Genesis 45:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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.

NIV: So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt.

NASB: Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his household, and ruler over all the land of Egypt.

CSB: Therefore it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household, and ruler over all the land of Egypt.

NLT: So it was God who sent me here, not you! And he is the one who made me an adviser to Pharaoh — the manager of his entire palace and the governor of all Egypt.

KJV: 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.

NKJV: So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.

This verse begins with one of the most profound statements in all of Scripture. Joseph's brothers literally sold him to slave traders when he was just 17 years old (Genesis 37:24–28). And yet, Joseph recognizes an even higher plan and purpose. Their actions were sin, but they were allowed because God saw the greater good. In the sense that He arranged Joseph's rise to power (Genesis 41:44) and his ability to save Israel (Genesis 45:10–11), Joseph can say it was not his brothers, but God who sent him into Egypt. God was responsible for what happened to him, and it was for good (Romans 8:28).

Joseph's evidence for this is the miraculous nature of his rise to power. He, a Hebrew slave, had become a kind of father to the Pharaoh of Egypt; Pharaoh fully submitted himself to all of Joseph's instructions about how best to preserve life in the kingdom (Genesis 41:40). Joseph had even become the lord of Pharaoh's household and the ruler over all of Egypt. This simply could not have happened if God had not intended and engineered it.

The perspective given here makes sense of some hardships. But it does leave other questions. Joseph's trials don't mean that every calamity is an explicit action by God. Nor does it mean that all suffering is meant to be reversed during our earthly lives. Still, Joseph's story proves God can use the evil intentions of men to accomplish great good. It empowers victims of evil to see past the intentions of those who have wronged them. Rather than feel they are at the mercy of men, those who suffer can be encouraged, knowing God can even work through the difficult circumstances of their lives.

Genesis 45:1–15 records Joseph's emotional revelation of his identity. Still unrecognized by his estranged brothers, Joseph had tested them, leading to Judah's passionate, sacrificial offer (Genesis 44:18–34). Overcome with emotion, Joseph identifies himself to his dumbfounded brothers. He states with confidence that all this has happened as part of God's plan to preserve the people of Israel.

Genesis 45 is a series of revelations. Following an emotional breakdown, Joseph finally reveals his identity to his baffled brothers. After they realize the governor of Egypt is the one they sold into slavery two decades earlier, he rushes to tell them he does not hold them responsible. In His own way, God had arranged for Joseph's enslavement, for the purpose of saving many people from famine. With Pharaoh's enthusiastic support, Joseph arranged for his brothers to return to Canaan, pack up Jacob and all they own, and come back to resettle in Egypt. Jacob, finally convinced all this is true, agrees to the move.

Genesis 44 concluded with an impassioned speech from Judah, offering to sacrifice himself for his younger brother. Overwhelmed with emotion, Joseph breaks down and finally reveals his identity to his brothers. He urges them to move Jacob's entire family to Egypt to survive the famine. Jacob agrees, leading to the migration and resettlement depicted in Genesis 46. The remainder of Genesis describes the happy results of this relocation.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.