# 59 - Joseph: The Son of Israel - In this episode of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein, Jacob's joy erupts when he learns that Joseph, his long-lost son, is alive and reigning in Egypt. Journey with us through themes of forgiveness, divine provision, and the unshakable hope that transforms mourning into dancing.
Episode 59 of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein is inspired by the Book of Genesis.
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For more information about Yael Eckstein and IFCJ visit https://www.ifcj.org/
Today's opening prayer is inspired by Jeremiah 29:11, “‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,’ says The Lord, ‘thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope and a fut ure.’”
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Show Notes:
(02:20) Intro with Yael Eckstein
(03:40) Joseph: The Son of Israel
(20:15) Reflection with Yael Eckstein
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
00:00:00
Speaker 1: Previously on the chosen people.
00:00:03
Speaker 2: Send Benjamin with me. Father, we can't afford to wait
00:00:07
Speaker 2: any longer without Grain.
00:00:09
Speaker 3: You expect me to trust you. Twenty seven years ago
00:00:14
Speaker 3: I sent my son to you.
00:00:16
Speaker 4: Go to your brothers, I said to him, I sent
00:00:21
Speaker 4: him into your hands, and you bring me back a
00:00:24
Speaker 4: tattered coat covered in blood.
00:00:29
Speaker 5: You, young Benjamin, will be my slave. The rest of
00:00:33
Speaker 5: your brothers can walk away with Grain in their freedom.
00:00:36
Speaker 5: But you, you more rat in the pit until I
00:00:40
Speaker 5: pluck you out and have you labor in my fields
00:00:44
Speaker 5: until the day you die.
00:00:49
Speaker 2: Take me instead.
00:00:50
Speaker 1: Joseph's heart stopped beating when he heard the words fall
00:00:54
Speaker 1: from Judah's lips.
00:00:56
Speaker 6: What did you say?
00:00:57
Speaker 2: Have me remain as a slave on Benjamin's You have
00:01:00
Speaker 2: let me suffer so he could live.
00:01:02
Speaker 1: Judah's sacrifice pierced through Joseph's hardened heart. Look at me, brother,
00:01:09
Speaker 1: Judah's eyes, filled with pain and confusion, surged Joseph's face.
00:01:16
Speaker 1: The realization dawned slowly, like the breaking of a new day.
00:01:22
Speaker 7: Who are you?
00:01:23
Speaker 8: You know who I am?
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Speaker 3: Joseph? Oh no, look at.
00:01:38
Speaker 6: Me, Judah, look at me. Look at everything you see
00:01:41
Speaker 6: around you.
00:01:42
Speaker 8: Egypt Is say from famine because of what God has done.
00:01:46
Speaker 8: Do not hold your heads low in shame because you
00:01:49
Speaker 8: sold me here. God send me here to preserve life.
00:01:55
Speaker 6: He knew that one day a famine would endanger the land.
00:01:59
Speaker 5: And one of us would have to prepare the way
00:02:01
Speaker 5: to deliverance.
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Speaker 1: He sent them off with ten donkeys, floated with grain,
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Speaker 1: bread and provisions for his father. On their journey, Joseph
00:02:11
Speaker 1: waved them away and began to prepare a place for
00:02:15
Speaker 1: his family to return.
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Speaker 9: The dreamer who was cast down is now the redeemer
00:02:27
Speaker 9: who lifts others up. And we ask just how does
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Speaker 9: one journey from the pit to the palace Schello, my
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Speaker 9: friends from here in the holy land of Israel, Amya
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Speaker 9: l Extein with the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews,
00:02:43
Speaker 9: and welcome to the Chosen People. Do me a favor
00:02:46
Speaker 9: and take a moment today to follow the podcast, leave
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Speaker 9: a review, and share it with a friend. These steps
00:02:53
Speaker 9: may seem small, but in a crowded world of podcasting,
00:02:56
Speaker 9: they actually make a huge impact. Thank you so much
00:03:00
Speaker 9: much for making this Holy miss impassable. Now let's begin. Jacob,
00:03:05
Speaker 9: old and weary, is called to leave the land of
00:03:08
Speaker 9: his father's and venture into Egypt, a foreign place, a
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Speaker 9: distant land, not promised his ancestors. And yet God's promise
00:03:19
Speaker 9: stands firm. But what does it mean to trust in
00:03:22
Speaker 9: such a promise to uproot your life, leave behind the familiar,
00:03:26
Speaker 9: and step into the wilderness of uncertainty. So let us
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Speaker 9: step into the shoes of our forefather. Let us feel
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Speaker 9: the weight of his decision, and let us have the
00:03:36
Speaker 9: same hope that drove him forward.
00:03:42
Speaker 1: Jacob's weary eyes gazed into the fire. The embers and
00:03:47
Speaker 1: smoke rose into the night sky painted with stars. He
00:03:51
Speaker 1: warmed his hands and allowed his mind to wander. His
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Speaker 1: son's wives and children were all near the fire as well,
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Speaker 1: all of them weigh for the return of the brothers.
00:04:02
Speaker 10: Do you think they're safe, Jacob, They've been gone for
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Speaker 10: over a week.
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Speaker 3: I do not know, child, but I fear the worst.
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Speaker 11: If they don't return sooner, I'm not sure how much
00:04:14
Speaker 11: longer my soul will endure.
00:04:17
Speaker 1: Jacob regretted sending his sons back, but he had no choice.
00:04:22
Speaker 1: They needed grain. He looked at his grandchildren sitting quietly
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Speaker 1: in their mother's arms. He was concerned for them as well.
00:04:32
Speaker 1: The famine had struck them hard, and he feared that
00:04:35
Speaker 1: no amount of grain would be able to sustain them
00:04:37
Speaker 1: for longer than a few months. Levi's youngest son, Koha,
00:04:42
Speaker 1: approached Jacob and sat in his lap. Jacob held him close.
00:04:46
Speaker 3: Will these be our last days? How many more nights
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Speaker 3: do we have left before we starve?
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Speaker 1: Jacob closed his eyes and felt the warm embrace of
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Speaker 1: his grandson. He knew his time on earth was drawing
00:05:01
Speaker 1: to a close. Before Jacob dismissed himself for bed, he
00:05:05
Speaker 1: could hear the chuckles of his sons in the distance.
00:05:09
Speaker 1: His grandsons helped him up and he walked over to
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Speaker 1: the small hill near their tents. In the distance, he
00:05:15
Speaker 1: could see torchlights. He counted them eleven. Jacob raised his
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Speaker 1: hands in joy and went out to meet his sons.
00:05:24
Speaker 3: My boy, where is my boy?
00:05:27
Speaker 12: Here?
00:05:28
Speaker 3: I am father, not you, fool, But where is Benjamin?
00:05:33
Speaker 1: Benjamin ran in front of the others and met his
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Speaker 1: father in the middle. The two of them hugged, and
00:05:39
Speaker 1: Jacob sobbed in his youngest son's arms. He looked up
00:05:42
Speaker 1: to see Simeon walking next to Judah. He cried out.
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Speaker 3: Again, Oh Simeon, they have brought you back.
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Speaker 1: He embraced Simeon, and all the men dropped their things
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Speaker 1: to surround their father. Jacob saw that they had brought
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Speaker 1: back more donkeys and carts than when they left.
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Speaker 3: Why have you come with more donkeys and empty carts.
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Speaker 6: My dear father.
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Speaker 3: The Lord has brought us deliverance.
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Speaker 6: From the famine.
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Speaker 3: Yes, we have enough grain to last us through the year.
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Speaker 3: Well done, No, not the grain.
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Speaker 1: Come, let us retreat to the fire.
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Speaker 3: We have much to discuss.
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Speaker 1: The brothers escorted their father back to camp and greeted
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Speaker 1: their families. Children ran into the arms of their fathers.
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Speaker 1: Jacob's heart was full seeing his entire lineage stand before
00:06:32
Speaker 1: him by the fire. They sat by the flames and
00:06:36
Speaker 1: enjoyed a meal together. There was laughter and praise over
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Speaker 1: the abundance they brought back from Egypt.
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Speaker 3: Are these extra supplies the deliverance?
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Speaker 2: Who spoke of father? I'm struggling to find the words.
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Speaker 3: What is it?
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Speaker 2: Your son? Joseph is alife.
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Speaker 1: Jacob's brow creased in anger, and the right side of
00:06:59
Speaker 1: his life it raised in a snarl. With cold, unyielding eyes,
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Speaker 1: Jacob rebuked his son.
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Speaker 3: Do not speak to me of Joseph, Do not chide
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Speaker 3: me about your dead brother. I have grieved enough.
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Speaker 7: It's true, Father, I got to meet him in Egypt.
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Speaker 3: Joseph has been in Egypt this whole time.
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Speaker 7: Not only that he's the ruler there, he's off it.
00:07:24
Speaker 2: Not Pania enough, Benji, Look you're only confusing father Moore. Father,
00:07:31
Speaker 2: we have to tell you the truth, the truth about
00:07:35
Speaker 2: what happened to Joseph all those years ago.
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Speaker 11: My son Joseph was devoured by wolves. I saw the
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Speaker 11: coat sh No, Father, it was a lie.
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Speaker 1: The brothers began to tell Jacob about what they had done.
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Speaker 1: They were counted that day. When Joseph came to find them,
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Speaker 1: they told him about the pit, the Ishmaelites, and the silver.
00:08:00
Speaker 1: Then they began to describe what had happened to Joseph
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Speaker 1: while he was in Egypt. They explained how he was
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Speaker 1: a slave turned steward, then a steward turned prisoner, then
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Speaker 1: a prisoner turned ruler. It was much for Jacob to
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Speaker 1: take in. He sat in silence as his sons lamented
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Speaker 1: their sins. They groveled before him, begging for his forgiveness.
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Speaker 2: Father. We understand if you wanted to cast us out,
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Speaker 2: but please here.
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Speaker 3: I have heard your words, my sons. That is enough.
00:08:32
Speaker 1: Jacob rubbed his hip, as he often did when he
00:08:35
Speaker 1: was in deep thought and prayer. His brow was furrowed
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Speaker 1: in contemplation. He winced in pain as he helped himself
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Speaker 1: up with his staff. He limped away from the fire,
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Speaker 1: dragging a few feet forward before stopping and looking up
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Speaker 1: to the sky. The vast expanse above made Jacob seem
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Speaker 1: utterly small. Judah wondered if he was going to blow
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Speaker 1: away with the wind.
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Speaker 2: Is this finally gonna be what kills him? Can he
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Speaker 2: withstand this grief and betrayal? Father? Are you laughing?
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Speaker 1: As quickly as the wind shifted on the plains, Jacob
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Speaker 1: spun around with a beaming smile that broke through the night.
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Speaker 1: His feet tapped in the dust as he pranced around
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Speaker 1: the fire, laughing and singing.
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Speaker 3: My son is alive, My son is alive.
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Speaker 2: But did you hear what we told you? We lied
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Speaker 2: to you.
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Speaker 10: I'm too old to care about that. Quick fact these
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Speaker 10: cots and let us move. We have to reach Egypt
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Speaker 10: before I die. You and I both know that could
00:09:57
Speaker 10: be any minute. I mean, look at me.
00:10:03
Speaker 1: Despite Jacob's words, he looked twenty years younger, joy had
00:10:08
Speaker 1: revitalized him. Tears fell like rain from his aged and
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Speaker 1: cracked face.
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Speaker 3: Joseph, Oh, my son, I knew, I knew, I knew
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Speaker 3: your destined for greatness. I knew it the day you
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Speaker 3: were born.
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Speaker 1: The family of Israel departed from the land that was
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Speaker 1: promised to them long ago. The land discovered by Abraham,
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Speaker 1: cultivated by Isaac, and lived in by Jacob was left
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Speaker 1: behind for a new chapter in God's story. The chosen
00:10:44
Speaker 1: people of God traversed the long path between Canaan and
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Speaker 1: Egypt in search of redemption. The one who rose out
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Speaker 1: of prison and on to the throne had called them
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Speaker 1: to dwell with him in prosperity, so they obeyed and ventured.
00:11:01
Speaker 1: It took weeks for Jacob to travel such a distance.
00:11:05
Speaker 1: Before leaving the borders of Canaan, Jacob stopped in Beersheba
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Speaker 1: to make a sacrifice. The rest of the family waited
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Speaker 1: as Jacob limped his way up a hill to the
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Speaker 1: well he had dug many years ago. It was on
00:11:18
Speaker 1: this hill where God showed him a vision of a
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Speaker 1: ladder to heaven. For his entire life, Jacob had moved
00:11:26
Speaker 1: and responded to different situations. Rarely did he pause to
00:11:30
Speaker 1: deeply consider, pray, and meditate on God's will. Yet, here
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Speaker 1: on the border of the land promised to his people,
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Speaker 1: he paused.
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Speaker 11: Is it wrong for me to leave the land promised
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Speaker 11: to me and my forefathers Am I making a mistake?
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Speaker 1: Jacob closed his eyes, remembering what God had spoken to
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Speaker 1: him as a young man. The wind whistled up the hill,
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Speaker 1: gently caressing Jacob's face in the wind, and he could
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Speaker 1: hear a subtle whisper, a still and quiet voice speaking
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Speaker 1: straight to his soul.
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Speaker 12: Jacob, Jacob, here I am. Do not fear the unknown.
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Speaker 12: I am your God, AM the God of your father.
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Speaker 12: Do not fear going down to Egypt, For there I
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Speaker 12: will make you a great nation. I will go before you,
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Speaker 12: and I will also bring you back up again when
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Speaker 12: the time comes, And when it is time for you
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Speaker 12: to depart from this world, twill be Joseph who closes
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Speaker 12: your eyes.
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Speaker 1: Jacob smiled at God like one does an old friend.
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Speaker 1: Together they sat at the well for a while, getting
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Speaker 1: one last look at Canaan. Jacob hobbled down the hill.
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Speaker 1: Midway down, he stopped his steps and looked down at
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Speaker 1: his family, Reuben and his sons, Hannok, Palu, Hezron, and
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Speaker 1: Kami were stitching up the donkeys. Simeon was with his
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Speaker 1: sons Jemuel, Jamin, o'had, Yaqin, Zohar and Shaw patching up
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Speaker 1: holes in the bags. Levi and his sons Gershon, Kohath
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Speaker 1: and Murrari were lounging under the shade of a large stone.
00:13:22
Speaker 1: Then Jacob looked at Judah and his sons Perez and Zira.
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Speaker 1: Zira had two children of his own, now, Hezron and Hamil.
00:13:31
Speaker 1: They were all together. Despite the dysfunction that wrought their family,
00:13:36
Speaker 1: they had grown to love one another deeply. Isakar and
00:13:40
Speaker 1: his sons Tola, Puva, Job and Shimron were playing by
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Speaker 1: a small creek beside the rocks. Zebulun and his sons
00:13:48
Speaker 1: serahed Elon and jali O were nearby as well. Gad
00:13:52
Speaker 1: was present with his sons Ziphion, Hagai, Shunni, Esben, Urai, Arodi,
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Speaker 1: and Arelai. They were playing with the sons of Asher Imna, Ishfa, Ishvi,
00:14:04
Speaker 1: Beriah and a daughter named Sarah. Asha also had his
00:14:09
Speaker 1: grandsons Heba and Malchio. Dan was with his only son Hushi,
00:14:15
Speaker 1: playfully throwing stones at the sons of Naphtali, Jazil, Gunai, Jiza,
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Speaker 1: and Shilim. Jacob looked upon the vast number of people
00:14:25
Speaker 1: before him. Through God's blessings, he had created a small nation.
00:14:31
Speaker 1: Now it was time to begin a new chapter in
00:14:34
Speaker 1: the land of Egypt. With God's favor behind them and
00:14:38
Speaker 1: before them, the Chosen People ventured away from Canaan, prepared
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Speaker 1: to begin their new lives under Joseph's protection. Jacob rested
00:14:48
Speaker 1: on a wagon pulled by two donkeys, accompanying him or
00:14:52
Speaker 1: a few of his grandchildren and great grandchildren. The journey
00:14:56
Speaker 1: was filled with hopeful joy, and the supplies given by
00:14:59
Speaker 1: Job as If made the long trek far more manageable.
00:15:03
Speaker 1: Jacob and his sons looked at the horizon and saw
00:15:06
Speaker 1: the majestic architecture of Egypt. Its splendor was like the
00:15:10
Speaker 1: rising sun. The very land that was meant to be
00:15:14
Speaker 1: Joseph's tomb turned out to be the land of deliverance
00:15:17
Speaker 1: for his family.
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Speaker 12: The entire family.
00:15:20
Speaker 1: Cheered as they entered the borders of Egypt. The land
00:15:24
Speaker 1: had clearly been affected by the famine as well, but
00:15:27
Speaker 1: due to Joseph's brilliance, irrigation systems and patches of lush
00:15:31
Speaker 1: farmland were still intact. It had been the first sign
00:15:35
Speaker 1: of life they had seen for miles. Jacob's lip began
00:15:39
Speaker 1: to quiver, his bones ached from a long journey, but
00:15:43
Speaker 1: his heart was bursting forth with youthful zeal.
00:15:47
Speaker 11: Judah, come here, yes, father, run ahead and tell my
00:15:53
Speaker 11: son that we have arrived.
00:15:55
Speaker 3: I do not want to waste one more second.
00:15:58
Speaker 1: Judah bowed his head and ran ahead. He made his
00:16:01
Speaker 1: way to the lavish estate of Joseph. He was sitting
00:16:05
Speaker 1: in the courtyard with a few of his officials, strategizing
00:16:08
Speaker 1: for rationing in the next year. Judah came in, escorted
00:16:12
Speaker 1: by guards. Joseph looked up and immediately stood in joy.
00:16:16
Speaker 6: Is he here?
00:16:18
Speaker 1: His excited grin was like a little child's. Judah simply nodded.
00:16:23
Speaker 1: He sprang up to go to meet his father, but
00:16:25
Speaker 1: before he left, he paused. He turned to Judah, who
00:16:29
Speaker 1: was still standing still. Joseph stepped lightly and placed a
00:16:34
Speaker 1: hand on his shoulder. Judah's body quivered slightly, his fists tensed,
00:16:39
Speaker 1: then released as he spoke.
00:16:41
Speaker 2: Greatness, that's what Abraham was called to do, building a
00:16:46
Speaker 2: nation a legacy. You've done it. Joseph, your name will
00:16:53
Speaker 2: be engraved in the hearts and minds of people for
00:16:56
Speaker 2: generations to come. And I well, I'm glad I at
00:17:05
Speaker 2: least got to witness it. You're a king, and your
00:17:11
Speaker 2: children will most likely be kings as well. I will
00:17:15
Speaker 2: be lucky if minee even last another generation, given.
00:17:19
Speaker 1: My luck.
00:17:21
Speaker 6: Greatness.
00:17:23
Speaker 5: You know, before I wore these royal amulets, I wore chains,
00:17:26
Speaker 5: before those shaines, my hands were pound up.
00:17:29
Speaker 6: By rope as a slave. The path to greatness can
00:17:33
Speaker 6: be treacherous.
00:17:34
Speaker 2: And then the way of kings is marked by suffering.
00:17:37
Speaker 6: Your legacy may not be fully seen by your children
00:17:40
Speaker 6: or your grandchildren, but give it time. The generations that
00:17:44
Speaker 6: follow may sing of your greatness.
00:17:47
Speaker 2: Maybe you're right. What are you doing here with me?
00:17:52
Speaker 2: Go see your father.
00:17:54
Speaker 1: Joseph was gone in an instant. He mounted his chariot,
00:17:58
Speaker 1: eyes beaming with hope and pride. He reached out a
00:18:01
Speaker 1: hand to Judah.
00:18:03
Speaker 6: You want a taste of greatness, Judah hop on.
00:18:06
Speaker 1: Judah ran like a child and hopped on to the chariot.
00:18:10
Speaker 1: The two of them rode through the city streets with
00:18:12
Speaker 1: ferocious speed. Judah had never ridden a horse before, let
00:18:17
Speaker 1: alone a chariot. Its speed was nearly blinding. Joseph was
00:18:21
Speaker 1: beaming with joy. Tears welled up in his eyes as
00:18:24
Speaker 1: he saw the small caravan of people in the distance.
00:18:27
Speaker 1: Father Jacob looked up. Behind a golden chariot pulled by
00:18:33
Speaker 1: Egyptian stallions. A tall, tanned man adorned with royal garments approached.
00:18:39
Speaker 1: His head dress flew off from the wind, revealing long
00:18:42
Speaker 1: brown curls. Jacob peered at the figure, wondering if it
00:18:47
Speaker 1: was Pharaoh himself coming to greet them.
00:18:49
Speaker 6: But it wasn't.
00:18:51
Speaker 1: The man riding towards him was his son, Joseph, his
00:18:56
Speaker 1: lost child.
00:18:58
Speaker 10: Joseph, Joseph, Joseph.
00:19:06
Speaker 6: Father.
00:19:07
Speaker 1: He was close now, and the horses made an abrupt stop.
00:19:10
Speaker 1: With the son at his back, the glimmering redeemer of
00:19:14
Speaker 1: Israel stood before Jacob. The man who had suffered so
00:19:19
Speaker 1: the rest may be saved had arrived. Joseph the Dreamer
00:19:24
Speaker 1: was reunited with his father. Joseph dismounted his chariot. Jacob
00:19:31
Speaker 1: was helped off of the wagon. The two of them
00:19:33
Speaker 1: stood ten feet away from each other. It had been
00:19:37
Speaker 1: many years since they had seen each other. Jacob stepped
00:19:41
Speaker 1: forward and touched his son's face. Tears streamed down the
00:19:45
Speaker 1: cracks of his face.
00:19:47
Speaker 3: Is it you, my son?
00:19:49
Speaker 6: Yes, Father, it's me.
00:19:51
Speaker 2: I'm here.
00:19:52
Speaker 1: He crumbled into his father's arms like a child and sobbed.
00:19:57
Speaker 1: The two of them embraced he could help his son's face.
00:20:02
Speaker 11: No, no, I may die in peace since I have
00:20:06
Speaker 11: seen your face and know that you are alive.
00:20:18
Speaker 3: Wow.
00:20:19
Speaker 9: We have witnessed Jacob's raw despair, staring into the fire,
00:20:23
Speaker 9: searching the stars for a glimmer of hope. We've witnessed
00:20:27
Speaker 9: the fracture of his family, his deep regret, the haunting
00:20:30
Speaker 9: uncertainty of famine, and then we witness the reunion. Jacob's
00:20:37
Speaker 9: heart leaps as he sees the torches and the distance,
00:20:41
Speaker 9: realizing his son, his beloved Joseph, is alive. This is
00:20:48
Speaker 9: a story of survival, but it's not just about survival.
00:20:53
Speaker 9: It's also about God's redemption in the darkest moments. It's
00:20:59
Speaker 9: a reminder that no matter how hopeless things seem, God
00:21:04
Speaker 9: is always crafting away back. We are assured of this
00:21:09
Speaker 9: fact right away. In Genesis forty six, we find Jacob
00:21:14
Speaker 9: on his way down to Egypt. Verse two tells us
00:21:17
Speaker 9: and God spoke to Israel in a vision at night,
00:21:20
Speaker 9: and said Jacob, Jacob, Now this verse is the only
00:21:26
Speaker 9: place in the Bible that God appears in a vision
00:21:29
Speaker 9: at night. We've already seen many mystical, mysterious aspects of
00:21:35
Speaker 9: God in Genesis. But what does a vision at night
00:21:39
Speaker 9: even mean? Well, And Jacob was leaving the land of Israel,
00:21:43
Speaker 9: and he knew that the night of exile, when hope
00:21:46
Speaker 9: would be enveloped in darkness, was about to begin. Jacob
00:21:50
Speaker 9: was terribly afraid that God would no longer be with
00:21:53
Speaker 9: him in a strange land. The promise that God made
00:21:57
Speaker 9: only pertained to Israel, and now he wasn't even near there.
00:22:02
Speaker 7: He was in Egypt.
00:22:04
Speaker 9: But God reassures Jacob of his presence in verse four,
00:22:08
Speaker 9: promising quote, I will go down to Egypt with you,
00:22:13
Speaker 9: and I will surely bring you back again end quote.
00:22:17
Speaker 9: The Chosen People lived with this promise for all the
00:22:20
Speaker 9: years of their slavery in Egypt until they came back
00:22:24
Speaker 9: to the Promised Land. And they lived with this same
00:22:26
Speaker 9: promise after being exiled from the Holy Land of Israel,
00:22:30
Speaker 9: for all the centuries that they were persecuted and far
00:22:34
Speaker 9: in foreign lands, and even today we can live with
00:22:38
Speaker 9: this and learn from this and know that God's promise
00:22:42
Speaker 9: is ironclad. It may take a long time to be fulfilled,
00:22:47
Speaker 9: but it will always be fulfilled. And I tell you
00:22:51
Speaker 9: this now from right here in the holy Land of Israel,
00:22:55
Speaker 9: where God's promise has once again been fulfilled. It might
00:22:59
Speaker 9: take a lot long time in order for all of
00:23:02
Speaker 9: these promises to come to fruition, but they will happen,
00:23:06
Speaker 9: and they are happening, of course, in the heat of
00:23:09
Speaker 9: the moment, in the middle of our suffering. It can
00:23:11
Speaker 9: be hard to hold on to this holy promise sometimes,
00:23:15
Speaker 9: can't it. Like Joseph, when we suffer and I feel
00:23:17
Speaker 9: like God is distant and we wonder where is he?
00:23:21
Speaker 9: The Jewish tradition tells us otherwise, it's during our most
00:23:26
Speaker 9: difficult trials that God is actually nearest, that He's holding
00:23:31
Speaker 9: us close. When my Abba, my father Abbe Riel Ekstein,
00:23:35
Speaker 9: passed away unexpectedly of a sudden heart attack at the
00:23:38
Speaker 9: age of sixty seven, it was the hardest time of
00:23:41
Speaker 9: my life, and yet I felt God with me. I
00:23:45
Speaker 9: felt God embracing me with comfort more than any time
00:23:49
Speaker 9: in my life. I felt God holding me, comforting me,
00:23:53
Speaker 9: and letting me know that this is part of His plan,
00:23:57
Speaker 9: even if it's hard, that that comfort is what got
00:24:01
Speaker 9: me through it. This theme God's presence and hardship runs
00:24:06
Speaker 9: through the fabric of the Chosen People's history, from Egypt
00:24:10
Speaker 9: to Babylon, from Pregromes to the sho Ah, the Holocaust.
00:24:14
Speaker 9: God has always been with us, even when it felt
00:24:17
Speaker 9: the darkest, even when we felt abandoned, especially sometimes when
00:24:22
Speaker 9: we felt abandoned, which brings us to an intriguing question
00:24:27
Speaker 9: from Genesis forty six in verse twenty seven, seventy members
00:24:32
Speaker 9: of Jacob's family went to Egypt, but the Bible it
00:24:36
Speaker 9: only lists sixty nine of them. So who is the
00:24:39
Speaker 9: seventieth Why doesn't it mention the seventieth person who went
00:24:44
Speaker 9: down to Egypt from Jacob's family. Well, Jewish tradition has
00:24:49
Speaker 9: an answer. A similar discrepancy occurred when the Jews were
00:24:53
Speaker 9: exiled to Babylon. The Babylonians counted the Jewish captives when
00:24:57
Speaker 9: they left the Promised Land and again when they reached
00:25:00
Speaker 9: the shores of Babylon, But no matter how many people
00:25:02
Speaker 9: were counted, there was always one more than the original number.
00:25:06
Speaker 9: The Babylonians were baffled, but the Jews explained, as soon
00:25:10
Speaker 9: as we went into exile, our God joined us. Similarly,
00:25:16
Speaker 9: when the children of Israel went down to Egypt the
00:25:19
Speaker 9: beginning of a harsh exile, God went with them. The
00:25:23
Speaker 9: Jewish sages teach that God was that seventieth individual. So
00:25:28
Speaker 9: just as here, when God promises Jacob, I will go
00:25:31
Speaker 9: down to Egypt with you, we see he meant it.
00:25:36
Speaker 9: God has always been and will always be right by
00:25:39
Speaker 9: our side, holding our hands, loving us. Because when we,
00:25:42
Speaker 9: as children of God go through difficulties, our loving Father is.
00:25:46
Speaker 3: There right with us.
00:25:48
Speaker 9: His love is constant, his presence is unwavering. And we
00:25:53
Speaker 9: learn this and we can take the lesson from the
00:25:56
Speaker 9: story of Joseph and put it directly onto our life.
00:26:02
Speaker 9: This closeness of God in times of struggle reminds me
00:26:05
Speaker 9: of something else, something that shows up and the small
00:26:08
Speaker 9: acts of everyday life. I remember years ago hearing the
00:26:13
Speaker 9: international media being excited when Prince William of Egypt changed
00:26:17
Speaker 9: his son's diaper. The world went wild. Of course, through
00:26:21
Speaker 9: the years, my husband Deny, with our four children, have
00:26:24
Speaker 9: changed hundreds, maybe even thousands, of diapers, and no one
00:26:27
Speaker 9: ever threw us a parade or put us on the
00:26:29
Speaker 9: front page. Why is that, Well, because people didn't expect
00:26:35
Speaker 9: princes to do that. People didn't expect people didn't expect
00:26:40
Speaker 9: princes to do the dirty work of changing their kids' diapers.
00:26:43
Speaker 9: They have other people that do that, which is why
00:26:46
Speaker 9: it was such a notable display of love when William
00:26:49
Speaker 9: chose to change his child's diaper. He could have had
00:26:53
Speaker 9: someone else do it, but he decided not to. He
00:26:55
Speaker 9: decided to do it himself. Recalling that story or reminds
00:27:00
Speaker 9: me of Joseph. In this Bible story, we see Joseph
00:27:04
Speaker 9: prepare his own chariot to meet his father. According to
00:27:08
Speaker 9: Jewish tradition, Joseph didn't command his servants to perform the task. No,
00:27:13
Speaker 9: Joseph wanted to harness the horses himself, even though he
00:27:18
Speaker 9: was royalty. He chose to act out of love and
00:27:21
Speaker 9: honor for his father. We live in a world where
00:27:25
Speaker 9: we can hire people for almost anything. Nanny's nurses, take
00:27:29
Speaker 9: out food rides, even grocery deliveries. But sometimes we need
00:27:34
Speaker 9: to get involved with our own two hands. There's no
00:27:37
Speaker 9: substitute for the personal touch of service, which is the
00:27:42
Speaker 9: extension of our love. The extension of our hearts. That's
00:27:46
Speaker 9: what God did right here. When the Israelites went down
00:27:50
Speaker 9: to Egypt, he himself went with them, and we can
00:27:53
Speaker 9: learn from that. It's through these acts of love that
00:27:56
Speaker 9: we reflect the ever present, never ending hands on and
00:28:00
Speaker 9: love of our heavenly father. To speak more on this
00:28:05
Speaker 9: fatherly heavenly love is our good friend, Bishop Lanier.
00:28:09
Speaker 7: Thank you so much.
00:28:10
Speaker 2: Child.
00:28:12
Speaker 7: I want us to move swiftly through this chapter forty six.
00:28:15
Speaker 7: In fact, I'm not going to speak to all of
00:28:18
Speaker 7: chapter forty six because the latter part of it leans heavily,
00:28:22
Speaker 7: really into chapter forty seven. Can I tell you that
00:28:26
Speaker 7: when I'm reading chapter forty six, the word that just
00:28:30
Speaker 7: leaps into my spirit is the word generation. Here is
00:28:38
Speaker 7: jacob journey to be reunited.
00:28:42
Speaker 2: With his.
00:28:46
Speaker 6: Son.
00:28:46
Speaker 2: Would you say that word with me?
00:28:48
Speaker 6: Son?
00:28:49
Speaker 8: Son?
00:28:49
Speaker 7: That's your son? Say daughter, daughter? Both of those are
00:28:56
Speaker 7: generational words. You don't get to be your son unless
00:29:02
Speaker 7: someone else generates you. You have a father, you have
00:29:07
Speaker 7: a mother. Doesn't mean you know them, doesn't mean you've
00:29:10
Speaker 7: ever met them, doesn't mean you see them often or
00:29:13
Speaker 7: like them at all. Just in purely generational terms, Jacob
00:29:19
Speaker 7: is going to see the one who came forth from
00:29:24
Speaker 7: Jacob and his Rachel.
00:29:27
Speaker 2: Now watch this.
00:29:28
Speaker 7: Jacob is on his way to see his son, and
00:29:32
Speaker 7: he stops to offer sacrifices doom to the God of
00:29:38
Speaker 7: his father. Say father, say mother, this is all about generations.
00:29:48
Speaker 7: And you know I want to stop here and just say,
00:29:51
Speaker 7: I honor those men and women who are willing to
00:29:55
Speaker 7: become the Abraham and Sarah of their own families. No
00:30:00
Speaker 7: one else in your family has believed the Bible, no
00:30:04
Speaker 7: one has chosen to faith themselves into the God of Israel,
00:30:11
Speaker 7: the creator of the heavens on the earth. Now you
00:30:13
Speaker 7: are the first, and I honor you for doing so,
00:30:17
Speaker 7: and for making sure that your own generations, your children
00:30:20
Speaker 7: will know our God. But I also celebrate those who
00:30:26
Speaker 7: come from a long line of faith. You can look
00:30:30
Speaker 7: to your parents, your mother, your father, maybe your grant,
00:30:34
Speaker 7: maybe even farther back than that.
00:30:36
Speaker 6: Oh that's Glorias.
00:30:39
Speaker 7: You know that God revealed himself to Jacob a beth
00:30:43
Speaker 7: Al when Jacob put his head on the rock and
00:30:45
Speaker 7: the heavens were opened. And you know that part. You
00:30:48
Speaker 7: also know the apartment Jacob wrestled all night with an
00:30:52
Speaker 7: angel who was determined not to take something from Jacob,
00:30:56
Speaker 7: but to press something into Jacob. This this name that's
00:31:01
Speaker 7: even bigger than a person, but for a people. And
00:31:06
Speaker 7: in this verse two, Jacob has a profound vision where
00:31:11
Speaker 7: the Lord reiterates his covenant promises and presence in Jacob's
00:31:16
Speaker 7: life at this pivot point of reunion and restoration and reconciliation.
00:31:24
Speaker 7: To Joseph, these are some of the most powerful moving
00:31:30
Speaker 7: words I've ever read in the scriptures. But you know
00:31:32
Speaker 7: that part where Joseph said, Look, I know I'm only
00:31:35
Speaker 7: thirty years of age, but I'm telling you the anointing
00:31:38
Speaker 7: of God is so upon my life. I have not
00:31:41
Speaker 7: become a sum to Pharaoh. Now I have become a
00:31:47
Speaker 7: father to Pharaoh. And then God says in verse three
00:31:54
Speaker 7: to Jacob, I'm going to make a great nation in Egypt.
00:32:01
Speaker 7: What you remember, God, it said to Abraham, through you,
00:32:06
Speaker 7: all the nations of the world will be blessed. And
00:32:08
Speaker 7: out of your nursery with Sarah will come a nation. Well,
00:32:12
Speaker 7: God is reiterating to Jacob and telling him the context,
00:32:15
Speaker 7: the miraculous context where Israel will become a great nation.
00:32:21
Speaker 7: He says, it will happen in Egypt. I'm going to
00:32:27
Speaker 7: put you in a land. It's not your land, never
00:32:31
Speaker 7: will be your land. I'm going to use it. I'm
00:32:34
Speaker 7: going to use Egypt as a It's a divine backdrop. Yeah,
00:32:39
Speaker 7: I like a divine back drop, even a holy incubating force.
00:32:47
Speaker 7: And there I'm going to review myself to my people,
00:32:49
Speaker 7: and you're going to see my power and how I
00:32:51
Speaker 7: redeem and sustain. This is actually a Mount SIGINAI place
00:32:56
Speaker 7: before Signaiation of Israel will become great in another nation,
00:33:05
Speaker 7: in the midst of another people. But God says, you're
00:33:08
Speaker 7: not going to stay here forever. This is not where
00:33:11
Speaker 7: I'm planting you. And I won't leave you here, and
00:33:15
Speaker 7: I won't leave my people here. I will bring you
00:33:18
Speaker 7: back home. When Joseph closes, You're eyes. You know how
00:33:26
Speaker 7: this whole thing started, don't you. Of course you do.
00:33:30
Speaker 7: In a caravan. Jacob wasn't in the caravan. Neither were
00:33:36
Speaker 7: Joseph's brothers. Only Joseph, who had been apprehended and accused
00:33:44
Speaker 7: and abandoned. Only Joseph in the caravan. Now, finally we
00:33:54
Speaker 7: reached this crowning moment of a whole other caravan of
00:33:59
Speaker 7: seventy people who are coming not with Joseph. But for Joseph,
00:34:09
Speaker 7: and then we bean little this this caravan of seventy
00:34:14
Speaker 7: the little ones, and his wives and wagons, and there's
00:34:19
Speaker 7: cattle and possessions and descendants and sons and grandsons and
00:34:24
Speaker 7: daughters and granddaughters and all the generations against seventy of them.
00:34:32
Speaker 7: And when this son, Joseph and his father Jacob finally reunited,
00:34:44
Speaker 7: I don't think that translates well from black ink to
00:34:49
Speaker 7: white paper. How do you begin to convey what's really
00:34:53
Speaker 7: disrupture eruption of emotion? How would you act in such
00:34:58
Speaker 7: a situation, What would your own emotions be like? Of course,
00:35:06
Speaker 7: I suspect everybody was out of the room, maybe out
00:35:10
Speaker 7: of the building. But this father and this son as
00:35:15
Speaker 7: they had this very personal, painful, praise filled moment of
00:35:24
Speaker 7: raw hurt and hallelujah, and Jacob says something that's a
00:35:34
Speaker 7: little awkward to me. It's a little strange. You know,
00:35:37
Speaker 7: this is the beginning of something. You are re united,
00:35:41
Speaker 7: you have returned to one another, and you start dreaming
00:35:44
Speaker 7: and imagining and promising, and you know what Jacob says.
00:35:49
Speaker 7: Jacob says, I can die now, I can die because
00:35:55
Speaker 7: I know You're alive. Jacob is overwhelmed by this generational
00:36:08
Speaker 7: moment and the mindset that he says, I can leave
00:36:19
Speaker 7: because I know you live. I know that the promises
00:36:25
Speaker 7: of God to me, we'll live on.
00:36:31
Speaker 12: To you.
00:36:37
Speaker 9: Glory Genesis forty six is really what the story of
00:36:43
Speaker 9: the Chosen People is all about. Jacob's moved to Egypt,
00:36:46
Speaker 9: sparked by famine, isn't just a story of survival. It's
00:36:49
Speaker 9: about God's love. From Abraham's journey from Ur to Jacob's
00:36:54
Speaker 9: wrestling with God, our story has always been one of
00:36:57
Speaker 9: God's promise and his providence, even during times of uncertainty.
00:37:03
Speaker 9: Joseph's rise in Egypt after years of betrayal shows us
00:37:06
Speaker 9: that even in the darkness, God is there. And from
00:37:11
Speaker 9: slavery to liberation, from despair to deliverance, from exile to Aliyah,
00:37:16
Speaker 9: our story teaches us that in every trial, God is there,
00:37:22
Speaker 9: guiding us, shaping us, calling us, and blessing us his
00:37:26
Speaker 9: Chosen people. All we have to do is to hear
00:37:29
Speaker 9: his voice and make the decision to say he Nanny, here.
00:37:34
Speaker 1: I am Lord. You can listen to the Chosen People
00:37:38
Speaker 1: with the Isle Egstein add free by downloading and subscribing
00:37:42
Speaker 1: to the Pray dot Com app today. This Prey dog
00:37:46
Speaker 1: comproduction is only made possible by our dedicated team of
00:37:49
Speaker 1: creative talents. Steve Katina, Max Bard, Zach Shellabaga and Ben
00:37:55
Speaker 1: Gammon are the executive producers of The Chosen People with
00:37:58
Speaker 1: Yile Egstein, Edited by by Alberto Avilla, narrated by Paul Coltofianu.
00:38:03
Speaker 1: Characters are voiced by Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvato, Sarah Seltz,
00:38:08
Speaker 1: Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwold, Sylvia Zaradoc and the opening prayer
00:38:12
Speaker 1: is voiced by John Moore. Music by Andrew Morgan Smith,
00:38:16
Speaker 1: written by Bree Rosalie and Aaron Salvato. Special thanks to
00:38:20
Speaker 1: Bishop Paul Lanier, Robin van Ettin, kayleb Burrows, Jocelyn Fuller,
00:38:25
Speaker 1: and the team at International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.
00:38:29
Speaker 1: You can hear more Prey dot com productions on the
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Speaker 1: Prey dot Com app, available on the Apple App Store
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Speaker 1: with Yeile Eckstein, please rate and leave a review.
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