# 56 - Joseph: The Conflicted - In this episode of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein, Joseph wrestles with forgiveness and justice as his brothers return to Egypt with Benjamin. Explore the powerful themes of family, redemption, and God’s divine orchestration in this dramatic chapter of Genesis.
Episode 56 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 Psalm 133:1, “See how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to live together in unity!”
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Show Notes:
(02:21) Intro with Yael Eckstein
(03:32) The Conflicted - Cinematic Retelling
(22:12) Reflection with Yael Eckstein
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Speaker 1: Previously on the chosen people.
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Speaker 2: Since God has made all this known to you, there
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Speaker 2: is no one else I would desire for the position.
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Speaker 2: You shall be in charge of my palace, my resources,
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Speaker 2: and all my people.
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Speaker 1: As a young boy, this position would have inflated his ego.
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Speaker 1: Yet there was a different heart. God had put in Joseph.
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Speaker 1: Years of slavery and imprisonment had dug a deep well
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Speaker 1: of humility within him.
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Speaker 3: What's in Egypt grain enough grain to feed the world,
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Speaker 3: and they're selling it at a fair price. All relly,
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Speaker 3: all the brothers, well believe it. Don Simeon, go retrieve
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Speaker 3: Reuben and Zebulon LEVI send word to Gadon asher Dan,
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Speaker 3: Benjamin and I will saddle the donkeys before the sun sets.
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Speaker 4: Now, absolutely not, Benjamin will not be joining you.
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Speaker 1: Recognition sparked a fire in Joseph's fins. These were his brothers,
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Speaker 1: the sons of Israel, who had betrayed him so long ago.
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Speaker 3: Lord sapanath Pania, we come seeking kindness.
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Speaker 5: My judgment delivered this land from famine, and my judgment
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Speaker 5: tells me you are spies. Prove to me I'm wrong.
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Speaker 5: You will be bound and imprisoned in this place while
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Speaker 5: one of you leaves to retrieve the youngest brother.
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Speaker 6: If he is real, then I shall know you do
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Speaker 6: not lie.
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Speaker 3: Where is Simeon? What has happened? He requires Benjamin. If
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Speaker 3: we can show him, Benjamin, he'll know we aren't lying.
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Speaker 4: Ha.
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Speaker 3: No, you will not take my son to me. Imprisoned
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Speaker 3: by this badman. How do you know he won't just
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Speaker 3: kill you.
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Speaker 1: All without another word or glance? Jacob retreated back to
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Speaker 1: his tent. The family of Jacob would live to see
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Speaker 1: another few months. However, the culture of jealousy, backbiting, and
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Speaker 1: betrayal in their family was beginning to catch up to them.
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Speaker 1: They were in need of redemption.
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Speaker 7: A father's desperate plea sends his sons back to Egypt,
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Speaker 7: not just for grain, but for truth and for reconciliation. Cello,
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Speaker 7: my friends from here in the Holy Land, Amya l
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Speaker 7: extein with international Fellowship of Christians and Jews, Welcome to
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Speaker 7: the Chosen People. What happens when a parent's heart is
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Speaker 7: torn between love and despair? In today's Bible story, we
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Speaker 7: turned to the poignant narrative of Genesis forty three, a
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Speaker 7: chapter of forgiveness, responsibility, and divine providence. In it we'll
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Speaker 7: see the sons of Jacob return to Egypt, forced by
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Speaker 7: the hunger that ravages their homeland. But this is no
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Speaker 7: ordinary journey. It is a passage through the corridors of
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Speaker 7: their past sins, a test of their integrity, and a
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Speaker 7: revelation of their father's undying love. As we step into
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Speaker 7: this ancient story, pondered these questions, how does our past
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Speaker 7: shape our present decisions? What lengths would we go for
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Speaker 7: the sake of our family? And can forgiveness heal the
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Speaker 7: deepest wounds.
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Speaker 1: The famine's relentless grip tightened around Canaan, its cruel bite
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Speaker 1: stripping away the land's vitality. Farmlands turned to dust under
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Speaker 1: the unyielding sun, and the river running alongside them had
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Speaker 1: dried up entirely. The once thriving flocks had dwindled to
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Speaker 1: a mere handful of gaunt, struggling animals. The family of
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Speaker 1: Jacob had exhausted all the provisions brought from Egypt, and
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Speaker 1: the barren land offered no hope of replenishment. Jacob's heart
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Speaker 1: ached for Simeon, who languished in captivity, but the thought
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Speaker 1: of sending Benjamin into the hands of an unknown ruler
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Speaker 1: paralyzed him with fear. Jacob sat beside the well he
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Speaker 1: had dug in his youth, a relic of better days,
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Speaker 1: when his strength had known no bounds and his sons
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Speaker 1: had been united under one roof. Now the well was
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Speaker 1: as dry as his spirit, its depths offering no solace.
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Speaker 1: He leaned against the rough stone, the wind whipping through
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Speaker 1: the empty fields like a taunting whisper.
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Speaker 6: What has become of my family?
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Speaker 4: All the struggle, drama, toil, What was it all for?
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Speaker 4: Is this not the lamb you promised to my grandfather Abraham.
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Speaker 1: The wind howled in response, carrying with it the sting
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Speaker 1: of dust. Jacob squinted against the harsh gusts, his gaze
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Speaker 1: fixed on the horizon. Reuben and Judah approached, their faces
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Speaker 1: edged with the same weariness that gripped their father. They
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Speaker 1: settled beside him in silence, the weight of the drought
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Speaker 1: and their recent failures pressing down on them. Without looking
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Speaker 1: at them, Jacob pointed to the horizon.
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Speaker 6: We need more food.
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Speaker 4: You must return to Egypt and beg for more.
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Speaker 3: If we return with our Benjamin, we're all as good
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Speaker 3: as slaves. I mean, none of us will return.
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Speaker 4: Why do you torment me with your thoughtless actions. You
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Speaker 4: didn't need to mention Benjamin to him. No, Simeon has gone,
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Speaker 4: and you risk the life of my youngest son.
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Speaker 3: Zeppeneth Phania thinks were spies. He questioned us carefully about ourselves,
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Speaker 3: our kindred and even you. How are we spoke so no,
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Speaker 3: he would demand to see Benjamin.
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Speaker 1: Jacob didn't respond. He simply looked down at his once
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Speaker 1: fruitful land. Judah scooted closer to his father and met
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Speaker 1: his gaze.
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Speaker 3: Send Benjamin with me, father, We can't afford to wait
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Speaker 3: any longer without grain.
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Speaker 1: Silence stretched between them, thick with unspoken fears and regrets.
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Speaker 1: Judah knelt before Jacob, his hands clutching at the dry earth.
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Speaker 3: If we had not waited this long, we could have
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Speaker 3: been back twice by now. We must not delay any silence.
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Speaker 1: He used his staff to push himself to his feet,
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Speaker 1: His old wounds and the ever present ache in his
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Speaker 1: hip a constant reminder of his struggles and the promises
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Speaker 1: that now felt like curses.
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Speaker 3: You expect me to trust you.
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Speaker 4: Twenty seven years ago I sent my son to you.
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Speaker 4: Go to your brothers, I said to him, I send
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Speaker 4: him to your hands, and you bring me back a
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Speaker 4: tattered coat covered in blood.
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Speaker 1: Jacob's voice shook with the weight of his grief. Judah
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Speaker 1: and Reuben bowed their heads. The truth of Joseph's fate
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Speaker 1: a burden they had carried in secret. The two men
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Speaker 1: bowed before their father. Judah's hands sunk deep into the dirt.
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Speaker 1: Tears streamed down his face, and his entire body tensed
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Speaker 1: up with sorrow.
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Speaker 3: Father, I know we have failed you before. Please put
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Speaker 3: your trust at us this once so we might return.
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Speaker 3: Simeon and Saith are families from starvation. If anyone will die,
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Speaker 3: can blame me.
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Speaker 1: Jacob looked down at his son. He could see tears
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Speaker 1: of conviction falling down his face. He stretched out his
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Speaker 1: hand to put on his head, but then retracted. He snarled,
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Speaker 1: wrestling with himself.
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Speaker 4: If you must go, then be diligent to gain this
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Speaker 4: ruler's favor. If you take some of our fruits along
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Speaker 4: with some of our goods. We still have honey, gum, muh,
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Speaker 4: almonds and pistachios, Perhaps a taste of the delicacies of Canaan.
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Speaker 3: Will gain his favor.
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Speaker 4: Take double the money you took last time, return it
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Speaker 4: to him. Lest he try and accuse you of stealing
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Speaker 4: it in the first place.
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Speaker 6: Thank you for them.
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Speaker 3: I won't let you doubt this time.
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Speaker 8: Don't promise me that, Judah, you can't. But I will
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Speaker 8: tell you this, If Benjamin doesn't return with you, I
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Speaker 8: will surely die of grief. That dear son will be
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Speaker 8: on your hands.
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Speaker 1: Israel hobbled away, rubbing his hip and cursing under his breath.
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Speaker 1: Judah watched with aching eyes. Reuben placed a hand on
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Speaker 1: his brother's head, a tender act in place of his father's.
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Speaker 3: Let's keep moving, little brother, Nay uncle kive Benji.
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Speaker 1: The brothers did as they were told. They packed their
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Speaker 1: donkeys with goods and supplies. Reuben, Levi, Judah, Isakar, Zebulun,
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Speaker 1: gad Asher, Dan Naphtali, and Benjamin all departed back to Egypt.
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Speaker 1: They left as determined men, determined to rescue their brother
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Speaker 1: from the clutches of Egypt. Little did they know they
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Speaker 1: were in need of rescue and Egypt was their refuge.
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Speaker 1: Joseph stood at the water's edge, watching his son's play.
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Speaker 1: They splashed and threw sand at one another, enjoying the
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Speaker 1: mild Egyptian day. Joseph lost himself in thought. He daydreamed
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Speaker 1: about his brothers. He remembered a time when he was
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Speaker 1: able to play in the water with them. He recalled
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Speaker 1: the sound of their laughter like old hymns. In the
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Speaker 1: deepest parts of his heart, he still longed for those
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Speaker 1: innocent times, a time before he was a threat to them,
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Speaker 1: a time before his coat of many colors. His sons
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Speaker 1: played around his feet, burying them in the sand. Joseph laughed,
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Speaker 1: picked them up, and ran towards the water, his son
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Speaker 1: screaming with excitement. As all of them fell into the water.
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Speaker 1: Their laughter was like sweet melodies to Joseph. He cherished
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Speaker 1: every moment with his sons and prayed every day that
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Speaker 1: they would grow to love one another. As the three
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Speaker 1: of them played, ned approached is.
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Speaker 9: Up at not to nea the Hebrews have returned.
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Speaker 1: Joseph ceased his playing and put his children down. He
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Speaker 1: waded back to the sand. Servants stood close by with
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Speaker 1: a towel and fresh garments. They dressed, put on his
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Speaker 1: chain and signat ring, and then took his children back
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Speaker 1: to their mother. Joseph walked beside Net.
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Speaker 6: Have you brought the other brother?
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Speaker 1: Yes, my lord, good Joseph and Net approached the storehouses.
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Speaker 1: His brothers were waiting for him there. Joseph leaned over
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Speaker 1: to Net.
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Speaker 6: Go and retrieve their brother from the prison, and bring
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Speaker 6: these men to my home. Prepare a feast for them, jeeves,
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Speaker 6: dates and bread. They would dine with me at noon.
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Speaker 1: Joseph did not meet his brothers near the storehouse. Instead,
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Speaker 1: he stood off from afar and observed their every move.
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Speaker 1: The brothers were led to Joseph's home as an Arthur
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Speaker 1: was waiting for them along with the servants. The entrance
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Speaker 1: to the home was held up by pure ivory pillars
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Speaker 1: or came upon every brother. They had never seen such elegance.
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Speaker 1: Joseph watched from afar. He saw his brothers take in
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Speaker 1: his beautiful gardens, architecture, and artwork. Joseph smirked thinking about
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Speaker 1: his first reaction to Potivar's home so many years ago.
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Speaker 1: The brothers were seated at a table surrounded by grapevines
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Speaker 1: growing up lattice barriers. As they sat, the servants placed
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Speaker 1: an elaborately decorated meal before them. Milk of the calf
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Speaker 1: was served in four ways on a platter, including fig cakes, fruit,
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Speaker 1: and freshly baked bread. Although it was a famine. Joseph's
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Speaker 1: wisdom and attentiveness to the will of God had held
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Speaker 1: up Egypt to maintain its riches. Net Now, the steward
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Speaker 1: of Joseph's home, placed the food on the table. The
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Speaker 1: brothers looked at the spread with awe. However, they dared
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Speaker 1: not touch it.
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Speaker 3: My Lord, when we first came to buy grain, our
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Speaker 3: money was sent back with us. If this was a mistake,
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Speaker 3: we had brought double the money in return. Please tell
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Speaker 3: Zeppinethania to not be angry with us.
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Speaker 9: Ah, do not be afraid. Your God and the God
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Speaker 9: of your father have given you that treasure. As for us,
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Speaker 9: we received your money. Put your mind at the use
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Speaker 9: and eat.
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Speaker 1: The brothers mumbled amongst themselves. Did God truly put the
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Speaker 1: money in their sacks of grain? What did they do
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Speaker 1: to deserve such a miracle? Joseph listened to their murmuring
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Speaker 1: behind the curtains separating his room from the dining hall,
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Speaker 1: he paced back and forth, scheming about his next steps.
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Speaker 1: He did not know whether he was forgiving his brothers
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Speaker 1: or trapping them. A flurry of mixed emotions filled his mind.
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Speaker 1: He was a man wrestling with his flesh on one hand,
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Speaker 1: he desperately desired to reconnect with the family he had
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Speaker 1: missed for so long. On the other, he wanted them
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Speaker 1: to pay for the suffering they had caused. He breathed
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Speaker 1: in deeply and leaned against the bedroom wall. A deep
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Speaker 1: well of hatred was bubbling to the surface of his
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Speaker 1: soul as Joseph wrestled with his own heart ned popped
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Speaker 1: his head in through the curtains.
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Speaker 9: My Lord, the feast is ready, and I have freed
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Speaker 9: the brother we were holding in prison.
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Speaker 1: Joseph composed himself and entered through the curtains. Simeon had
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Speaker 1: been returned to the table, and the brothers were rejoicing.
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Speaker 1: Their cheers were silenced immediately when Joseph entered the room.
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Speaker 1: They stepped away from the table and bowed before him.
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Speaker 1: They remained silent and on their knees, waiting for Joseph
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Speaker 1: to speak. However, he said nothing. His face remained impassive
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Speaker 1: and devoid of emotion. He scanned the group for his
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Speaker 1: younger brother. Although Joseph's face was brooding and unemotional, his
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Speaker 1: heart was pounding out of his chest in anticipation. Keeping
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Speaker 1: his identity a secret from them, hurt like a knife
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Speaker 1: in his belly. Still holding his head high with regality,
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Speaker 1: he asked the questions.
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Speaker 6: You spoke of an elderly father last time we met.
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Speaker 6: Tell me how is he.
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Speaker 3: He is alive and well, my lord.
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Speaker 4: Although he is not fond of Benjamin being so far
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Speaker 4: from home, he loves him dearly.
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Speaker 1: Joseph's heart skipped a beat when he saw Benjamin kneeling
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Speaker 1: beside Judah. He walked over to him slowly. All was quiet,
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Speaker 1: nobody dared speak a word. Joseph took his scepter and
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Speaker 1: rested it below Benjamin's chin. He raised his chin to
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Speaker 1: get a better look at him. He had cherry brown
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Speaker 1: curls that rested over his forehead like ivy on a
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Speaker 1: stone wall. He must have been no older than eighteen,
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Speaker 1: around the same age as Joseph when his brothers had
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Speaker 1: abandoned him to die. Joseph observed Benjamin closely. He noticed
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Speaker 1: that his eyes were amber, just like his mother's. He
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Speaker 1: noticed how his upper lip curled inward when he smiled.
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Speaker 1: His father did the same thing when he was nervous.
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Speaker 1: He remembered seeing that same smile when Joseph played too
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Speaker 1: close to the rocks by the river. He looked at
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Speaker 1: his brother and saw glimpses of his mother and father.
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Speaker 1: He had longed to see their faces again, and now
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Speaker 1: he felt like he had. Joseph broke the silence with
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Speaker 1: a trembling voice.
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Speaker 6: You must be Benjamin, God be gracious to you, my son.
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Speaker 1: Joseph's voice cracked. He could feel himself losing control. Before
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Speaker 1: anyone could respond, Joseph departed quickly back behind the curtains.
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Speaker 1: The brothers mumbled amongst themselves, wondering where he had gone.
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Speaker 1: Joseph burst through the curtains and fell on to the floor.
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Speaker 1: Tears broke forth from him like an open dam. He
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Speaker 1: pounded his fist onto the floor, weeping to God. A
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Speaker 1: soft and steady stream of tears watered the ground below.
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Speaker 1: His weeping was quiet, but poured forth from a deep
00:17:02
Speaker 1: well of pain within him. He had harbored hatred for
00:17:05
Speaker 1: so long, yet when he saw his younger brother, all
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Speaker 1: the pain seemed to melt away. He had looked into
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Speaker 1: Benjamin's eyes and seen his father and mother. He remembered
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Speaker 1: their warm embrace and gentle voices. He hated his brothers
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Speaker 1: for what they had done to him, yet he could
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Speaker 1: not hate Benjamin he did not want him to be
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Speaker 1: punished for the sins of his brothers. Joseph opened up
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Speaker 1: his hands and looked up to God.
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Speaker 6: Where am I to go from here? I cannot embrace
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Speaker 6: them after what they did to me.
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Speaker 1: Joseph curled into himself. He put his hands on his ribs.
00:17:43
Speaker 1: He remembered the broken bones he suffered from being tossed
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Speaker 1: into the pit. He remembered the sores on his feet
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Speaker 1: from marching to Egypt. His calloused hands and whipped back
00:17:54
Speaker 1: revealed years of hard labor, torture, and suffering, all at
00:17:58
Speaker 1: the hands of those who supposed to love him. His
00:18:02
Speaker 1: brother's sins weighed heavy on Joseph. He bore them on
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Speaker 1: his back for over twenty years. Now he had the
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Speaker 1: opportunity to redeem them, to save them, and to draw
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Speaker 1: them out of their suffering. But did they deserve it?
00:18:17
Speaker 1: Had they changed? They hated Joseph when he had a
00:18:20
Speaker 1: pretty coat and doting eyes from their father. How would
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Speaker 1: they treat him when he was the most adored man
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Speaker 1: in the world. Would their jealousy rekindle? Joseph wrestled with
00:18:31
Speaker 1: these things in his heart. In that moment, Joseph needed
00:18:35
Speaker 1: to decide if he was going to rise up and
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Speaker 1: be the hero of his people or succumbed to his
00:18:41
Speaker 1: rage and be trapped in the prison of the past.
00:18:44
Speaker 1: Joseph slashed some water on his face and leaned against
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Speaker 1: the basin. He stared at his reflection, thinking about the
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Speaker 1: young boy who nearly drowned in the well under Potiphar's hand.
00:18:56
Speaker 1: He smiled, remembering how far God had brought him. He
00:19:00
Speaker 1: remembered the profound good that came from suffering. Joseph had
00:19:05
Speaker 1: a small moment of peace. He composed himself, cleaned his face,
00:19:10
Speaker 1: and entered back into the dining hall the brothers had
00:19:13
Speaker 1: been waiting for him. Putting on a smile for his guests,
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Speaker 1: Joseph clapped.
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Speaker 6: His hands let the feast begin.
00:19:21
Speaker 1: The servants entered the room and filled the brother's cups
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Speaker 1: with wine. It was the best meal they had ever had.
00:19:28
Speaker 1: Joseph sat at another table, since Egyptians were not allowed
00:19:32
Speaker 1: to eat with foreigners. The twelve of them laughed into
00:19:35
Speaker 1: the evening. As wine flowed, so did the stories. Joseph
00:19:40
Speaker 1: listened eagerly as his brothers told stories about Cana, his father,
00:19:44
Speaker 1: and their families. Joseph's heart was filled to the brim
00:19:48
Speaker 1: with joy. However, he did not lose sight of his purpose.
00:19:53
Speaker 1: The brothers were arranged by birth order, with Reuben at
00:19:56
Speaker 1: the head of the table and Benjamin at the opposite end.
00:20:00
Speaker 1: Joseph sat closest to Benjamin, filling his cup continually and
00:20:04
Speaker 1: calling for the servants to fill his plate. All throughout
00:20:08
Speaker 1: the night, Joseph made sure to give Benjamin five times
00:20:12
Speaker 1: the amount of food and drink that he did the
00:20:14
Speaker 1: other brothers. He watched Judah and Simeon closely. He wanted
00:20:19
Speaker 1: to see if they would react to their youngest brother
00:20:22
Speaker 1: receiving so much praise and favor from a king. Joseph
00:20:26
Speaker 1: allowed Benjamin to sit on his throne and laughed. He clapped,
00:20:30
Speaker 1: and had some of his servant girls sit next to him.
00:20:33
Speaker 6: Ah, royalty looks good on you, Benjamin. Perhaps your brothers
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Speaker 6: should bow to you.
00:20:38
Speaker 1: Joseph listened closely for sneers and murmurings from the other brothers. However,
00:20:43
Speaker 1: to his surprise, they only laughed.
00:20:46
Speaker 3: I keep eating those double portions and don't fill out
00:20:49
Speaker 3: that throne soon enough, Benji.
00:20:53
Speaker 10: If I have a few more portions of sweetbread.
00:20:55
Speaker 4: Maybe father is good too bad as Benji sat on
00:21:01
Speaker 4: a throne.
00:21:02
Speaker 1: They smiled at Benjamin and laughed with one another. Although
00:21:06
Speaker 1: Benjamin held the favor and love of his father Jacob,
00:21:09
Speaker 1: the ten other brothers did not seem to care. They
00:21:12
Speaker 1: loved their baby brother and reveled in his success. Their
00:21:17
Speaker 1: camaraderie made Joseph sick to his stomach.
00:21:20
Speaker 6: They haven't changed. It's all a show. They couldn't care
00:21:24
Speaker 6: less for Benjamin. They didn't for me.
00:21:27
Speaker 1: Joseph's servants played tambourines and wind instruments beside the table.
00:21:32
Speaker 1: Their sounds sent Joseph's minds spiraling out of control in
00:21:36
Speaker 1: a dream like days. He watched his brother's lingam and
00:21:40
Speaker 1: arm and danced to the music playing throughout the courtyard.
00:21:43
Speaker 1: He leaned back, watching their smiles closely. They seemed to
00:21:48
Speaker 1: truly love each other. They're chuckling and dancing and vexed Joseph.
00:21:53
Speaker 1: He couldn't accept that they could abandon him to die
00:21:55
Speaker 1: in a foreign country and then live on in happiness,
00:21:59
Speaker 1: as if nothing had ever happened. Joseph clenched his fists and.
00:22:03
Speaker 6: Solved tomorrow.
00:22:21
Speaker 7: What drama and tension we find in Genesis forty three,
00:22:25
Speaker 7: The brother standing before Joseph, unaware of his true identity,
00:22:29
Speaker 7: the fear in their eyes, the heavy burden of guilt
00:22:32
Speaker 7: from past years, the desperate hope for mercy. And I
00:22:37
Speaker 7: can feel the weight of Jacob's decision to send Benjamin,
00:22:41
Speaker 7: his youngest, precious son, the apple of his eye, back
00:22:45
Speaker 7: to Egypt. The suspense is palpable. Will Joseph reveal himself,
00:22:52
Speaker 7: Will the brothers reconcile, or will they descend further into
00:22:56
Speaker 7: their web of deceit. It's a narrative that under scores
00:23:00
Speaker 7: the complexity of family dynamics and the deep, sometimes painful
00:23:04
Speaker 7: journey towards forgiveness and redemption. In nineteen seventy six, a
00:23:12
Speaker 7: band of Israeli commando's embarked on a perilous mission to
00:23:15
Speaker 7: rescue one hundred and two hostages from a hijacked plane
00:23:20
Speaker 7: at Antebe Airport in Uganda. Among these brave souls, only
00:23:26
Speaker 7: one fell. His name was Yoni Nitayahu. He was the commander,
00:23:30
Speaker 7: and he was the elder brother to Israeli Prime Minister
00:23:33
Speaker 7: Benjamin Itanyahu. Yoni's death isn't just a tragic detail. Rather,
00:23:39
Speaker 7: it's a testament to the idf the Israeli defense forces.
00:23:43
Speaker 7: You see in most armies the foot soldiers march first
00:23:47
Speaker 7: into the fray. Their commanders, the most elite of all them,
00:23:51
Speaker 7: stay safely behind. But not in the idef In Israel,
00:23:56
Speaker 7: we do it opposite the commander's lead. They step first
00:24:00
Speaker 7: into danger. They first face the line of fire heads on,
00:24:05
Speaker 7: and then their soldiers are behind them. And this practice
00:24:09
Speaker 7: wasn't born of modern strategy, but of ancient scripture. We
00:24:14
Speaker 7: see it in One Samuel fourteen, when Jonathan, the son
00:24:18
Speaker 7: of King Saul, and his armor bearer attack the Philistines. Jonathan,
00:24:24
Speaker 7: the leader, goes first, and he instructs his companion to follow.
00:24:29
Speaker 7: This was no ordinary mission. It was fraught with peril.
00:24:33
Speaker 7: Yet Jonathan led the charge. He embodied the essence of
00:24:38
Speaker 7: true leadership, risking oneself before others. And you know what,
00:24:44
Speaker 7: my friends, this principle extends itself way beyond the battlefield.
00:24:49
Speaker 7: I see it. I see true leadership, whether in war
00:24:53
Speaker 7: or in peace, means risking one's own wellbeing before the
00:24:57
Speaker 7: well being of others. If you want to be a leader,
00:25:02
Speaker 7: you have to lead. If you think that something is dangerous,
00:25:06
Speaker 7: then as a leader, you have to be ready to
00:25:08
Speaker 7: face it head on. That it's worth that risk. In
00:25:13
Speaker 7: today's Bible story, we find a powerful example of this
00:25:16
Speaker 7: leadership that we're talking about. Judah, speaking to his father Jacob,
00:25:21
Speaker 7: takes responsibility for his brother Benjamin safety. Judah pledges himself
00:25:27
Speaker 7: as surdie, willing to bear the flame if harm befalls Benjamin.
00:25:33
Speaker 7: In this moment, Judah embraces the mantle of leadership that
00:25:37
Speaker 7: would be inherited by his descendants, David and all the
00:25:41
Speaker 7: kings of Israel. Just consider the transformation that Judah went through.
00:25:48
Speaker 7: This was the same Judah who once hatched the plan
00:25:50
Speaker 7: to sell Joseph into slavery, and now he was risking
00:25:55
Speaker 7: his own life for his baby brother Benjamin. Look at
00:26:00
Speaker 7: this and I say, this is true leadership and a
00:26:03
Speaker 7: legacy that's carried on by israel soldiers to this day.
00:26:09
Speaker 7: I have a prayer, my friends. I pray that we
00:26:11
Speaker 7: will all strive to lead like Judah and Jonathan and
00:26:15
Speaker 7: Yoni Nitanyahu, stepping first into the fire, embodying the courage
00:26:21
Speaker 7: that true leadership demands. Whether you're a parent, whether you're
00:26:26
Speaker 7: a friend, whether you're a spouse at work or on
00:26:30
Speaker 7: the battlefield, to lead means to go first and face
00:26:35
Speaker 7: those struggles. This isn't just the story of Joseph or
00:26:40
Speaker 7: of Judah. It's the story of Jacob's descendants and of Jacob.
00:26:45
Speaker 7: You see, Jacob had never recovered from the loss of
00:26:48
Speaker 7: his beloved Joseph. He lost his prophecy when Joseph left.
00:26:55
Speaker 7: He was told that his beloved Joseph was dead, but
00:26:58
Speaker 7: maybe something inside of him I first stopped mourning because
00:27:02
Speaker 7: maybe something inside of him knew he wasn't really dead,
00:27:06
Speaker 7: and so Jacob never recovered. He never recovered from the
00:27:10
Speaker 7: news of Joseph. And when Jacob heard that the powerful
00:27:15
Speaker 7: ruler of Egypt, who of course was actually his son, Joseph,
00:27:19
Speaker 7: had demanded that Jacob's sons bring Benjamin with them to
00:27:22
Speaker 7: Egypt as a father and as a father mourning for Joseph,
00:27:28
Speaker 7: he was mortified. Only when Judah agreed to be completely
00:27:33
Speaker 7: responsible for Benjamin did Jacob reluctantly agree. This is what
00:27:38
Speaker 7: Jacob told his sons. Okay, you now have everything. You
00:27:43
Speaker 7: have the money to buy food, you have the gift
00:27:45
Speaker 7: I've prepared for the ruler, and you have your brother Benjamin.
00:27:48
Speaker 7: Do you need anything else before you go on this
00:27:51
Speaker 7: life saving mission? Jacob asked his sons, and in unison,
00:27:55
Speaker 7: Jacob's sons answered anachnutriim Tshila, we need prayer, and so
00:28:03
Speaker 7: we see that Jacob pray for them. In verse fourteen,
00:28:07
Speaker 7: he says, quote and may God Almighty grant you mercy
00:28:11
Speaker 7: before the man so that he will let your other
00:28:13
Speaker 7: brother and Benjamin come back with you end quote. You know,
00:28:19
Speaker 7: so often we think we have it all figured out
00:28:21
Speaker 7: by ourselves, don't we. But as the brothers understood, there's
00:28:24
Speaker 7: often one thing missing, and that is prayer. That's the
00:28:30
Speaker 7: difference between if a mission will succeed or not. We
00:28:33
Speaker 7: need the prayer on top of the own work that
00:28:36
Speaker 7: we do to prepare for a mission. We can't forget
00:28:40
Speaker 7: to ask God to bring us the success that we
00:28:43
Speaker 7: have worked so hard for, because divine blessings and success
00:28:47
Speaker 7: only comes from above. At the International Fellowship of Christians
00:28:51
Speaker 7: and Jews, the Life Saving Prophetic Organization I lead, which
00:28:56
Speaker 7: feeds the hungry, close the naked, sheltered, the we help
00:29:01
Speaker 7: millions of needy people among God's children who depend on
00:29:06
Speaker 7: us for this life saving aid. And we work hard,
00:29:09
Speaker 7: and we plan and we distribute the aid very effectively.
00:29:14
Speaker 7: But we know that there's one thing that ultimately brings
00:29:17
Speaker 7: us success, and that is prayer, our prayers and your prayers.
00:29:24
Speaker 7: But sometimes even when we pray, we all know that
00:29:27
Speaker 7: we can find ourselves a little bit anxious because of
00:29:30
Speaker 7: life's chaos, desiring for more control to speak more about
00:29:36
Speaker 7: this is our good friend, Bishop Paulineer, thank you.
00:29:39
Speaker 10: Yeah, oh you know. We open this new chapter and
00:29:44
Speaker 10: we find that the situation is only deteriorating more and
00:29:49
Speaker 10: more day by day.
00:29:50
Speaker 3: It's just getting worse.
00:29:53
Speaker 10: And I look at the final words of our Jacob
00:29:56
Speaker 10: and the previous chapter. He says, no, oh, no, you
00:30:02
Speaker 10: can't take Benjamin with you to Egypt. What if something
00:30:06
Speaker 10: happened to him?
00:30:07
Speaker 3: I couldn't live with that.
00:30:09
Speaker 10: He would kill me.
00:30:10
Speaker 3: No.
00:30:12
Speaker 10: But with time Jacob begins to look at his situation
00:30:17
Speaker 10: and the crops are dying, and the animals are dying,
00:30:21
Speaker 10: and his family of what seventy we learn later, and
00:30:26
Speaker 10: it begins to think and speak a little different in others.
00:30:30
Speaker 10: So much anguish in the story, too many memories to count,
00:30:35
Speaker 10: and so much regret. Finally, brother Judah steps up, speaks up. Father,
00:30:48
Speaker 10: just sin Benjamin with me. I'll care for him, I'll
00:30:54
Speaker 10: watch over him. He will be my responsibility.
00:30:59
Speaker 3: You have my.
00:31:01
Speaker 10: Verse sixteen, they arrived in Egypt, Joseph immediately demands that
00:31:09
Speaker 10: a meal be prepared for all of them. And you
00:31:13
Speaker 10: and I have been together long enough and studied this
00:31:16
Speaker 10: that we know meal moments matter. They are covenant conversations.
00:31:23
Speaker 10: I'm telling you something serious is in the works here.
00:31:29
Speaker 10: Your Bible says in verse twenty nine that when they
00:31:33
Speaker 10: sat at the table and Joseph looked at his baby
00:31:38
Speaker 10: brother is mother's son, that he had to excuse himself
00:31:45
Speaker 10: from from the table, and he rushed from the room,
00:31:50
Speaker 10: and while lone, he wept, he cried like a baby.
00:31:59
Speaker 10: When he was finally able to compose himself and return
00:32:02
Speaker 10: to the table and required the servants to serve Dinna.
00:32:09
Speaker 10: Your Bible says that Benjamin was served five times, five
00:32:17
Speaker 10: times as much food as anyone else. Oh, there's so
00:32:24
Speaker 10: much more to this story. I'm grateful you and I
00:32:28
Speaker 10: get to talk about this soon.
00:32:31
Speaker 7: Just as Jacob entrusted Benjamin to God's mercy, we are
00:32:35
Speaker 7: all invited to entrust our deepest fears and hopes to
00:32:39
Speaker 7: our God. Remember he is faithful, don't forget he does
00:32:44
Speaker 7: care for us. And there's another lesson that this story
00:32:48
Speaker 7: teaches us. This story's happy ending is the Bible's first
00:32:53
Speaker 7: great reconciliation. As Joseph and his brother is reconciled, it
00:32:57
Speaker 7: reminded me of the reconciliation that the fellowship has long
00:33:01
Speaker 7: fostered for so many years, more than forty years. My
00:33:06
Speaker 7: own father, my own Abba Rebbe feel Exstein of blessed
00:33:09
Speaker 7: memory was inspired by the Biblical stories of reconciliation, and
00:33:14
Speaker 7: he spent his life seeking the same between Christians and
00:33:18
Speaker 7: Jews despite centuries of distrust, discord, and harm. He dreamed
00:33:23
Speaker 7: that one day Christians and Jews would stand together, inspired
00:33:27
Speaker 7: by their shared faith in the story of God's chosen people.
00:33:31
Speaker 7: And today, because of God's blessings, we see that dream
00:33:35
Speaker 7: coming true. So today, as you navigate your own seasons
00:33:40
Speaker 7: of famine, a family turmoil of fear and suffering, just
00:33:44
Speaker 7: remember Jacob's prayer. Today be inspired by this story's message
00:33:50
Speaker 7: of reconciliation, and today walk in the assurance that just
00:33:55
Speaker 7: as He was faithful to Jacob and his descendants, he
00:33:58
Speaker 7: will be faithful to you, one of His chosen people
00:34:03
Speaker 7: that was chosen for such a time as this.
00:34:08
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00:34:11
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Speaker 1: Max Bard, Zach Shellabarger and Ben Gammon are the executive
00:34:27
Speaker 1: producers of The Chosen People with Yile Eckstein. Edited by
00:34:31
Speaker 1: Alberto Avilla, narrated by Paul Coltofianu. Characters are voiced by
00:34:36
Speaker 1: Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvato, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwold,
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Speaker 1: Sylvia Zaradoc and the opening prayer is voiced by John Moore.
00:34:45
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00:34:49
Speaker 1: Aaron Salvato. Special thanks to Bishop Paul Lanier, Robin van Ettin,
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00:34:58
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