“Now the famine was severe in the land. And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the grain which they had brought from Egypt, that their father said to them, “Go back, buy us a little food.” (How funny to have before us such a literal example in the Word of God of how one is merely postponing the inevitable when it comes to the Sovereign Plans of the Lord, when we as His children act in fear, stubbornness or even sin. Thankfully, even the delays we ourselves appear to cause in our foolishness – albeit viewed with much Longsuffering, Patience and Holy Compassion by our Heavenly Father – is worked for the Ultimate Good of all involved by His Sovereign Hand. Here for example I can imagine how the Lord uses the additional time given here to further dislodge and heal and undo Joseph’s childhood trauma – much of which he must have buried very deep for several seasons as he was burdened first with survival and suffering as a slave and prisoner, and later busied with fame, fortune, promotion, family life, leadership and great responsibility as leader of the land. It is only now, since the arrival of his brothers during the famine, that Joseph is led fully to confront and deal with his age-old wounds and broken heart – a process for which God allows ample time during this interim. For whilst the whole world is grappling with the devastating effects of the famine, Joseph has ample time of rest and solitude to go through this process with the Lord as the Lord has so beautifully ensured that Joseph’s lamp is “full of oil”, seeing as he had gathered abundantly more grain than the entire land of Egypt could ever use during the years of plenty – an image reminiscent of the True Children of God who are able to rest and draw close to the Lord during extended periods of lockdown whilst the rest of the world is in a frenzy over Covid-19. I also cannot help but chuckle at the coinciding period of humbling as the otherwise intelligent men of the household of Jacob have now entered into a period of stubborn denial, refusing to think on what would happen when the grain eventually ran out. Knowing my Sovereign God I also cannot help but smile as I reflect upon the fact that the amount of grain that they were able to carry from Egypt this first time was perfectly, serendipitously planned to last for a very precise period of time 😊.) But Judah spoke to him, saying, “The man solemnly warned us, saying, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’  (However complex and sophisticated our devices of denial, rationalisation and deflection, isn’t it funny how simple, constant, even childlikely humorous the unchanging facts of simple factual truth endures unopposed 🤣.) If you send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food. But if you will not send him, we will not go down; for the man said to us, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’ ” (Again, I cannot help but marvel at how simple Truth is, you can change the word order, but as we see here, it essentially only repeats itself. Let us be encouraged therefore Dear Friends: in an age of highly complex demonic tactics arguing against The Truth of God through sophisticated manipulation, gaslighting and all manner of practical witchcraft attempting to set up arguments against His Truth – it will not prevail, for in the same manner that we see simple factual truths bobbing up like a friendly seal out of the waters of the mere innocent denial of our Hebrew forefathers in this smaller circumstantial example, so too will the Grand Eternal Truths of our Kingdom prevail against the raging waters of mass deception during these end times.)

“¹Now the famine was severe in the land. ²And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the grain which they had brought from Egypt, that their father said to them, “Go back, buy us a little food.”

³But Judah spoke to him, saying, “The man solemnly warned us, saying, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’ ⁴If you send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food. ⁵But if you will not send him, we will not go down; for the man said to us, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’ “

– Genesis 43:1-5 (NKJV)