future. They
Speaker 1: stood in the House of Joseph, a grand abode, filled
Speaker 1: with memories and the echoes of a life lived in
Speaker 1: service to both Pharaoh and family. His eyes still sharp
Speaker 1: with the fire of his spirit, scared, and the faces
Speaker 1: of his kin, he saw their sorrow, their unspoken fears,
Speaker 1: and their steadfast determination. Joseph, his voice steady yet tinged
Speaker 1: with the frailty of age, spoke to his brethren.
Speaker 4: I am about to die, but God will surely come
Speaker 4: to your aid and take you up out of this
Speaker 4: land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham,
Speaker 4: Isaac and Jacob, Swear to me that you will carry
Speaker 4: my bones up from this place when God visits you.
Speaker 4: When you return to the land promised to us, take
Speaker 4: me with you.
Speaker 1: The oath was taken, the promise sealed with the weight
Speaker 1: of generations. The House of Israel, bound by their word,
Speaker 1: knew that this was not merely a request, but a
Speaker 1: sacred duty, a link in the chain of their covenant
Speaker 1: with the Almighty. Joseph's dazed dwindled, and as the shadows lengthened,
Speaker 1: he looked upon the land of Egypt with a mixture
Speaker 1: of gratitude and longing. It began as a prison, a
Speaker 1: nation of damnation. Then it was a crucible of his destiny,
Speaker 1: but his heart, like that of his father before him,
Speaker 1: yearned for the land promised to his ancestors. When Joseph
Speaker 1: finally breathed his last, the silence that followed was profound.
Speaker 1: His passing was not just the end of a man,
Speaker 1: but the closing of a chapter. The embalmers, skilled in
Speaker 1: their ancient rites, prepared his body with the same reverence
Speaker 1: that had been shown to Jacob. The process was intricate,
Speaker 1: a blend of science and sacred tradition, ensuring that Joseph
Speaker 1: would be preserved for the journey he had been promised.
Speaker 1: He was placed in a coffin, an enduring symbol of
Speaker 1: both his status and the faith that he had carried
Speaker 1: throughout his life. The coffin stood as a silent sentinel,
Speaker 1: a reminder to his descendants of the promise they had made.
Speaker 1: The years turned into decades, the decades into centuries, the
Speaker 1: sons of Israel multiplied, their numbers, growing vast, their strength formidable,
Speaker 1: Yet always in the recesses of their homes and the
Speaker 1: chambers of their hearts, the coffin of Joseph stood as
Speaker 1: a testament to their heritage and their hope. They knew
Speaker 1: that one day, when the time was right, they would
Speaker 1: rise and return to the land of their forefathers, carrying
Speaker 1: with them the bones of the man who had saved
Speaker 1: them in their time of need. And so Joseph, though
Speaker 1: his body lay in the land of Egypt, remained forever
Speaker 1: bound to the promise of Canaan. His legacy lived in
Speaker 1: the hearts of his people a beacon, guiding them through
Speaker 1: the corridors of history toward their destiny. As the twelve
Speaker 1: sons of Jacob departed from this life and new generations
Speaker 1: sprouted from their branches, so did the line of Pharaoh,
Speaker 1: the king who once considered Joseph a brother and the
Speaker 1: Hebrews his kin passed. His son took the throne, vaguely
Speaker 1: remembering the promises made to Israel. But when his son
Speaker 1: came after him, the promises eroded into whispers. Soon the
Speaker 1: name of Joseph was forgotten. In its place the legacy
Speaker 1: of Pharaohs, the image of Ra, the.
Speaker 8: Might of the Nile.
Speaker 1: The storehouses were replaced with monuments to their greatness, and
Speaker 1: the children of Israel were no longer favored.
Speaker 4: In the land.
Speaker 5: Wow, the grand finale of fitting into a long and
Speaker 5: winding road, Joseph's journey from the pit to the palace,
Speaker 5: and now this moment of profound closure. Joseph, who once
Speaker 5: wore a coat of many colors, now draped in garments
Speaker 5: of a ruler. And yet he speaks with the heart
Speaker 5: softened by years by dreams, by God's hand guiding him
Speaker 5: through the darkness into light. Am I in the place
Speaker 5: of God. He asks a question that echoes through time,
Speaker 5: reminding us of our own places and our own roles
Speaker 5: in this grand story, God intended it for good, Joseph declares.
Speaker 5: In the previous stories of Joseph's life, we've often focused
Speaker 5: on the actions taken in each one. But as we
Speaker 5: finished this story, I'd like to look at Joseph's words,
Speaker 5: specifically Joseph's last words. I'm going to read them to
Speaker 5: you now, from verse twenty four and twenty five. Then
Speaker 5: Joseph said to his brothers, I'm about to die, but
Speaker 5: God will surely come to your aid and take you
Speaker 5: up on this land, to the land that he promised
Speaker 5: an oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and Joseph made
Speaker 5: the Israelites swear an oath and said, God will surely
Speaker 5: come to your aid, and then you must carry my
Speaker 5: bones up from this place.
Speaker 1: End quote.
Speaker 5: The Bible ends Genesis first with Jacob's blessing to all
Speaker 5: of his sons, and then with Joseph in evoking God's
Speaker 5: promise to bring the Israelites out of slavery and into
Speaker 5: the promised land. And it's these two themes that have
Speaker 5: directed the chosen people since Bible times, God's infinite blessings
Speaker 5: and the promise of returning to the Holy Land where
Speaker 5: I'm talking to you from right now. And with these words,
Speaker 5: Joseph gives his children very specific instructions regards his burial.
Speaker 5: But instead of asking to be buried in Canaan, like
Speaker 5: his father Jacob did, Joseph tells his children to bury
Speaker 5: him in Egypt and then to bring his remains to
Speaker 5: Canan only when the entire nation left Egypt. Joseph'strectif served
Speaker 5: as a powerful message to the generations of Israelites who
Speaker 5: would live their entire lives in Egypt. Joseph knew that,
Speaker 5: just as he had done, the Israelites would feel like
Speaker 5: strangers in Egypt, and they would long to return to
Speaker 5: their homeland at first, but eventually the Israelites would adapt
Speaker 5: to their new home, and then they would actually find
Speaker 5: it hard to leave. We get used to every situation,
Speaker 5: don't we. We adapt to our surroundings. No, that was
Speaker 5: Joseph's fear. He didn't want his people to adapt to
Speaker 5: life in Egypt. He wanted them to remember always that
Speaker 5: they were destined to go home to Israel. So by
Speaker 5: being buried in Egypt while making his descendants promise to
Speaker 5: move his remains in the future. Joseph made sure that
Speaker 5: the Chosen People always would remember that Egypt was not home.
Speaker 5: Joseph's grave became a point of clarity for the Jewish
Speaker 5: people because it was temporary, it kept them focused on
Speaker 5: the future and on their ultimate goal of returning to
Speaker 5: their home, to the Holy Land, to Israel, where I'm
Speaker 5: speaking to you from right now. Genesis fifty is more
Speaker 5: than a family's final farewell. It's the finale of a
Speaker 5: foundational narrative, but it's just the prelude to a grander saga,
Speaker 5: a drama that spans millennia. In Joseph's dying wish, we
Speaker 5: see a glimpse of a future, hope that he will
Speaker 5: not be buried in the sands of Egypt, but.
Speaker 10: That he'll rise.
Speaker 5: His bones will rise, carried by the children of his
Speaker 5: way towards a promised land. It's here in this last
Speaker 5: chapter of Genesis that we uncover one of the deepest
Speaker 5: truths that sometimes the end is just the beginning. From
Speaker 5: the dust of Egypt to the foot of Sinai, from
Speaker 5: the wandering in the wilderness to the walls of Jericho.
Speaker 5: Joseph's story reminds us that every ending is a beginning
Speaker 5: to God's ultimate plan and a promise that God is
Speaker 5: with us even in the darkest valleys. Genesis points us
Speaker 5: forward to a future brimming with hope and restoration, to
Speaker 5: a world where the story of Joseph intersects with our
Speaker 5: own lives, where we too carry the promise of redemption
Speaker 5: in our hearts. To speak more on this as our
Speaker 5: good friend, Bishop Lanier.
Speaker 10: Thank you so much.
Speaker 8: Child.
Speaker 10: Well, here we are in this final chapter of the
Speaker 10: first book of the Bible, the first book of Toron,
Speaker 10: the Book of Genesis, book of beginnings, and it's our
Speaker 10: final conversation in this extraordinary life of our Joseph. You know,
Speaker 10: I suppose that coat of many colors, as we've come
Speaker 10: to call it, is really quite symbolic of his remarkable life,
Speaker 10: isn't it. There are there are moments of brilliant and
Speaker 10: the requieter moments of blending, and the more painful moments
Speaker 10: of brokenness with his brothers, and then there are the
Speaker 10: blessed moments when God restores and revives see him. Can
Speaker 10: I say this in closing to you, to me, to us,
Speaker 10: what you and I do with the greatest betrayals suffered
Speaker 10: in our lives, will greatly determine the measure of the
Speaker 10: greatest blessings in our lives. Sure, you can sit alone
Speaker 10: on the drum, if that's what you choose, or you
Speaker 10: can be celebrated by other people. We just have to
Speaker 10: learn how to navigate the glory of the Lord and
Speaker 10: to discern the hand of Heaven in the midst of us.
Speaker 10: And when we can do this, everything can be restored,
Speaker 10: like we see in the life of Joseph. And even more.
Speaker 10: You'll recall there were thirteen of them. There was a father, Jacob,
Speaker 10: and twelve sons. But in time there's going to be
Speaker 10: seventy come knocking on the door, and there'll be food
Speaker 10: in the famine, and there'll be wealth in the want,
Speaker 10: and soon a ghostan will appear, and there'll be this
Speaker 10: moment when Jacob not only lays his hand on his
Speaker 10: son Joseph, but on his grandsons. So generations these trans
Speaker 10: will be counted among the sons, with tribes and an
Speaker 10: inheritance beyond their position. But this is what you.
Speaker 8: And I must know.
Speaker 10: You're so much more than the coat they stole from you.
Speaker 10: You've got to learn to live with what you know,
Speaker 10: and even more sometimes with what we don't know. Please
Speaker 10: don't lose yourself in the accusations of another. They can
Speaker 10: steal your coat and try to use it as evidence,
Speaker 10: but they can't prove something that never happened. So just
Speaker 10: go to your cell in peace and wait on the Lord.
Speaker 10: And as God promotes you and blesses you, use that
Speaker 10: coat of privilege to bless not the blame. You got
Speaker 10: a right to get vengeance, that didn't make it right. Instead,
Speaker 10: this is what I'm asking think generationally, speak redemptively. I
Speaker 10: aked in the covenant way for you. See, those can
Speaker 10: remain your kidnappers, or they can return as.
Speaker 4: Brothers.
Speaker 10: Your father can remain dead to you, or you can
Speaker 10: see his face once more. You can embrace your Benjamin
Speaker 10: or remain oblivious to him. There's a time for disguising
Speaker 10: and the time for disclosing, both for the sake of restoration.
Speaker 5: We all have a choice when we encounter an ending,
Speaker 5: when we're fired from a job or a relationship that
Speaker 5: comes to an end. We could choose to believe that
Speaker 5: it's the end and be sad, or that it's the beginning.
Speaker 5: Of another story, we can choose that it's closer to
Speaker 5: what God ultimately has destined to us. The Jewish people
Speaker 5: have a beautiful custom that I want to share with you.
Speaker 5: Each week when the Bible the Torah is read in synagogue,
Speaker 5: when we complete one of the five Books of Moses,
Speaker 5: the whole congregation calls out three Hebrew words, hazak hazak venitrazikh,
Speaker 5: And so the person who's reading from the Torah says
Speaker 5: the last words of one of the five books of Moses,
Speaker 5: and then everyone in the congregation answers loudly with these
Speaker 5: three words. I'm going to say it again, razak razakh venitraseik.
Speaker 5: It means be strong, be strong, and we shall be
Speaker 5: strengthened together. Because we've just ended our study in the
Speaker 5: Book of Genesis, I'd like to end this episode with
Speaker 5: those three words. Razakrasak venitrazik, be strong, be strong, and
Speaker 5: we shall be strengthened together. Todain Rabah, my friends, thank
Speaker 5: you so much for listening and for joining me in
Speaker 5: this journey so far. We have so many more stories
Speaker 5: to share and lessons to learn in our Bible study.
Speaker 5: Together as God's chosen people, makes us all so much stronger.
Speaker 5: So stay tuned, and let's move on to the next book.
Speaker 5: And let's move on to the second of five Books
Speaker 5: of Moses.
Speaker 1: You can listen to The Chosen People with the Isle
Speaker 1: Eckstein add free by downloading and subscribing to the pray
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Speaker 1: only made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents.
Speaker 1: Steve Gattina, Max Bard, Zach Shellabarger and Ben Gammon are
Speaker 1: the executive producers of The Chosen People with Yil Eckstein,
Speaker 1: edited by Alberto Avilla, narrated by Paul Coltofianu. Characters are
Speaker 1: voiced by Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvato, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan,
Speaker 1: Stephen Ringwold, Sylvia Zaradoc and the opening prayer is voiced
Speaker 1: by John Moore. Music by Andrew Morgan Smith, written by
Speaker 1: Bree Rosalie and Aaron Salvato. Special thanks to Bishop Paul Lanier,
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