Pastor Bernard @ Brookdale Christian Center
6030 Xerxes Ave. N.
Brooklyn Center, MN 55430
ph: 952 220 8117
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KJV Bible Genesis 42:1 Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another? 2 And he said , Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live , and not die . 3 And Joseph's ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt. 4 But Benjamin, Joseph's brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said , Lest peradventure mischief befall him . 5 And the sons of Israel came to buy corn among those that came : for the famine was in the land of Canaan. 6 And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph's brethren came , and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth. 7 And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said , From the land of Canaan to buy food. 8 And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him. 9 And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said unto them, Ye are spies ; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come . 10 And they said unto him, Nay, my lord, but to buy food are thy servants come . 11 We are all one man's sons; we are true men, thy servants are no spies . 12 And he said unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye are come . 13 And they said , Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not. 14 And Joseph said unto them, That is it that I spake unto you, saying , Ye are spies : 15 Hereby ye shall be proved : By the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother come hither. 16 Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother, and ye shall be kept in prison , that your words may be proved , whether there be any truth in you: or else by the life of Pharaoh surely ye are spies . 17 And he put them all together into ward three days. 18 And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do , and live ; for I fear God: 19 If ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your prison: go ye, carry corn for the famine of your houses: 20 But bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified , and ye shall not die . And they did so. 21 And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear ; therefore is this distress come upon us. 22 And Reuben answered them, saying , Spake I not unto you, saying , Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear ? therefore, behold, also his blood is required . 23 And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spake unto them by an interpreter . 24 And he turned himself about from them, and wept ; and returned to them again , and communed with them, and took from them Simeon, and bound him before their eyes. 25 Then Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn, and to restore every man's money into his sack, and to give them provision for the way: and thus did he unto them. 26 And they laded their asses with the corn, and departed thence. 27 And as one of them opened his sack to give his ass provender in the inn, he espied his money; for, behold, it was in his sack's mouth. 28 And he said unto his brethren, My money is restored ; and, lo, it is even in my sack: and their heart failed them, and they were afraid , saying one to another, What is this that God hath done unto us? 29 And they came unto Jacob their father unto the land of Canaan, and told him all that befell unto them; saying , 30 The man, who is the lord of the land, spake roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country. 31 And we said unto him, We are true men; we are no spies : 32 We be twelve brethren, sons of our father; one is not, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan. 33 And the man, the lord of the country, said unto us, Hereby shall I know that ye are true men; leave one of your brethren here with me, and take food for the famine of your households, and be gone : 34 And bring your youngest brother unto me: then shall I know that ye are no spies , but that ye are true men: so will I deliver you your brother, and ye shall traffick in the land. 35 And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that, behold, every man's bundle of money was in his sack: and when both they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid . 36 And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me. 37 And Reuben spake unto his father, saying , Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee: deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to thee again . 38 And he said , My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead , and he is left alone: if mischief befall him by the way in the which ye go , then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.
KJV Gen 43: 1 And the famine was sore in the land. 2 And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the corn which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them, Go again , buy us a little food. 3 And Judah spake unto him, saying , The man did solemnly protest unto us, saying , Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you. 4 If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down and buy thee food: 5 But if thou wilt not send him, we will not go down : for the man said unto us, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you. 6 And Israel said , Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me, as to tell the man whether ye had yet a brother? 7 And they said , The man asked us straitly of our state, and of our kindred, saying , Is your father yet alive? have ye another brother? and we told him according to the tenor of these words: could we certainly know that he would say , Bring your brother down ? 8 And Judah said unto Israel his father, Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go ; that we may live , and not die , both we, and thou, and also our little ones. 9 I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt thou require him: if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever: 10 For except we had lingered , surely now we had returned this second time. 11 And their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this; take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds: 12 And take double money in your hand; and the money that was brought again in the mouth of your sacks, carry it again in your hand; peradventure it was an oversight: 13 Take also your brother, and arise , go again unto the man: 14 And God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may send away your other brother, and Benjamin. If I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved . 15 And the men took that present, and they took double money in their hand, and Benjamin; and rose up , and went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph. 16 And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the ruler of his house, Bring these men home, and slay , and make ready ; for these men shall dine with me at noon. 17 And the man did as Joseph bade ; and the man brought the men into Joseph's house. 18 And the men were afraid , because they were brought into Joseph's house; and they said , Because of the money that was returned in our sacks at the first time are we brought in ; that he may seek occasion against us, and fall upon us, and take us for bondmen, and our asses. 19 And they came near to the steward of Joseph's house, and they communed with him at the door of the house, 20 And said , O sir, we came indeed down at the first time to buy food: 21 And it came to pass, when we came to the inn, that we opened our sacks, and, behold, every man's money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight: and we have brought it again in our hand. 22 And other money have we brought down in our hands to buy food: we cannot tell who put our money in our sacks. 23 And he said , Peace be to you, fear not: your God, and the God of your father, hath given you treasure in your sacks: I had your money. And he brought Simeon out unto them. 24 And the man brought the men into Joseph's house, and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their asses provender. 25 And they made ready the present against Joseph came at noon: for they heard that they should eat bread there. 26 And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed themselves to him to the earth. 27 And he asked them of their welfare, and said , Is your father well, the old man of whom ye spake ? Is he yet alive? 28 And they answered , Thy servant our father is in good health, he is yet alive. And they bowed down their heads , and made obeisance . 29 And he lifted up his eyes, and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son, and said , Is this your younger brother, of whom ye spake unto me? And he said , God be gracious unto thee, my son. 30 And Joseph made haste ; for his bowels did yearn upon his brother: and he sought where to weep ; and he entered into his chamber, and wept there. 31 And he washed his face, and went out , and refrained himself, and said , Set on bread. 32 And they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, which did eat with him, by themselves: because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews; for that is an abomination unto the Egyptians. 33 And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth: and the men marvelled one at another. 34 And he took and sent messes unto them from before him: but Benjamin's mess was five times so much as any of theirs. And they drank , and were merry with him.
KJV Genesis 44:1 And he commanded the steward of his house, saying , Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry , and put every man's money in his sack's mouth. 2 And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's mouth of the youngest, and his corn money. And he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken . 3 As soon as the morning was light , the men were sent away , they and their asses. 4 And when they were gone out of the city, and not yet far off , Joseph said unto his steward, Up , follow after the men; and when thou dost overtake them, say unto them, Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good? 5 Is not this it in which my lord drinketh , and whereby indeed he divineth ? ye have done evil in so doing . 6 And he overtook them, and he spake unto them these same words. 7 And they said unto him, Wherefore saith my lord these words? God forbid that thy servants should do according to this thing: 8 Behold, the money, which we found in our sacks' mouths, we brought again unto thee out of the land of Canaan: how then should we steal out of thy lord's house silver or gold? 9 With whomsoever of thy servants it be found , both let him die , and we also will be my lord's bondmen. 10 And he said , Now also let it be according unto your words : he with whom it is found shall be my servant; and ye shall be blameless. 11 Then they speedily took down every man his sack to the ground, and opened every man his sack. 12 And he searched , and began at the eldest, and left at the youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. 13 Then they rent their clothes, and laded every man his ass, and returned to the city. 14 And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's house; for he was yet there: and they fell before him on the ground. 15 And Joseph said unto them, What deed is this that ye have done ? wot ye not that such a man as I can certainly divine ? 16 And Judah said , What shall we say unto my lord? what shall we speak ? or how shall we clear ourselves ? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants: behold, we are my lord's servants, both we, and he also with whom the cup is found . 17 And he said , God forbid that I should do so: but the man in whose hand the cup is found , he shall be my servant; and as for you, get you up in peace unto your father. 18 Then Judah came near unto him, and said , Oh my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord's ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant: for thou art even as Pharaoh. 19 My lord asked his servants, saying , Have ye a father, or a brother? 20 And we said unto my lord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead , and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loveth him. 21 And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him. 22 And we said unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his father: for if he should leave his father, his father would die . 23 And thou saidst unto thy servants, Except your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more . 24 And it came to pass when we came up unto thy servant my father, we told him the words of my lord. 25 And our father said , Go again , and buy us a little food. 26 And we said , We cannot go down : if our youngest brother be with us, then will we go down : for we may not see the man's face, except our youngest brother be with us. 27 And thy servant my father said unto us, Ye know that my wife bare me two sons: 28 And the one went out from me, and I said , Surely he is torn in pieces ; and I saw him not since: 29 And if ye take this also from me, and mischief befall him , ye shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave. 30 Now therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad be not with us; seeing that his life is bound up in the lad's life; 31 It shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die : and thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave. 32 For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father, saying , If I bring him not unto thee, then I shall bear the blame to my father for ever. 33 Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren. 34 For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me? lest peradventure I see the evil that shall come on my father.
KJV Genesis 45:1 Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried , Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. 2 And he wept aloud : and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard . 3 And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence. 4 And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near . And he said , I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. 5 Now therefore be not grieved , nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. 6 For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. 7 And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. 8 So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. 9 Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not: 10 And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children's children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast: 11 And there will I nourish thee; for yet there are five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty . 12 And, behold, your eyes see , and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you. 13 And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen ; and ye shall haste and bring down my father hither. 14 And he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck, and wept ; and Benjamin wept upon his neck. 15 Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that his brethren talked with him. 16 And the fame thereof was heard in Pharaoh's house, saying , Joseph's brethren are come : and it pleased Pharaoh well , and his servants. 17 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Say unto thy brethren, This do ye; lade your beasts, and go , get you unto the land of Canaan; 18 And take your father and your households, and come unto me: and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land. 19 Now thou art commanded , this do ye; take you wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father, and come . 20 Also regard not your stuff; for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours. 21 And the children of Israel did so: and Joseph gave them wagons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way. 22 To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of raiment. 23 And to his father he sent after this manner; ten asses laden with the good things of Egypt, and ten she asses laden with corn and bread and meat for his father by the way. 24 So he sent his brethren away , and they departed : and he said unto them, See that ye fall not out by the way. 25 And they went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan unto Jacob their father, 26 And told him, saying , Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt. And Jacob's heart fainted , for he believed them not. 27 And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them: and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived : 28 And Israel said , It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive: I will go and see him before I die .
The making of a leader. Lessons on leadership from the life of Joseph.
Lesson # 6: Inner healing.
Title: Joseph faces his own “demons”.
Transition: Joseph was a man of character, a gifted individual holding on to his “dream”; at all times he acted as a servant-leader; he functioned all his life in a second role position; he worked as a faithful steward in times of success.
Lesson context: Gen 42, 43, 44, and 45.
Introduction: The birds were singing for him but was everything all right? What about his past, his hurts?
Recapitulation and question:
Joseph seems to be fine, he has found love, has children, success; he seems to have forgotten the past or so he may think?
Joseph has found peace, happiness, a loving family of his own:
A this point, he was happy, successful
Question: Do success, work, marriage, children solve our inner issues and conflicts?
No but it does prepare us to let God solve our past unresolved inner conflicts.
I. Joseph has a hidden need for inner healing:
A. Signals showing something is not right in his emotions.
A hidden sign that everything is not as perfect as it looks for Joseph:
When he names his second son Ephraim, “fruitful”, or blessed, it sounds great but the second part of the meaning reveals otherwise. He calls the land of Egypt where he is blessed and successful, “the land of his suffering.”
Joseph refers to his “troubles” and calls Egypt the land of his “suffering”.
KJV Genesis 41: 50 And unto Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came , which Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priesti of On bare unto him. 51 And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh:j For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house. 52 And the name of the second called he Ephraim:k For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.
The word affliction or suffering means what it says: pain suggesting inner pain, acke, hurt, unresolved issue, and trauma. We can easily deduct it because we know that Joseph has had a “painful life” at least between the ages of 17 and 30.
His life may have included the following traumas:
Rejection: At 17 he is despised, rejected by his brothers.
Loss: Even younger he suffers the loss of his mother who dies while giving birth to Benjamin. Quite a trauma!
Abandonment by his brothers, maybe a feeling of abandonment from God at that time?
Severance: Involuntary, premature, forced severance from his father, his loving and supporting father.
Treacherous behavior from his brothers!
Mockery, despising from his brothers.
Brutal treatment: thrown in a cistern, bound by slave traders, maybe beaten up, poorly feed, etc.
Violation: exposed on a slave market to voyeurism, to inappropriate touch.
(See definition of sexual abuse in the book : “The wounded heart “, Dan Allender p 51.)
Inappropriate pressure from Potiphar’s wife! We know she used verbal abuse trying to convince him to sleep with her. Then she resorted to coercion, she touched him, grabbed him, almost abused him. He had to leave his garment with her and escape almost “naked”.
Injustice: he is falsely accused and unjustly condemned by his master Potiphar. He may have been beaten, tortured, who knows.
In prison we do not know how he was looked upon. Being handsome he may have been treated of “queer”, who knows what can happen in a prison?
But, as we said, Joseph seems to have forgotten all that when he names Manasseh “forgotten”. But has he?
B. Crisis that revealed the soft point, the unhealed part:
When Joseph sees his brothers, the past, with its hurts, flashes back. Even though he says nothing and no one can see what is going on inside, Joseph is shocked, the wounds reopen. The hurt, covered by success, family, reappears in the form of stupor, shock, maybe anger, mixed feeling for sure. His past abuse finds him again. He is now confronted inside of himself with his own “demons”, allegorically speaking, the “demons” of trauma, etc., just mentioned. There is a need for inner healing.
Application: Leaders need to face their own needs for inner healing at one time or another.
If they don’t it may one day destroy their ministry by reappearing at the worst moment.
As they are dealing with a case similar to theirs, they may suddenly get into a feat of anger against a total stranger or ill advice someone by stressing revenge instead of forgiveness.
Unresolved issues have a way to spoil things.
Illustration: They are like the “little foxes” mentioned in the Song of Solomon, who ravage the wines. They destroy the young shoots and jeopardize the future harvest.
Application: We all have hidden needs for inner healing. Nobody is perfect. No one has never been hurt at least emotionally, and thus “damaged”. The devil and others have worked against us.
Look for such signs or odd reactions to crisis to identify your sensitive areas that need inner healing.
II. The road to recovery, the process of inner healing:
Joseph takes the long and thorough route of recovery from rejection, abandonment and healing both for him and his brothers.
A. What Joseph does not do: (the negative)
He does not resort to anger or revenge.
He does not imprison his brothers retaliating and telling them why.
He does not reject them
He does not play God exercising justice, taking justice in his own hands.
He does not speed up things, ignore the real problem, or act as if everything was fine.
He does not offer “cheap reconciliation”. Reconciliation is a process, it takes time, and it has to be done right.
He does not resort to the “defense mechanisms”; he does not fall into such traps as rationalization, idealization, negation, avoidance, misplaced anger, etc.
(See 40 types of defense mechanisms in the book Introduction to psychology and counseling by Paul D. Meier, M.D, Frank B. Minirth, M.D. and Frank Wichern, Ph. D. on pages 235 to 246).
B.Joseph takes it one step at a time and goes through the whole healing process. (The positive approach.)
C.Joseph deals with himself first:
1. Joseph takes the blow in silence, inwardly.
First he is shocked to see his brothers. He does not react outwardly because it would be premature and would not help at this point. He assumes, he silently deals with the overwhelming feelings that submerge him.
2. Second he is overwhelmed as they innocently discuss their guilt and he remembers what happened, he re lives the intense emotions that changed his life forever through the trauma of REJECTION.
3. He secretly makes plans for reconciliation:
He observes from outside at first, he does not get directly involved in the reconciliation process.
Applications: Dealing with feelings of “rejection” or “abandonment” from your parents or siblings, such as the loss of parents, adoption, or placement in a foster home may have been traumatic.
You may meet the people who were involved in your hurts much later, maybe at the end of their lives in a nursing home or at some other occasion ; as Joseph did , start by internalizing, don’t rush the interactions, pray, prepare yourself emotionally to confront them at the right moment for you and for them.
3. Joseph undergoes the grieving process: (Let’s retrospect on Joseph here.)
a. Denial:
Examples: “No this is not happening to me, it is just a bad dream. I am fine. I am ok.”
When Joseph named his kids, their names only partly reflected his inner health.
About his brothers:
He treats them harshly to start with, as if he had no emotions, as if everything was ok, as if he is in control and he is going to teach them a lesson.
b. Anger: Sometimes the anger will be displaced anger, or an explosion for no reason.
Examples: “That’s not fair; I will not tolerate this, etc.”
Maybe he deals with his brothers with mixed feelings; his psychological approach seems good but it is probably tainted with anger; somewhere he wants them to feel what he has gone through when:
c. Bargaining: “Well I could accept this if / well God all right but, etc.”
Psychological and spiritual Wisdom: Joseph does not want to ignore the problem his brothers have: lack of food to survive; he lets them go with provisions.
He wants to solve the problem, the family problem. He wants to see his little brother; he wants to see his dad.
He knows his brothers cannot be trusted, neither by him, nor by his father so he has to “manipulate” them for their own good into gradually doing what is desired.
What God wants is to spare them during the 7 years of famine by bringing the whole family down to Egypt for its protection.
I believe he is also buying time: by confusing them, putting the money in their bags, keeping Simeon as hostage.
He keeps Simeon, not Reuben because Reuben had protected him, saved his life (he reasoned differently from the rest of the brothers). Simeon was a representative of the gang who hated Joseph.
Reuben would be a better negotiator with Jacob to let Benjamin come down since he had talked his brothers into not killing Joseph and now Joseph trusted him to be convincing with his dad.
Probably Jacob cared more for Simeon and would want to get him back; Reuben had slept with his wife and Jacob might have been tempted to use the situation to take his revenge and let him die in Egypt, who knows?
d. Acceptance:
Acceptance of his feelings to himself and by himself first by crying alone (Chapter 43: 29-31).
(1).Joseph goes through a necessary private catharsis, a letting out of his suppressed pain. Through the years, to survive in Potiphar’s house and in prison, and to act as prime minister of Egypt, he probably had to be or appear tough, and so repress his feelings. To be a good father and husband he had to bury these painful feelings inside. His family would possibly not have understood him. He might have made them feel miserable.
Application: There comes a time when we need to let the pain out. I can happen in private as we drive, think, pray, at the altar, in private with a counselor or a pastor. Repression of feelings cannot last forever and it is not healthy emotionally or spiritually speaking.
(2).Joseph goes through a public catharsis: (In the presence of his brothers.)
Acceptance of showing his feelings, revealing himself, forgiving will come later at the second journey (Chapter 44).
D. Joseph deals with his brothers:
1. Wisdom and time: He adopts a gradual positive psychological approach with his brothers.
He pushes his brothers into reminiscing more, by being hard on them and testing their character; he wants them to realize that they indeed are liars and that they hide things (even if they are not doing it at that moment, assuming Joseph does not understand their language).
He wants them to become as emotional as possible, to “melt”, to become vulnerable so God can work in their hearts, so love can make a breach in their hardened hearts.
He treats them with mixed feelings: he is both hard with them and merciful, compassionate (he gives them food). He resorts to both justice and love in a way.
He functions in the fruit of the Spirit of self-control, patience, faith.
Application: Inner healing takes time for both sides, the victim and the perpetrators.
2. Identification: He indirectly and discreetly forces them to identify with their victim:
He tests them; the first test consisted in treating them harshly as spies (Chapter 42).
He puts them in a confusing situation where they experience what he went through (by putting their money back into their bags). They too will now experience shock, fear, and loss of control.
He keeps Simeon; he forces them to leave Simeon as a hostage (42:24), and they experience what their father went through when he lost Joseph. He forces them in a sense to identify with their father’s loss of Joseph.
KJV Genesis 45: . 9 And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said unto them, Ye are spies ; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come . 10 And they said unto him, Nay, my lord, but to buy food are thy servants come . 11 We are all one man's sons; we are true men, thy servants are no spies . 12 And he said unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye are come . 13 And they said , Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not. 14 And Joseph said unto them, That is it that I spake unto you, saying , Ye are spies :
23 And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spake unto them by an interpreter . 24 And he turned himself about from them, and wept ; and returned to them again , and communed with them, and took from them Simeon, and bound him before their eyes.
Application: Illustration: In the reconciliation processes put in place in South Africa after the Apartheid or in England after the Peace agreements between the IRA and the English, the movies made about it underline the confrontation of the persecutors with their victims. During the meetings and the public trials, the persecutors and the victims or their survived families hear the truth, and are confronted both with pain and shame.
As Joseph did with his brothers, the reconciliation teams force perpetrators to hear, see the truth, and feel what the victims went through. It is an unavoidable part of the healing process.
Transition: The first test was during the 1st trip: Treating them harshly as spies (Chapter 42).
3. The second test: Outpouring of goodness. Treating them well with a feast during the 2nd visit with Benjamin present (Chapter 43: 31-33) allowing a release of their tensed emotions, or more confusion.
The first test put quite a strain on their emotions; so strong that they waited to be in dire need to come back down to Egypt and ask for help again.
Now they are baffled, they are treated like guests of honor, allowed to eat with the Governor.
In a sense it is confusing, “this Egyptian prince is unpredictable.”
Actually that is exactly where Joseph wants to lead them, to confusion, to being lost, to emotionally wander into what he went through himself because of them.
KJV Genesis 43: . 31 And he washed his face, and went out , and refrained himself, and said , Set on bread. 32 And they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, which did eat with him, by themselves: because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews; for that is an abomination unto the Egyptians.33 And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth: and the men marvelled one at another. 34 And he took and sent messes unto them from before him: but Benjamin's mess was five times so much as any of theirs. And they drank , and were merry with him.
4. The third test will be: Threatening to keep Benjamin as a slave, threatening to do what had been done to him, deprive the father of his favorite son that was left (Chapter 44:10).
With a very melodramatic moment when the guards pursued and arrested them looking for Joseph’s cup allegedly stolen by one of the brothers.
KJV Genesis 44 : 9 With whomsoever of thy servants it be found , both let him die , and we also will be my lord's bondmen. 10 And he said , Now also let it be according unto your words : he with whom it is found shall be my servant; and ye shall be blameless.
Judah pleaded, offered his life in place of Benjamin(Chapter 44:18-34). Judah, ancestor of Christ, preaches a pre Gospel here: he offers his life to bring the younger boy back to the father(44:33). Jesus will give his life to bring us, the wandering sinners, the estranged “children of God”, back to the Father.
The brothers are brought to a place of confession of their sin, their guilt; at least Judah admits collectively for them all.
KJV Genesis 44: 16 And Judah said , What shall we say unto my lord? what shall we speak ? or how shall we clear ourselves ? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants: behold, we are my lord's servants, both we, and he also with whom the cup is found .
KJV Genesis 44: 33 Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren. 34 For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me? lest peradventure I see the evil that shall come on my father.
Transition: This moment is so intense that Joseph cannot hold his tears any longer.
E. Joseph lets go, Joseph reveals himself:
It is during that “pre-Gospel” moment that Joseph “loses it” and cries openly, publicly (Chapter 45:1).
Joseph deals with his grief almost in his own time, and on his terms. He has mustered himself, waited till the brothers, vicariously ( through Judah’s voice) begin to express genuine guilt feelings as an encouraging sign of possible change of attitude.
1.Joseph cries loudly:
KJV Genesis 45: 1 Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried , Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. 2 And he wept aloud : and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard
2.Joseph reveals his identity and asks about his dad.
KJV Genesis 45: 3 And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence.
3.Joseph reassures his brothers:
The bothers are terrified and Joseph comforts them not only with kind words but by interpreting history for them. He tells them how he believes God has made use of (redeemed) their sin to prepare a “Savior” for them in times of famine.
KJV Genesis 45: 5 Now therefore be not grieved , nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.
4.Joseph proves his good intentions by revealing the plan : he is about to bring down his family in Goshen for the 5 remaining years of famine:
KJV Genesis 45: 10 And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children's children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast: 11 And there will I nourish thee; for yet there are five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty
Application: Reconciliation must be planned
5.Joseph embraces Benjamin first (v 14), and then his brothers.
KJV Genesis 45: 14 And he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck, and wept ; and Benjamin wept upon his neck. 15 Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that his brethren talked with him.
Joseph weeps over each of his brothers (45:14).
Finally his brothers dare talk to him; up till then they are stunned and frightened by the reversal of the situation.
Joseph goes through the phase of acceptance, crying, accepting his emotions (Chapter 45).
He will uncover himself and let tears of emotion, of catharsis, of compassion flow ; he is probably crying over all his losses: loss of his mother, severance from his father , loss of his freedom, and severance from his little brother.
Joseph cries when he hears his brothers becoming aware that somehow they are been punished for not having had compassion on him
Joseph had been filled with hurt, with a sense of injustice as he mentioned for example after the Baker forgot him.
Joseph had been traumatized by been lost in Shechem, been abused by his brothers, been thrown in a dark cistern, hearing some of his brothers talking about killing him while Reuben was trying to save him, been sold as a slave, losing his freedom.
Strong repressed emotions have to surface. Wounded love, pain, etc., all must be dealt with in a healthy spiritual way. Men can cry. It is OK to cry, it is healthy. Repressed emotions must be expressed.
F.God uses others to bless us: Pharaoh enters Joseph’s family story by sending his chariots to bring Jacob over; he asks Joseph to bring his father down to Egypt (45:16).
God owns all the resources in the world and will make them available to us in due time.
God has prepared the right surroundings, the right people to help us deal with our issues successfully.
Nothing wrong in accepting help from “strangers” at times or wherever it comes from.
Doctors, good counselors, pastors, accountability partners, friends, good neighbors, all can help or play a part in our inner healing.
The Bible exhorts us to be reconciled with God.
God, like Joseph has made plans to reconcile us with him. Like Joseph he has prepared a land for us, the land of inner peace with him, and beyond death Heaven.
He even went further than Joseph in his willingness to reconcile to himself anyone who wants to breach the chasm that our sins and shortcomings have created between him and us. He came in human form in the person of Jesus; he identified with us, he took upon himself the penalty of our sins on the Cross; he died to atone for any sin we may have commited (lying, cheating, gossiping, murder, etc.,the list is endless).
He has put in place a clear process: repent, confess, believe, turn away from your shortcomings.
Like Joseph's brothers we have hardened hearts and it sometimes takes life's hardships, life's confusing moments, life's threats to help us "melt down" and accept his reconciliation.
You may be going throug distabilizing moments right now, you may wonder why God has been so good and patient with you. You may feel like crying right now.
It is OK! God in his love is using your life's traumas to bring you to accept his unconditional love for you, to let him embrace you and welcome you in his fellowship.
The love of God that will fill your heart and bring you eternal peace is one prayer away from you. Make it yours and be changed for ever.
I am not talking about religion here, but about relation, spiritual relationship with God, your Father, your creator.
Talk to him now: "Father God, my life has been a mess, at least inside of me, I need you, forgive my sins. I want to believe that Jesus died for me on the Cross of Calvary bearing the penalty of all my shortcomings. Give me your peace. Make me feel your divine embace. I come to you by faith.Thank you."
QUESTIONS? WHERE DO I GO FROM THERE?
Write to me at revbernardministries@yahoo.com
Liberating prayer starters:
As you remember your hurts, pray:
1) pray to God, tell him you forgive those who hurt you. Mention thier names, detail the situation to your Heavenly Father, cry if you feel like it.
2) pray for those who hurt you and let God create the circumstances where reconciliation will be able to take place in due time.
Sometimes it may just take the form of writing a journal where your emotions will be liberated.
In some cases it may be sending a letter extending forgiveness.
WATCH A MOVIE ON TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION:
“In my country” with Juliette Binoche and Samuel L. Jackson.
SEEK PROFESSIONAL HELP!
Disclaimer: The author is not a certified counselor. His approach is based on a spiritual and pastoral approach to the Scriptures. Make sure to seek professional help where needed.
KJV Bible Genesis 42:1 Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another? 2 And he said , Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live , and not die . 3 And Joseph's ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt. 4 But Benjamin, Joseph's brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said , Lest peradventure mischief befall him . 5 And the sons of Israel came to buy corn among those that came : for the famine was in the land of Canaan. 6 And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph's brethren came , and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth. 7 And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said , From the land of Canaan to buy food. 8 And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him. 9 And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said unto them, Ye are spies ; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come . 10 And they said unto him, Nay, my lord, but to buy food are thy servants come . 11 We are all one man's sons; we are true men, thy servants are no spies . 12 And he said unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye are come . 13 And they said , Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not. 14 And Joseph said unto them, That is it that I spake unto you, saying , Ye are spies : 15 Hereby ye shall be proved : By the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother come hither. 16 Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother, and ye shall be kept in prison , that your words may be proved , whether there be any truth in you: or else by the life of Pharaoh surely ye are spies . 17 And he put them all together into ward three days. 18 And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do , and live ; for I fear God: 19 If ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your prison: go ye, carry corn for the famine of your houses: 20 But bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified , and ye shall not die . And they did so. 21 And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear ; therefore is this distress come upon us. 22 And Reuben answered them, saying , Spake I not unto you, saying , Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear ? therefore, behold, also his blood is required . 23 And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spake unto them by an interpreter . 24 And he turned himself about from them, and wept ; and returned to them again , and communed with them, and took from them Simeon, and bound him before their eyes. 25 Then Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn, and to restore every man's money into his sack, and to give them provision for the way: and thus did he unto them. 26 And they laded their asses with the corn, and departed thence. 27 And as one of them opened his sack to give his ass provender in the inn, he espied his money; for, behold, it was in his sack's mouth. 28 And he said unto his brethren, My money is restored ; and, lo, it is even in my sack: and their heart failed them, and they were afraid , saying one to another, What is this that God hath done unto us? 29 And they came unto Jacob their father unto the land of Canaan, and told him all that befell unto them; saying , 30 The man, who is the lord of the land, spake roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country. 31 And we said unto him, We are true men; we are no spies : 32 We be twelve brethren, sons of our father; one is not, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan. 33 And the man, the lord of the country, said unto us, Hereby shall I know that ye are true men; leave one of your brethren here with me, and take food for the famine of your households, and be gone : 34 And bring your youngest brother unto me: then shall I know that ye are no spies , but that ye are true men: so will I deliver you your brother, and ye shall traffick in the land. 35 And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that, behold, every man's bundle of money was in his sack: and when both they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid . 36 And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me. 37 And Reuben spake unto his father, saying , Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee: deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to thee again . 38 And he said , My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead , and he is left alone: if mischief befall him by the way in the which ye go , then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.
KJV Gen 43: 1 And the famine was sore in the land. 2 And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the corn which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them, Go again , buy us a little food. 3 And Judah spake unto him, saying , The man did solemnly protest unto us, saying , Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you. 4 If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down and buy thee food: 5 But if thou wilt not send him, we will not go down : for the man said unto us, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you. 6 And Israel said , Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me, as to tell the man whether ye had yet a brother? 7 And they said , The man asked us straitly of our state, and of our kindred, saying , Is your father yet alive? have ye another brother? and we told him according to the tenor of these words: could we certainly know that he would say , Bring your brother down ? 8 And Judah said unto Israel his father, Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go ; that we may live , and not die , both we, and thou, and also our little ones. 9 I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt thou require him: if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever: 10 For except we had lingered , surely now we had returned this second time. 11 And their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this; take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds: 12 And take double money in your hand; and the money that was brought again in the mouth of your sacks, carry it again in your hand; peradventure it was an oversight: 13 Take also your brother, and arise , go again unto the man: 14 And God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may send away your other brother, and Benjamin. If I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved . 15 And the men took that present, and they took double money in their hand, and Benjamin; and rose up , and went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph. 16 And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the ruler of his house, Bring these men home, and slay , and make ready ; for these men shall dine with me at noon. 17 And the man did as Joseph bade ; and the man brought the men into Joseph's house. 18 And the men were afraid , because they were brought into Joseph's house; and they said , Because of the money that was returned in our sacks at the first time are we brought in ; that he may seek occasion against us, and fall upon us, and take us for bondmen, and our asses. 19 And they came near to the steward of Joseph's house, and they communed with him at the door of the house, 20 And said , O sir, we came indeed down at the first time to buy food: 21 And it came to pass, when we came to the inn, that we opened our sacks, and, behold, every man's money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight: and we have brought it again in our hand. 22 And other money have we brought down in our hands to buy food: we cannot tell who put our money in our sacks. 23 And he said , Peace be to you, fear not: your God, and the God of your father, hath given you treasure in your sacks: I had your money. And he brought Simeon out unto them. 24 And the man brought the men into Joseph's house, and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their asses provender. 25 And they made ready the present against Joseph came at noon: for they heard that they should eat bread there. 26 And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed themselves to him to the earth. 27 And he asked them of their welfare, and said , Is your father well, the old man of whom ye spake ? Is he yet alive? 28 And they answered , Thy servant our father is in good health, he is yet alive. And they bowed down their heads , and made obeisance . 29 And he lifted up his eyes, and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son, and said , Is this your younger brother, of whom ye spake unto me? And he said , God be gracious unto thee, my son. 30 And Joseph made haste ; for his bowels did yearn upon his brother: and he sought where to weep ; and he entered into his chamber, and wept there. 31 And he washed his face, and went out , and refrained himself, and said , Set on bread. 32 And they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, which did eat with him, by themselves: because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews; for that is an abomination unto the Egyptians. 33 And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth: and the men marvelled one at another. 34 And he took and sent messes unto them from before him: but Benjamin's mess was five times so much as any of theirs. And they drank , and were merry with him.
KJV Genesis 44:1 And he commanded the steward of his house, saying , Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry , and put every man's money in his sack's mouth. 2 And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's mouth of the youngest, and his corn money. And he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken . 3 As soon as the morning was light , the men were sent away , they and their asses. 4 And when they were gone out of the city, and not yet far off , Joseph said unto his steward, Up , follow after the men; and when thou dost overtake them, say unto them, Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good? 5 Is not this it in which my lord drinketh , and whereby indeed he divineth ? ye have done evil in so doing . 6 And he overtook them, and he spake unto them these same words. 7 And they said unto him, Wherefore saith my lord these words? God forbid that thy servants should do according to this thing: 8 Behold, the money, which we found in our sacks' mouths, we brought again unto thee out of the land of Canaan: how then should we steal out of thy lord's house silver or gold? 9 With whomsoever of thy servants it be found , both let him die , and we also will be my lord's bondmen. 10 And he said , Now also let it be according unto your words : he with whom it is found shall be my servant; and ye shall be blameless. 11 Then they speedily took down every man his sack to the ground, and opened every man his sack. 12 And he searched , and began at the eldest, and left at the youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. 13 Then they rent their clothes, and laded every man his ass, and returned to the city. 14 And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's house; for he was yet there: and they fell before him on the ground. 15 And Joseph said unto them, What deed is this that ye have done ? wot ye not that such a man as I can certainly divine ? 16 And Judah said , What shall we say unto my lord? what shall we speak ? or how shall we clear ourselves ? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants: behold, we are my lord's servants, both we, and he also with whom the cup is found . 17 And he said , God forbid that I should do so: but the man in whose hand the cup is found , he shall be my servant; and as for you, get you up in peace unto your father. 18 Then Judah came near unto him, and said , Oh my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord's ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant: for thou art even as Pharaoh. 19 My lord asked his servants, saying , Have ye a father, or a brother? 20 And we said unto my lord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead , and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loveth him. 21 And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him. 22 And we said unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his father: for if he should leave his father, his father would die . 23 And thou saidst unto thy servants, Except your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more . 24 And it came to pass when we came up unto thy servant my father, we told him the words of my lord. 25 And our father said , Go again , and buy us a little food. 26 And we said , We cannot go down : if our youngest brother be with us, then will we go down : for we may not see the man's face, except our youngest brother be with us. 27 And thy servant my father said unto us, Ye know that my wife bare me two sons: 28 And the one went out from me, and I said , Surely he is torn in pieces ; and I saw him not since: 29 And if ye take this also from me, and mischief befall him , ye shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave. 30 Now therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad be not with us; seeing that his life is bound up in the lad's life; 31 It shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die : and thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave. 32 For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father, saying , If I bring him not unto thee, then I shall bear the blame to my father for ever. 33 Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren. 34 For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me? lest peradventure I see the evil that shall come on my father.
KJV Genesis 45:1 Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried , Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. 2 And he wept aloud : and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard . 3 And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence. 4 And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near . And he said , I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. 5 Now therefore be not grieved , nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. 6 For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. 7 And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. 8 So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. 9 Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not: 10 And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children's children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast: 11 And there will I nourish thee; for yet there are five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty . 12 And, behold, your eyes see , and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you. 13 And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen ; and ye shall haste and bring down my father hither. 14 And he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck, and wept ; and Benjamin wept upon his neck. 15 Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that his brethren talked with him. 16 And the fame thereof was heard in Pharaoh's house, saying , Joseph's brethren are come : and it pleased Pharaoh well , and his servants. 17 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Say unto thy brethren, This do ye; lade your beasts, and go , get you unto the land of Canaan; 18 And take your father and your households, and come unto me: and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land. 19 Now thou art commanded , this do ye; take you wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father, and come . 20 Also regard not your stuff; for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours. 21 And the children of Israel did so: and Joseph gave them wagons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way. 22 To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of raiment. 23 And to his father he sent after this manner; ten asses laden with the good things of Egypt, and ten she asses laden with corn and bread and meat for his father by the way. 24 So he sent his brethren away , and they departed : and he said unto them, See that ye fall not out by the way. 25 And they went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan unto Jacob their father, 26 And told him, saying , Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt. And Jacob's heart fainted , for he believed them not. 27 And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them: and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived : 28 And Israel said , It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive: I will go and see him before I die .
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Pastor Bernard @ Brookdale Christian Center
6030 Xerxes Ave. N.
Brooklyn Center, MN 55430
ph: 952 220 8117
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