Shalom friends. Hey everybody. Welcome back to axcess. This is Timothy. And I want to say, thank you. Thank you. Thank you for joining me today in studying the scriptures. May Hovey God guide us into his truth. Quick question. Is there any dream that you've had that you wish might actually come true? I'm not talking about dreams like wishes or goals that you have control over, but the sort of dream that you might have while you're asleep or, or at least not whipping it up.

I have a confession ever since I was a child, I would daydream about my dream house. I'd spent countless hours in my waking moments, drawing and sketching and creating floor plans. I envision how I'd use those spaces and even picture the decor. Of course, all this was happening in my mind, where I was in control of what I was thinking about, but when I'd go to sleep at night, I would dream of places and situations that felt so real.

Sometimes it was just a snippet or a snapshot, like a scene out of a movie. And I wouldn't think much of it, but I got in the habit of writing down the details of these vivid dreams. And sometimes I felt compelled to share it with particular people. There was one dream that was just randomly bestowed upon me, like a clear picture message that was downloaded from the cloud into my mind.

Uh, now just for some context, this was during that time when I was being drawn toward my friend, Beverly and she was still undecided about being right. She had asked me what I pictured her life might look like if we were together, like how many children we'd have and what sort of place we'd be living in.

It was almost like my high school guidance counselor was asking me about my five-year ten-year plan, my response. It wasn't so much a wish on my part, but a very clear picture that I received almost like a vision of sorts. And it just felt so real. I chuckled as a shared with her that in my dream, we were in a minivan.

And as I looked in the rear view mirror, there were five children. And out the back window, there was a white picket fence. That's it? The entire dream, uh, rear view mirror, five kids, white picket fence. So clear in my mind, and I hadn't forgotten it through the year. Well, long story short, we got married a few months after that conversation.

We had our first son nine months after the wedding and then two more sons shortly after. So there we were about four years into our marriage with three little energetic boys. And I thought for sure that was going to be it. You know, we were tired Bev and I, we both got sick. And after recovering from our surgeries, all of a sudden that vivid dream I had six years earlier came flooding back into my mind.

At this point, uh, you see, we had a Dodge journey across, over not a minivan. And up to this point, I refuse to purchase a mini van for any reason whatsoever. It's like admitting defeat or something. So a seven seater crossovers seemed like a good compromise. Anyway, fast forward. A couple of years later, our first daughter was born.

Our boys were growing and the Dodge journey just wouldn't cut it anymore. So I have to bite the bullet and we finally upgraded to an eight Cedar minivan, a Chrysler Pacifica within a year of the vehicle. Upgrade Bev becomes pregnant again with our fifth child. So we're still living in the same house today.

From the time that we got married and we don't have a white picket fence. One day as I'm backing up out of her driveway, I looked in the rear view mirror and Denton and in my dream came true here. Beverly is beside me in the passenger seat. And in the rear view, I see five kids and out through the back window, get this, our neighbors across the street had just recently put up a white picket fence, Beverly and I both chuckled in awe and wonder at the thought of how everything ended up the way that it is.

You see, we didn't plan this. I remember how in that moment, my heart was filled with warmth and gratitude and a confidence in God that reminded me that he's still leading my family to where he would have. Our study today is called a dream. Come true. If you need a hand for today's axcess, learn study, please visit our Facebook group Connexionstions, ministries of Canada, and you'll find all of our studies under the files tab.

Also visit our website at Connexionstions, ministries.com. And if you haven't done so already, please subscribe to our podcasts so that you don't miss out on any of our stuff. As you listen today, I do recommend having a Bible to follow along and I encourage you to take some time with your own axcess communities, your small groups and families.

I'm going to review this study together. Now let's get started a dream come true today. My wife Beverly will be reading Genesis chapters, 42 and 43 from the complete Jewish. Now y'all could've saw that there was grain in Egypt. So Jaco said to his sons, why are you staring at each other? Look, he said, I've heard that there's grain in Egypt, go down there and buy some for us from there so that we can stay alive and not die.

Thus Josephs 10 brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt, except for being a min Yosef. His brother Jaco did not send him with his brothers because he was afraid something would happen. The sons of Israel came to buy along with the others that came since the famine extended to the land of Canaan.

Yosef was governor over the land. It was he who sold to all the people of the land. Now, when your PSAs brothers came and prostrated themselves before him on the ground, you also saw his brothers and recognized them, but he acted toward them as if he were a stranger and spoke harshly with them. He asked them, where are you?

They answered from the land of Kennan to buy food. So you also recognized his brothers, but they didn't recognize him remembering the dreams he had had about them. Yosef said to them, you are spies. You've come to spot our country's weaknesses. No, my Lord they're replied. Your servants have come to mind food.

We're all the sons of one, man. We're upright men. Your servants aren't spies. No, he said to them, you've come to spy out our country's weaknesses. We are, your servants are 12 brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan, the youngest stayed with our father and another one is good. Just as I said, replied, Yosef your spice.

Here's how you can prove you're not lying as Pharaoh lives. You will not leave here unless your youngest brother comes here, send one of you and let him bring your brother. Meanwhile, you will be kept in custody. This will prove whether there is any truth in what you say. Otherwise as Pharaoh lives, you are certainly spy.

Then he put all of them together in prison for three days. On the third day, Yosef said to them, do what I say and stay alive for. I fear God, if you are upright men, let one of your brothers remaining Karsa rated in the prison you were being kept in while you go and carry grain back to relieve the famine in your homes, but bring your youngest brother to me in this way, your statements will be verified and you won't die.

So they did it. They said to each other, we are in fact guilty concerning our brother. He was in distress and pleaded with us. We saw it and wouldn't listen. That's why this distress has come upon us. Now, Ray even answered them. Didn't I tell you don't wrong the boy, but you wouldn't hear it now comes the reckoning for his blood.

They had no idea that Yoseph understood them since an interpreter was translating for them. Yosef turned away from them and. Then he returned and spoke to them. He took Shamone from among them and put him in prison before their eyes next. He ordered that their containers be filled with grain, that every man's money be put back in his pack and that they be given provision for the journey when these things had been done for them, they loaded their grand on their donkeys and departed.

But at camp that night, as one of them opened his pack to give fodder to his donkey, he noticed his money there. It was just inside his. He said to his brothers, my money has been restored. There it is right in my pack at that their hearts sank. They turn trembling to one another and said, what is this that God has done to us?

They returned to Jaco of their father in the land of Canaan and told him all that had happened to them. The man, the Lord of the land spoke harshly with us. He took us for spies in his car. We said to him, we are upright men. We're not spies. We are 12 brothers, sons of our father. One is gone, or the youngest stayed with our father in the land of Canaan.

But the man, the Lord of the land said to us here is how I will know that you are upright men. Leave one of your brothers with me, take grain to relieve the famine in your homes and go on your way, but bring your youngest brother to me by this. I will know that you weren't spies, but are upright men. Then I will return your brother to you and you will do business.

Next as they emptied their packs, there was each man's bag of money in his pack. And when they in their father saw their bags of money, they became afraid. Yaacov their father said to them, you have robbed me of my children. Yosef has gone. Shamone has gone. Now. You're taking Binyam in a way. It all falls on me.

Raven said to his father, if I don't bring him back to you, you can kill my own two sons, put him in my care. I will return him. But he replied, my son will not go down with you. His brother is dead and he alone is left. If anything were to happen to him while traveling with you, you would bring my gray hair down to shul with grief chapter 43, but the famine was severe in the land.

So when they had eaten up the grain, which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said to them, go again, buy us a little food. He who has said to him, the man expressly warned us. You will not see my face unless your brother. If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food. But if you will not send him, we will not go down for the man said to us, you will not see my face unless your brother is with you.

Israel said, why did you bring such trouble my way by telling them manually, I had another brother. They answered the man kept questioning us about ourselves. And about our kinsmen, he asked, is your father still alive? Do you have another brother? And we answered according to the literal meaning of his questions.

How were we to know? He would say, bring your brother. You Huda said to Israel, his father sent the boy with me and we will make preparations and leave so that we may stay alive and not die. Both. We end you. And also our little ones, I myself will guarantee his safety. You can hold me responsible. If I fail to bring him to you and present him to your face.

Let me bear the blame forever. Except for our lengthy delay, we would have been there again. Their father Israel answered them. If that's how it is, do this take in your containers, some of the lens, best products and bring the man a gift, some healing resin, a little honey, aromatic gum opium, pistachio, nuts, and almonds.

Take twice the amount of money with you and return the money that came back with you in your packs. It could have been an oversight. Yes. And take your brother too and get ready and go again to. My El Shaddai give you favor in the man's sight so that he will release to you your other brother, as well as being a mean as for me, if I must lose my children, lose them.

I will, the men took that gift and they took twice the money with them and being a mean, then they prepared, went down to Egypt and stood before your staff. When you're saying Sabina met with them, he said to his household manager, take the men inside the house, kill the animals and prepare the meat. These men will dine with me.

The man did, as Joseph ordered and brought the men into Yosef house upon being ushered inside your house, the men became fearful. They said it's because of the money that was returned in our packs. The first time that we have been brought inside so that he can use it as an excuse to attack us, take us as slaves and seize our donkeys.

So they approached the manager of your SUVs household and spoke to him at the entrance of the house, please. My Lord, to the first time we indeed came down to buy food, but when we got to camp, we opened our packs and there, inside our packs was each man's money. The full amount we have brought it back with us.

Moreover, we have brought down other money to buy food. We have no idea who put our money in our packs. Stop worrying. He replied don't be afraid. You're God. And the God of your father put treasure in your pack. As for your money. I was the one who received it. Then he brought  out to them. The man bought the men into Josef's house and gave them water and they washed their feet and he provided fodder for the donkeys.

Then they got to their gift ready for Josephs arrival at noon, where they had heard that they were going to eat a meal there. When you arrived home, they went in the house and presented him with the gift they had brought with them. Then trawl stated themselves before him on the ground. He asked them how they were an inquiry.

Is your father? Well, the old man of whom you spoke, is he still alive? They answered your servant, our father as well. Yes, he is still alive. As they bowed in respect, he looked up and saw being him, his brother, his mother, son, and said, is this your youngest brother of whom you spoke to me? He added may God be good to you?

My son then Yosef hurried out because his feelings toward his brother were so strong that he wanted to cry. He went into his bedroom and there he was. Then he washed his face and came out, but he controlled himself as he gave the order to serve the meal. They served him by himself, the brothers by themselves, and the Egyptians included at the meal by themselves.

Egypt don't eat with Hebrews because that is abhorrent to them. So they sat there facing him the first born in the place of honor, the youngest in last place. And the man expressed their amazement. Each was given his serving there in front of him. But being humans portion was five times as large as any of theirs.

So they drank and enjoyed themselves with him. Before we get into observing these chapters a little more closely, I would like to start with just making a few notes. If you have your handouts with you, you could follow along in the sidebar. These notes are going to help set the stage for what we're getting into.

When we approach chapters 42 and 43. So we know that there was a famine, but what caused the famine as much as we could easily say that God supernaturally caused there to be a famine because he had revealed in Pharaoh's dream and interpreted that through Yosef, there is a pattern of God where he uses the natural cycles and elements of this created world to cause things to come up.

In this case, the famine was due to a lack of rainfall. Simple as that. Now we're going to look at the geography of Egypt to see how this lack of rainfall caused such a widespread. So Egypt was called upper Egypt, which is located in the south and lower Egypt is located in the north. And this is because the Nile river flows from south to north, um, upper Egypt to lower Egypt toward the Mediterranean sea.

So there the north lower Egypt, uh, this was the Delta region where the city Goshen is and this Delta region, although it's a rainless day. You see, due to the abundance of the Nile and the marshland that's created by all those fingers that spread out in the land of Goshen. Um, it's a very fertile and excellent place for growing crops and for grazing animals.

During the time of Yosef the Nile, you see it didn't dry up. Even with the drought and people still had axcess to water, but with the lack of rainfall for the several year period, the Nile didn't overflow to create the marsh lens. So that's why there was a massive reduction in food production. And there just wasn't right.

Food to sustain the people. This famine caused people to turn toward Egypt store houses, to purchase grains. Now, the price for these grains was a very high, uh, those poorer families, they would end up selling themselves in bond service to Pharaoh in exchange for grain. Now from their viewpoint, it was this Semite foreigner Yosef who was to blame for this travesty as he was the front man.

The visible symbol of the entire food exchange program, Pharaoh put him there and he was getting both the credit and the blame fast forward to after Yusef's death and a long period of social upheaval. You see the Egyptians, they end up blaming Joseph's kin the tribes of Israel for their press condition.

The Egyptians then turned the tables on the Israelites and we see the oppressed become the oppressors. This was the beginning of the cycle of persecution of the Hebrew people in foreign lens. And we read about this throughout scripture and continue to witness that even today. And with all that being said, let's get into our passage.

So here at the beginning of chapter 42, we kind of get an idea of the character of Yaakov's fully grown adult sons. Um, interesting. He says to them, why are you staring at each other? We're whereabouts die of starvation here. And you guys are doing nothing. I remember these were in teenagers. These guys were fully grown.

They had their own families, no doubt. And they weren't doing anything to help the situation. And Jaco was like, listen, there's grain in Egypt. Why don't you boys, go get off your butt and get us some grain. We're going to die here. And we're told that he sends 10 of his sons to Egypt, but he keeps his youngest being near me.

He keeps them at home. Now, why does Yaakov keeping him in at home? Was he too young for the journey and not quite, uh, but what made him so special? Now, if you remember who Binyamin was, he was the only brother of Yosef from the same mother Raquel. Uh, the one that Yaakov loved of all his wives the most, and after having lost yourself, Binyamin was only one that he had left from Rahab who died after having given birth to Binyamin.

In verse five, the sons of Israel arrive in Egypt and the prostrate themselves before the grand Vizier south, not porneia AKA Yosef, their long lost brother only. They don't know that it's Yosef. He looked a lot more like an Egyptian. You see, and given this name soft, not is Egyptian for code or secret and  means solver or breaker.

And he's named Sophia his ability to interpret dreams. He was given this name by the way. But why didn't the brothers recognize yourself? I mean, sure. 20 years had passed, so he probably aged, but you also look more like a clean shaven. Egyptian, you see Hebrews, they traditionally always wore beards and he would've worn much of the Egyptian cosmetics that display royalty.

Remember he was in the second highest position of authority next to Pharaoh alone in verse nine. We see. You also remembered his dreams of the 11 sheaves of grain bowing down to his and, and of the 11 stars, the moon and the sun paint homage to him. And it would have been at this moment where Yosef came to realize how God's divine, Providence was at work all along his dream had come true.

And then we see him do something a little strange here. Why do you think Yosef accuses them of being spoiled? I mean, how does that even make any sense? Did Joseph just want to see them squirm in their helplessness? Kind of like he did when he was at the bottom of that dry, well, several years earlier, why did Yosef have him thrown into prison?

Now? It was wise for Yosef to separate his brothers from the rest of the people that were seeking to buy grain so that he could deal with his family separately, without anybody criticizing him. I mean, who needs all that surveillance? As he continues to interrogate these Hebrew men soften up PanAir learns that they have a younger brother at home.

Well, his very own brother Binyamin. And so he demands that one of the brothers is to retrieve the youngest brother and bring him to eat. In verse 18, we see that on the third day of the brothers being incarcerated, Yosef changes the plan. He would send back nine of the brothers with grain for their families while holding Shamone hostage in prison until Benyamin is brought back.

Now, why do you think shaman was held hostage rather than the eldest brother even? Well, when the brothers were speaking amongst themselves in their own language in verses 21 and 22. They didn't know that you also understood them. And it was very clear at that point that,

and it was a very clear that the couldn't forget that fervent pleading and the terror field voice of that young teenager that was dragged away as a slave, when they sold Joseph to the Midianites those many years ago, the distress of Yosef saw they remembered and now they were in distress for their own life.

Remove and took that opportunity to make it very clear, reminding them that he had warned them that this would happen. And in saying this Reeve and didn't realize that he was clearing himself and it was Shimon. That actually was the eldest brother at that point that had really participated in this crime that was committed against Joseph.

And in a gracious act, soft, not paneer orders, his people to fill up the men sacks with green and enough provisions for their journey back home, and also to place their payment for the grains in their socks before sending them on their way on their journey back home, they stopped for the night and one of the brothers opens up his sock and discovers that.

There was a grain money sitting there in his sack, just, just sitting there and it kind of freaked him out and he got confused and afraid. He tells his brothers and they all start freaking out and they say, what is this that God has done to us through guilty conscience and fear of vengeance from God had surfaced again, when they found that green money returned in that one.

Imagine how much more fearful they became when later on, they discovered that all their money was restored. Have you ever been in that sort of situation where it's like your sins have found you out and you grow afraid like to these guys? They must have been thinking more in terms of like a karma coming back to bite them.

When they report to their father Yaakov about what transpired in Egypt and informed them that, you know what Shamone, he's, he's held prisoner over there and they won't let them go. Unless we bring Benjamin with us back to Egypt, man, Yaakov was just overwhelmed at this point and he complains to his sons.

He's like, you'll see if he's gone. Shimon is gone. Am I supposed to be losing Binyamin to all of this is against me. He said, And in saying this he's pretty much blaming his sons for the loss of Yosef and Shimon, and he complains and refuses to allow Binyamin to go. He was simply not really to lose yet.

Another son, especially the only thing the son he has left of his most beloved reco. Now check out what happens in verse 37. How ridiculous is the offer of removing that if anything were to happen to be near man, then he would allow his own two sons to be killed. Priyanka. That would be three sons and two grandsons gone.

What was Raven thinking? I can just imagine the look of disbelief on Yaakov's face. Like how could he even suggest that men, do you hear yourself talking? It's no wonder that reunion keeps getting passed over as though he could kind of claw back this firstborn birthright and time after time. He's just rejected again and again.

Now we're not told of Yaakov had responded directly to Raven in any sort of way. All we know that is he refused to release Binyamin to go with it. And that brings us to the beginning of chapter 43, where some time had passed and they had just about finished all the grain that they had. So Israel instructs his sons to go back to Egypt to purchase more green.

And this time it's Yehuda who speaks up and reminds your father of their predicament. They cannot return without Binyamin. So you who takes the lead here and he says, send the boy. The Hebrew word used here for boy is not R now anytime that Binyamin was referred to anywhere else in the passage is referred to as the youngest, but here specifically, he says, send the are with me from this clue in Hebrew, uh, these passages confirm that Binyamin was still quite young.

So that may have played a little bit of a role in why Yaakov. Might've been a little hesitant to allow beanie men to go and take that long journey to Egypt. But come on, he had all his older brothers with him. What could possibly have happened? Well back to you? Huda so he's the one that says, send the boy with me now, unlike his eldest brother who offered his two sons as a surety bond for being human, you Huda offers himself.

Now, what exactly would you have to have been risking in this offer? Well, remember Reuban would have been passed over due to his indiscretions by sleeping with his father's concubine and bill Hawk. And then you have Shamana and levy who. Due to their blood lust on account of their sister, Dina's rape by the king of Schechem.

They had killed all the miniature him. They would have been passed over. So now here we have Yahuda who's the fourth born and the most likely inheritor of the wealth and authority of the clan. Finally, east rail has a son that he could trust, but more importantly, he trusted everything in God's hands. So Israel sends all his sons.

You'd been Binyamin back to Egypt once their green had run out. And he ensures that they take all the money that had mysteriously made their way back into the green bags, plus the equal amount to purchase more grain. He also has them filled their containers with some of the best products that their land has to offer as gifts to SAF, not punished.

When you also have sees that they returned and Binyamin was with them. He orders his household manager to prepare a feast for this band of brothers at his house. Now, why were they so fearful when they were ushered into Josef's house? Imagine what they must have been thinking. Well, why is this man so interested in us?

Why is he putting us through all this trouble? Why is he being so weird? Well, Yosef comes out and he greets them warmly and then asks questions about the family clue. Number one, and then you also addresses Binyamin directly and greets him with a blessing, even invoking the name of their Hebrew, God Elohim number two.

And that scene his little brother they're reunited again, but still such worlds apart. Yosef is so overwhelmed that he retreats to his room and weeps once composed, he returns and dinner is served. What we see in these verses is a completely accurate way that a meal of this sort would be served in Egypt where Joseph ate alone.

And then you have the brothers that are together as a group and the Egyptian house. Um, they eat separately from both the brothers and from Yosef. So it's a, well-documented Egyptian custom that the head of the house never eats with the servants. But why didn't the Serbians eat with the Israeli brothers?

Well, we're told in verse 32, that Egyptians don't eat with Hebrews because it's abhorrent. Egyptians were sensitive to the social stigma. That's attached to sharing the meal table with foreigners. You see, and discrimination ran rampant throughout Egypt. You see Hebrews like many semi tribes and people groups in this era, they were shepherds and Egyptians saw shepherds as the lowest class of people.

And then your presence was offensive. So an Egyptian would never eat. You know, Egyptians valued cattle, not sheep. That's one of the reasons that the Egyptians highest datey ISIS was represented by a bull. Soon. Another aspect of this Egyptian tradition comes into play. The Israelites were going to be given the land of Goshen to live in a land where they'd be away from the bulk of Egyptian society, and they could grow their sheep without offending any Egyptians problem solved.

Right? We'll get back to Goshen and another side. As the brothers sat down to eat, they were completely stunned to discover that the place settings for them and their reserved seats were from eldest to youngest. And it was in perfect birth order. Like what could this mean? Clue number three. And then we see that Benyamin was given a push and a food that was five times the size of everybody.

Now scholars have debated the meaning behind this five-fold blessing of the food and the general consensus is that in Egypt, a prince or a ruler was given five times as much as everyone else as a sign of the royalty. Of course, that kind of raises a question. Uh, what was Yosef signifying with this?

Could it be that you also, for simply honoring the brother that he'd have the most affinity to the one that he shared a common mother? And the one who out of his 11 brothers was completely innocent of any wrongdoing in Connexionstion with Josef's being sold into slavery. But we also shouldn't look over the fact that the very first king of Israel would be a descendant of Benyamin pretty cool.

Hey, now consider how patriotism toward Rahel son would silently test the attitudes of the brothers. You know, any longstanding envy dislike or animosity, it couldn't be masked very easily. Now it appears that they pass this test as a passage finishes by saying so they drank and enjoyed themselves with him.

And that's where the passage for today's study comes to an end. So the dream that you also have had as a 17 year old finally came true over 20 years later. As soon as he was triggered and remembered his dream, we see him immediately start to test his brothers. To me, his reaction is kind of like pinching yourself to make sure you're not dreaming.

Have you ever been in a situation where something seemed too good to be real? Like you must be dreaming. When we look at Yosef story, he's seen in situations where he's pretty much living the dream life and then something bad happens. But then he gets back up again and starts living the dream life again, but then another something bad happens.

And finally, in this part of the story, he's pretty much on top of the world, right? Where God meant for him to be for such a time as this personally, I believe that God speaks to us in a language that we can understand. And sometimes he reveals bits and pieces that we could put together and discover his divine Providence.

Now if there's anything I hope you walk away with from our study today is that God's will, is always done. Sometimes he drops hints and clues for us early on only to serve as reminders and confirmations down the road that he is always working out his will in his perfect time. Friends. I hope you prayerfully read through these passages again at your own pace and ask God to reveal the message and his truths that he has for you to discover.

I strongly recommend that you take time to gather with your own axcess communities and review these studies together and share what God's spirit has been revealing. As you read his holy scriptures, a few things you could discuss with your axcess groups this week. What would Yakoff have thought when he was.

To send Binyamin back to Egypt after they'd already left Shimon in prison there. What do you imagine his brothers thought when they were brought into Yosef his house? Describe the scene as you might imagine it. And why would Yosef seat the brothers according to the age and give Binyamin the blessing of morph?

Friends. Thank you so much for joining us for today's axcess learn, study as always, it's such a joy to be able to get around God's word and learn more about his plan and his purposes and about his amazing love and his promises. I'm so excited to see where he'll lead us next, may the grace of our Lord Yeshua and the Shalom of God.

Our father be with all, I mean,