I've looked at Joseph and his brothers complicated relationship in the book of Genesis in the past and I thought I understood all the intricacies in the story. I revisited it again in the past month and half and zeroed in on Reuben. There are just several things in the narrative concerning Reuben that didn't sit well with me. I believe the holy spirit wanted me to dig deeper and think through a lot of the smaller features within the meta narrative in order to understand Reuben's actions and the motive behind them.
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good morning guys on this is ty
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again and I have another study for you
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this morning I've been trying to do this
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for a while now but I didn't get a
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chance to because of work and other
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stuff but you know I felt like this
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morning was the right time for me to do
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this so here I am now I entitled this
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series Rubin the rumor of good
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intentions and it transfer of leadership
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now I've looked at Joseph and his
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brothers complicated relationship in the
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book of Genesis in the past and for some
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reason I thought like I understood all
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the intricacies and the story but then I
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went back again and looked at it and for
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almost like a month and a half close to
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two months my mind my whole focus was on
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Reuben there are just several things in
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the story concerning Reuben that did not
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sit well with me so and I believe the
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Holy Spirit one amelie dig a little
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deeper and think through a lot of the
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smaller features within the bigger
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narrative so in order for me to
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understand it you know I kind of just
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focused on Reuben now if you don't know
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Joseph's life and everything that he he
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had been through as a young man you can
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go back in the book of Genesis I think
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starting on chapter 37 and read on and
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because that's gonna help definitely if
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you want to understand the entire show
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this morning so I'm gonna go back and
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I'm gonna actually share my screen with
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you and I've like prepared a slide that
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will help us understand you so let's
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let's do that now okay and again when
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you look at like when you look at
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scriptures the one thing you want to do
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is this read read read and read it again
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and again before until you understand it
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I don't want to claim to be an old oh
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that's not what I'm doing
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but what I want to be careful to do is
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to correctly divide the Word of God says
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exactly what he says what is what is it
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on the passage is trying to tell us
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I don't want to extrapolate I don't want
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to do too many extrapolation
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because you can get in trouble for doing
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it because now you begin to like use
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your own imagination and that's not what
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you want to do you want to ask the Holy
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Spirit to to enlighten your mind so you
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can correctly divide the Word of God
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because this is serious stuff and I take
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this very seriously
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all right so les let's go now this is
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Reuben the room of good intentions and
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they transfer of leadership so first
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thing we want to do is this who is
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Reuben
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now Reuben is Jacob's first one from
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Leah and the meaning of his name is
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found in Genesis 29 32 and Leah
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conceived and bore a son and she called
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his name Reuben for she said because the
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Lord has looked for my afflictions or
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now my husband will love me that is
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carry with it
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this idea of earning law keep that in
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the back ahead and then as we go on
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we're gonna get back to you at some
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point okay now for those who don't know
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actually I don't need to say this now
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let's let it go now I have some
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highlights from Reubens life again this
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morning's focus is Reuben okay now have
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the good ones not the good ones
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in Genesis 30 he says there in China in
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verse 14 in the days of wheat harvest
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Reuben went and found Mandrax in the
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field and brought them to his mom Leah
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the magic was supposedly improved like
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they were supposed to improve fertility
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in woman's so Reuben cared for his mom
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in the sense that he wanted to have her
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have more children because she wasn't
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loved by Jacob but I'm assuming he hoped
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that the more children she had the more
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she will be locked because that's what
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he was in that context at a time
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fertility was a virtue and remember
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Rachel couldn't have any children so
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leah was the only one producing
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children's home Reuben went out and said
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you know what I care about my mom I'm
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gonna bring more matrix so she can use
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it and have more children so dark and
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lager much more because leah was
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basically forced onto Jacob Laban strict
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Laban was layers - Leah Rachel's dad
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each strict on Jacob intermarrying Leah
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and you can
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go back to look at our story in the
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earliest chapters of Genesis okay I'm
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not gonna go into this morning now more
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positive highlights now in Genesis 37 22
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22 this is where Joseph goes in strongly
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check on his progress because his dad
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same thing and this is what his brothers
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decide to do they say come now let us
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kill his boy and throw him into one
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repeat and then we said I first animal
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has devoured him and we will see what
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will become of his dreams
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but when Reuben heard about it he
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rescued him out of their hand saying let
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us not take his life and Reuben said to
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them shed no blood throw him into his
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this bit here in the wilderness but the
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gnarly hand on him
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the him I rescued him are they of their
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hand to restore him to his father now
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again I put the Hindley in red and
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they're in in red as well then he wanted
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to rescue George Joseph this is Reuben
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from his brothers in order to restore
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him to his father keep this in mind
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we'll get back to later okay now we're
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gonna look at the negative highlights
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from Reubens life in Genesis 35 21 to 22
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now Israel is also Jacob so I like
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saying Jacob better jacob journeyed on
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and pitched his tent beyond it half a
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there or either I don't know and while
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Joseph and Jacob lived in our land
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Reuben went and laid with built heights
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while his concubine and Jacob heard
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about it - Reuben basically defined his
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father's bed he defied Jacob by sleeping
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with Jacob's concubine and that cost him
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his firstborn inheritance so keep all
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this in the back here as we carry on
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okay you see what Reuben just did there
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this was this is major into
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understanding this entire story okay we
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need to keep that in mind now in Genesis
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42 36 to 38 and Jacob their father said
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to them you have bereaved me of my
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children
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Joseph is no more and similarly is no
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more and now you would take Benjamin
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all this has come against me then Reuben
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said was father kill my two sons if I do
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not bring him back to you put him in my
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hands and I will bring him back to you
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but he said my son Benjamin shall not go
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down with you for his brother is dead
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and he's the only one left
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now look this is a very rational
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suggestion by Reuben and I'll get back
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to that to us on point saying kill my
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children all right keep dying back your
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head let's let's go back to tellus this
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is now we're gonna look at the room of
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good intentions now Reuben seemed to
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always desire to do the right thing when
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you look deep into the narrative there
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are certain red flags I want the
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one-week hush that we shed some light on
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Rubens character and leadership
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abilities
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now I've already mentioned the fact that
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he defiled his father's bed and that is
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not a good example for his brothers his
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younger brothers but there are other
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things that I wanna I want to show you
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they'll reveal some more stuff about his
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character okay and we don't look at the
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media core leadership all right now in
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Genesis 37 1 2 it says there in the
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passage Joseph's been 17 years old was
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pasturing the flock of his brothers he
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was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and
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Zilpah as far as wives and Joseph
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brought a bad report of them to their
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father why do I bring up Joseph now he
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exposed his brothers lack of care as he
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pertained to the ship and they hated him
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the more because of it now what does I
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have to do Reuben Reuben was the oldest
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and by default he was supposed to set
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the example
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hence Joseph's report implied that
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somehow the leadership was in question
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if Reuben was doing the right thing
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there wouldn't have be a bar before now
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you see what's going on they already
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like Reubens leadership is like in
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question all right now let's let's read
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Genesis 32 7 12 to 17 and you're gonna
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understand why this is important yes I'm
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gonna actually go here and in and then
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put that over here Genesis 37 5 to 17
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okay
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I didn't spell it right I'm sorry
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now that's where Joseph is being sold by
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his brothers right now his brothers want
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to pasture their flock their father's
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me as she came or shake hang I
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don't know how to say right and Jacob
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said to Joseph are not your brother's
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passing the Flocka shake him come I will
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send you to them and then Joseph said
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Here I am so he said to him go now and
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see if it's work with your brothers and
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with a flock and bring me word so he
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sent him from the value of Hebron and he
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came to shake him and him and found him
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wandering in the field and the man asked
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him what are you seeking and he said
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this is Joseph I'm seeking my brothers
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and he said tell me prayers where were
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their pasture in the flock and the men
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said they have gone away for I heard him
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say let us go to Dolphin so Joseph went
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after his brothers and father my
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daughter okay let's go back to it is now
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you see this is important
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Joseph goes to shake him because his dad
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is always sending Joseph to like
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supervises products right again that's
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the leadership in question now when
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Joseph goes to like shake him he does
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does his brother stay user could have
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easily say you know what I'm just gonna
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go home I've done my job
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I came to say and be now here I'm going
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back but no he doesn't stop there he
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sees the man I tell him your brother's
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wanted Doulton so he leaves and goes all
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the way to look for his brothers now he
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are much more responsible Joseph is
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there now why did his brother sleeve que
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him I think they did because they wanted
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to possibly avoid Joseph's
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supervision they just got so sick and
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tired of him saying you know what this
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kid is probably gonna come here again
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and check on us let's go someplace else
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but he found him okay let's let's keep
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let's keep going now leadership in
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question Reuben said to them when Joseph
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found him they saw Joseph coming those
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are his brothers right and they say
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we're gonna kill Joseph and Reuben said
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shed no blood to him to speak here in
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the wilderness but the nor lay a hand on
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him that he might rescue him out of
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their hand to restore him to his father
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my question is why can Reuben residues
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right then and there and the answer lies
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in verse 29 you see below this is it now
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a Reuben return to the pit and saw that
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Joseph was not in
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hit heat toys clothes and returned to
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his birth and say the boy is gone and I
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where shall I go the question is this
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where I was Ruben when Joseph was being
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sold
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where was he was he supposed to be
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careful to shape alongside his brothers
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so he wasn't there when Joseph was so so
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therefore he could not rescue Joseph he
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left his responsibilities as a leader
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and left the place and Joseph is being
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sold an ice-like where I where shall I
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go where shall I go keep that in mind
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III okay let's keep going now let's read
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Genesis 40 to 18 to 21 and we're gonna
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look at verse 22 at some point let me go
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here
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Genesis 42 the thing is what did I say
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again it into 21 or 18 to 21 there's so
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many things I can't remember this is
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when Joseph and his brothers it's like
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several years have gone by and that is
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like if I mean and Joseph is the leader
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in Egypt one of the leaders there the
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second in command and there's there's no
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food in to work aligned so Joseph and
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his brothers brothers Reuben on the town
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on as a leader they go to Egypt to try
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and find food and Joseph so meet this
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guy through some testing right so he
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throws them in jail for a little bit and
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then he comes back in the morning
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and then gets and says this when the
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turgid joseph said to them do this and
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you leave but I feel God if you're
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honest man let one of your brothers
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remain confined when you are in custody
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and let the rest go and carry grain for
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the famine of your household and bring
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your youngest product to me
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so your words will be verified or tested
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then you shall not die and they did so
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then they say to one another in truth we
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are guilty concerning our brother in
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that we saw the distress of his soul
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when he begged us and we did not listen
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this is why this distress has come upon
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us and now like scared to death but I
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don't want to focus on that I want to
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focus on what Reuben there's here in
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verse 22 Reuben says did I not tell you
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not to sin against the boy
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you did not listen so now that comes a
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reckoning for his blood I continue to
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see a trend here like I say pointing the
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finger it truly this job is the use of
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we well let me read on here and Joseph
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took Simeon from the atom and bound him
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before their eyes and my question is
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this why were similar taken into custody
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semen was the second born right Reuben
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was the oldest so how come Reuben does
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not say take me and then the rest can go
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no he puts Simeon there the second born
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and then he goes back home with his
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brothers now let's remember Jesus word
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what did Jesus do he said better have
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one has look oh my goodness let me go
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back to John 15 to read this I keep
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forgetting he says hey I think it's in
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John 15:13 this is what Jesus says
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greater love has no one than this that
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someone lay down his life for his
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friends or his brothers right now look
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at what Reuben does he put similar in
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custody and goes back home with his
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brothers you see what I mean he walks
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free and again that shows that he was
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more concerned with his own safety than
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the rest now let's keep going
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now let's read Genesis 42 36 we're gonna
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sit somewhere again
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Genesis 42 this is a lot and we're guys
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but it's good stuff right and Jacob your
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father said to them you have believed me
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of my children Joseph is no more and
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similars no more and now you would take
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Benjamin all this has come against me
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now Jacob we scattered death and this is
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what Rubin says in verse 37 and 38 Rubin
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said to his father I thought I was gonna
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get back to this right kill my two sons
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if I do not bring him back to you will
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put him in my hands I now bring him back
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to you
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but Jacob says my son shall not go down
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with you for his brother is dead and
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he's the only one left if harm shall
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happen to him on the journey that you
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were to make you bring down my gray
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hairs with sorrow to the grave now Jacob
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Clare didn't trust and Reubens
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leadership any more and
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not entrust anything else into his Ange
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and Rubin once the game makes the most
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asinine decision I've ever heard of
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offering to of his son instead of
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offering himself for Benjamin safety he
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tells his dad take my two sons I mean
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how crazy is that
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what about tech me do you know what I
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mean now let's keep going
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now let's read Genesis 43 1 2 8 and see
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what's going on there the brothers who
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come back to eat the bride they want to
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go back now the famine was severe in the
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lane and when they had eaten acquainted
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that they had brought from Egypt their
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father said to them go again and buy us
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a little food but you just say to them
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the man solemnly wander saying you shall
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not see my face again until you unless
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your brother is with you
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if you send our brother with us we'll go
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down and buy food but if you're not will
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not go down for the man say to us you
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shall not see my face unless your
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brother your brother is with you and
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Jacob said why do you treat me so badly
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I said after tell the Maine but you had
16:32
another brother and they replied the man
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questioned us carefully about ourselves
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and our kindred saying is your father
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still alive do you have another brother
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what we told them was an answer to the
16:42
question to read anyway know that you
16:45
say bring down your brother and Judas
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say to Israel his father send the boy
16:50
with me and we will arise and go that we
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may live and not die wolf we and you and
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also our little ones now this is
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important right and you just say to
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either if I send a boy with me and we
17:04
will arise and go that we may live in or
17:06
die both we and you and also other one
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so he's thing is inclusive here he's
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saying we and then in verse 9 he makes
17:14
this bold bold bold statement I would be
17:18
a pledge of his safety or for his safety
17:20
from my hand you shall require him
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before that if I do not bring him back
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to you and set him before you then let
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me bear the blame forever now do you see
17:29
the difference between Judah and Reubens
17:30
answer Judah offers himself as a ransom
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while Reuben offered his sons and need I
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remind you that the Lord Jesus came out
17:38
of the tribe of Judah
17:39
now you see what's going on there again
17:40
the old testament is always trying to
17:43
give us a picture of the Messiah of the
17:45
Lamb of God right now let's keep going
17:50
now the transfer of leadership finally
17:53
occurs and this is in Genesis 44 30 now
17:55
what happened there is this I'll give
17:57
you a quick background so they go back
17:59
to Egypt with Benjamin and then Joseph
18:02
test them for the last time so what he
18:04
does as they leave he throws his
18:06
favorite cup Joseph scoffing Benjamin
18:08
sack and then as they leave he catches
18:11
up to them and said someone of one of
18:13
you guys stole my my my my cup and then
18:16
he was found in Benjamin sack and so
18:19
when when when he found that he's okay
18:22
you know what I'm gonna take Benjamin
18:23
basically he want to take Benjamin away
18:26
from them and his brothers are like they
18:29
don't know what to do and that's where
18:31
you see Judah
18:32
that's what the transfer of leadership
18:34
finally occurs now therefore as soon as
18:36
I come to your servant my father and the
18:38
boy is not with us then as his life is
18:40
bound up in his boy's life as soon as he
18:42
sees and the boy is done with me he will
18:44
die in your servant will bring down a
18:46
greater sort of your servant father we
18:49
saw to the grain basically Judah is
18:52
pleading for the life of Benjamin say
18:54
look for yourself became a pledge of
18:58
safety for the boy to my father saying I
19:00
father not bring him back to you
19:01
then I shall bear the blame before my
19:03
father all of my life
19:04
now therefore please let your servant
19:06
remain instead of the boy as a servant
19:09
to my Lord and let the boy go back with
19:11
his brothers for how can I go back to my
19:13
father if the boy is done with me I fear
19:15
to see the evil that will find my father
19:17
Judah is pleading say look Joseph I
19:20
doubted up when he still does know that
19:22
this is Joseph take my life instead of
19:25
the boy I made a pledge and after that
19:28
we have ransom but what take me instead
19:30
I know that the boy is the one that took
19:32
your cup but take my life and take me
19:35
and don't take the boy do you see the
19:37
difference between Judah and then Reuben
19:39
you see how Judah just he doesn't blame
19:42
his brothers he said take me because I
19:44
made that pledge take me what does that
19:47
look like the Lord Jesus he
19:50
to take the blame for our mistakes our
19:53
fault our sins and this is the picture
19:56
again in the game in the game let's keep
19:59
going this is the dejected position that
20:03
I did if she juxtapose both frugal and
20:05
Judah you can clearly see the difference
20:07
between their leadership Rubin was
20:09
looking at for himself when nothing is
20:12
why Judah took the blame and was willing
20:14
to lay down his life for the sake of his
20:15
brothers thus again shown am madly madly
20:18
in the work of and life of Christ and I
20:21
keep going back to this idea of the New
20:23
Testament being concealed in the old now
20:26
look this is what I think Judah Rubin
20:29
was doing because he messed up and
20:31
because he slept with his father's wife
20:33
his entire life he tried to repair his
20:37
relationship because even when he wanted
20:39
to save Joseph I think the whole thing
20:41
is this
20:42
let me save Joseph so I can tell Dad the
20:44
brothers wanted to kill kill him what I
20:46
saved him it was almost like trying to
20:49
earn his father's love because of why he
20:51
did so therefore he went back and back
20:53
again and trying to earn his love and
20:55
his love in the process he became all
20:57
about more about him and not about the
21:00
safety and the common work for his
21:04
brothers now I just wanted to throw that
21:07
out there now Jesus came on the tribe of
21:09
Judah and he laid down his life for the
21:11
sake of his brothers
21:12
later his life for the sake of the ship
21:14
and John 15:13 I read that to you before
21:17
and remember when when Jesus was in a
21:20
garden when when the the soldiers came
21:23
to arrest he said to the soldiers let
21:27
this goal take me
21:28
remember that again showing us a picture
21:31
now let's take a look at Jacob blessing
21:33
to both Reuben and Judah and you will
21:35
see what the craziness this is great
21:38
stuff now this is what Jacob's blessing
21:41
is in 49 because before Jacob died he
21:45
says whose sons Reuben you're my
21:48
firstborn my might and the first of my
21:50
strength preeminence in dignity and
21:52
preeminent in power on Stabler's water
21:55
you shall not have preeminence because
21:58
you went up to your father's bed then
22:00
you defile it he went up to my couch
22:04
this is Reuben she was unstable he just
22:07
wasn't stable all right now let's look
22:09
at dooda dooda your brother shall praise
22:13
you your hand shall be on the neck of
22:16
your enemies your father son shall bow
22:19
down before you
22:20
Oh Judah is a lion's carve from the prey
22:24
my son your gun up he stooped down he
22:27
crouched as a lion and as a lioness who
22:29
dares rosen this scepter shall not
22:32
depart from Judah nor the ruler's staff
22:35
from between his feet until the tribute
22:38
comes to him and to him shall be the
22:39
obedience of the peoples binding is fall
22:43
to the vine and his dog is called to the
22:45
choice vine he was he has washed his
22:47
garments in wine and his vesture in a
22:50
blood of grapes
22:50
his eyes are darker than wine and his
22:53
teeth whiter whiter than milk Wow a
22:56
dancehall I put here the prophetic words
22:59
in Judas blessing how to make us bow at
23:01
the Savior's feet and really understand
23:03
the importance of prophecy I don't want
23:05
to be embarrassed because all this stuff
23:08
and all the promises that Jacob gave to
23:11
Judah came to pass
23:13
he ought to make us rejoice because you
23:15
know 10 against the Savior this is this
23:18
is crazy stuff it's authenticated it
23:22
happened to Jesus every blessing here go
23:26
back and read it yourself in Genesis 49
23:28
and read the story of Jesus you see this
23:31
everything here doc bindings fall to the
23:34
vine his donkeys go to the choice vine
23:36
he washed his garments in wine
23:38
the scepter shall not I mean every
23:41
single one of them I remember what Jesus
23:43
did when I saw just came to arrest him
23:45
he asked them to take him only with what
23:48
to let his disciple go there's love with
23:50
them to the very end
23:51
this is this how to make you rejoice
23:54
that the prophetic words came to pass
23:56
and they authenticate exactly what was
23:59
stored thousands of years before it
24:01
happened now I don't know what else to
24:03
tell you what you just go back to read
24:05
the scriptures and then find it for
24:06
yourself this is this makes you do make
24:09
you rejoice alright I hope you have a
24:11
good day guys all right thanks
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