Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Are you under attack? Spiritual attack? Maybe you feel like the devil is attacking you right now, but what if it's not the devil that you're fighting against? What if it's actually a power much greater than the devil? If you want to know how to win the spiritual battle you're in and how to have victory in circumstances that are beyond your control, please join me for this week's five minute tour.
[00:00:24] You welcome back to our tribe. You're watching the channel that connects disciples of Yeshua to the eternal torah of God. As always, I'm going to give a brief overview of this week's Torah reading before I dig into what I introduced at the beginning of this video. This week we're studying the portion of Avaygash, Genesis 40 418 through 47 27, and here are the three things that you need to know about it. Number one, Joseph unmasked revealing the lost brother. Last week's tour portion ended with Benjamin being taken into custody by Joseph's men because of the trick Joseph had pulled on his brothers. This week's portion begins with Judah pleading for Benjamin's release, even offering to be taken in his place. When Joseph heard that Judah was actually trying to protect his brother, his heart broke. He now knew that his brothers had truly repented of their actions against him and were doing everything they could to keep a second son from being taken from their father. Joseph sent his attendants away and then broke down weeping in front of his brothers. Rather than accusing them of their crime against him, he simply said, ani, yourself. I am Joseph. Is my father still alive? An emotional reunion between him and his brothers followed number two, Jacob's immigration descending into Egypt. Soon after their reunion, Joseph sent his brothers back to Canaan to bring their father and the rest of the family back to Egypt in order to take care of their needs for the remainder of the famine. He sent them back with several animals packed with lavish gifts for his family. When Jacob's children made it back to their father and told him of the events that had transpired, he couldn't believe them. But when he saw the caravan of wealth, he couldn't deny their story. He hesitantly agreed to go with his sons back to Egypt to see Joseph. God knew, however, that Jacob was struggling and sent an angel to him in a dream to assure him that he had made a good choice. So he packed up and moved all that he had to Egypt so that he could be with his long lost son. And number three, prosperity in Goshen, the precursor to slavery. Jacob and the rest of the family finally made it to Egypt and Joseph introduces his father to Pharaoh. Well, Pharaoh allows Joseph's family to settle in the land of Goshen, where they lived in prosperity, as Pharaoh exchanged food for land, claiming all of the land of Egypt for his own. The Torah portion ends on what seems like a positive note. Thus, Israel settled in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen, and they gained possessions in it and were fruitful and multiplied greatly. But as we know, this only sets the stage for Israel's descent into slavery that we will soon read about. I just want to remind you that if you want to download a free copy of my ebook touching the leper, then you can use the link below this video. Just click the link, submit your information to join my mailing list and download your ebook. No spam, no double mailing. It's that simple. I hope you enjoy this free gift. This week's Torah commentary is called can bad things be good? And comes from my book, five minute Torah, volume two. After several months of playing cat and mouse with his brothers, the moment of truth arrived. Joseph's plan of ensnaring Benjamin worked to put his brothers into a vulnerable position where he was able to put them to the test. Joseph had laid debate, set the trap, and had sprung upon his brothers. Would they abandon their father's favorite son as they had done to him? Or had these 22 years given them time to think over their actions and have a change of heart? When his brothers had plotted against him some 20 years ago, Judah had spoken up and told his brothers, what profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh. Genesis 37, 26 and 27 although he, along with Reuben, had kept his brothers from killing Joseph, he had not gone far enough to stop the actions of his brothers altogether. This time, however, Judah redeems himself and takes personal responsibility for the life of Benjamin. This act of self sacrifice and responsibility was what Joseph was looking for in his brothers, and he could not hold himself together any longer. He broke down in front of his brothers and sobbed uncontrollably. In that emotional and dramatic moment, Joseph reveals himself as their long lost brother. He tells them, I am Joseph. Is my father still alive? His brothers were completely bewildered, and terror gripped their hearts. They could not even muster a response to their brother's confession, and before they could even gather their senses, Joseph told them not to blame themselves for what they did to him. And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here. For God sent me before you to preserve life, for the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither ploughing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Genesis 45, verses five through eight we may often find ourselves the victims of unfortunate circumstances. Whether through the hands of other people, tragedy, natural disaster, difficult situations, or even poor choices. Nothing may be going our way, and we feel that all the cards are stacked against us. We may even feel like we're being attacked by the devil or are spiritually oppressed. We have an option, however, of whether or not to remain the victim. We can overcome this victim mentality by understanding that although we may have our own plans for our lives, our lives are not our own, and they ultimately belong in the hands of heaven. Proverbs reminds us of this saying, the heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. Proverbs 16 nine Joseph understood this principle well and gave credit to God even for the circumstances in his life that most people would consider horrifying, and even an attack from the devil. He realized that the creator of the universe was the one who was in control of his circumstances. He let his brothers know that despite their plans to get rid of him, the Lord had used it for his own purpose, saying, it was not you who sent me here, but God. Later he reminds his brothers, as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good. To bring about that many people should be kept alive as they are today. Genesis 50 and verse 20 this isn't an easy task. We all struggle in some way and kick against the divine will. We have two choices. We can either blame others and be victims or trust that our creator has our best interests at heart. We may not be able to change our circumstances, but we can change our attitude. And changing our attitude can often lead to changing our circumstances, because it gives our creator an opportunity to show himself faithful. What does it take for God to turn bad circumstances into good ones? Maybe he's just waiting for us to let him. Have you been in circumstances where at first you thought that you were under an attack from the enemy, but then realized that God was directing your path through uncomfortable situations and putting you right where he needed you to be. If you have a story to share, I would love to hear it. That's all for this week. I'll see you again soon with another messianic insight into the eternal Torah of God. Blessings from Amet Hatorah.
