09/21/2016 THE GIFT OF NUTS
Genesis 43:11 So their father Israel finally said to them, “If it can’t be avoided, then at least do this. Load your donkeys with the best products of the land. Take them to the man as gifts---balm, honey, spices, myrrh, pistachio, nuts and almonds.
[Living Bible Translations]
Summary:
Israel fathered many sons. But, Israel’s favorite sons were the sons of his favorite wife, Rachel. Rachel had two sons: Joseph and Benjamin. She delivered Benjamin, the youngest, right before she died. Joseph was the first of Rachel’s sons and Israel’s favorite son of them all. Because Israel loved Joseph so much and loved him more than his other children, Israel gave Joseph a “special gift” [Gen 37:3- Living Bible] ----a fancy coat of many colors. In his new, fashionable clothes, a cut far above the ordinary work clothes worn by his older half-brothers, Joseph strutted around like a peacock.
But, in addition to his special clothes, Joseph also had a spiritual gift---the gift of interpreting dreams. This gift was a gift from GOD. But instead of Israel shepherding and helping Joseph to understand the importance of spiritual gifts and explaining to Joseph that any special gift from GOD is to be used to serve God (“every good gift and every perfect gift” comes from GOD (James 1:17)), Joseph’s fancy clothes and his spiritual gift caused Joseph to place more emphasis on himself. Instead of acknowledging GOD, Joseph “boasted” and talked about “my latest dream,”—not about the dream GOD had given to him. Joseph was proud. The gift GOD had bestowed on Joseph was not glorifying anyone but Joseph.
As a result of their father’s obvious partiality toward Joseph and Joseph’s boasting and insensitivity to his brothers, Joseph’s older half-brothers hated Joseph. Had it not been for Reuben, the oldest, they even would have killed Joseph. But instead, they brothers sold Joseph into slavery. To cover up their wrong, they splattered Joseph’s coat with animal blood, showed the coat to their father and convinced him that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal. Believing that Joseph was dead, Israel grieved greatly.
Years passed. Joseph, through trials and tribulations, matures. Then, there is a famine in the land. To keep from starving, Israel sends the older sons, but not Benjamin, whom he dared not risk losing, to look for food in Egypt. By this time Joseph had risen from the ranks of slave, to felon, to the minister of agriculture over all of Egypt. Joseph looked like an Egyptian now and he was in charge of all the food distribution.
When the brothers came before Joseph begging for food, Joseph recognizes his brothers, but the brothers did not recognize Joseph. As a high Egyptian official Joseph questioned the brothers and then ordered them to go home and get their other brother, Benjamin. The brothers told their father, Israel, who became frantic. Israel believed that he had already lost one son of his heart and could not bear the thought of losing another. But the brothers pressured their father, explaining that unless they obeyed the high Egyptian official (whom they did not realize was really their brother Joseph), they would all die of starvation. So, finally Israel agreed to let Benjamin go to Egypt. But Israel insisted that his sons take a “gift” to “the man.” Israel ordered his sons to load up their donkeys with the best products of the land--- balm, honey, spices, myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds. The brothers were to give this gift to the Egyptian….