These questions are a guideline for your personal or small group study based on Sunday's sermon passage. Feel free to study and meditate on the passage more deeply. ​

1.  Genesis 43:32 "So they set him a place by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves; because the Egyptians could not eat food with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians."  Why do you think God directed Jacob's sons (the 12 tribes of Israel) to live in Egypt where assimilation and cultural integration was not a thing?
 
2.  Read Genesis 15:12-16.  How does this prophecy align with the events of Genesis 42-50?

3.  Why do you think Joseph took as long as he did to reveal his identity to his brothers?

4.  Read Genesis 44:6-9.  The brothers had righteous indignation when being accused of stealing from Joseph's house.  Unbeknownst to them, Joseph had the silver cup placed in Benjamin's sack so that they were indeed guilty of theft.  How can this be a picture of us and unconfessed, unrecognized sin in our life?

5. After the cup was found in Benjamin's sack, verse 13 tells us that the brothers tore their clothes, loaded their donkeys, and returned to the city.  Why did all of the brothers return to appear before Joseph?

6.  Genesis 44:14 "So Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house, and he was still there; and they fell before him on the ground."  This was now the third time that Joseph's brothers bowed before him but the first time that it fulfilled Joseph's dreams where all 11 brothers bowed before him.  Do you think that Joseph recognized the fulfillment of his dream in this moment?  When has God fulfilled promised to you?

7. Part of Judah's statement before Joseph in verse 16 is that "God has found out the iniquity of your servants".  This statement went much deeper than Judah realized.  What part did Judah play in the original transgression against Joseph by his brothers in Genesis 37?

8.  Read 1 John 1:5-10 and summarize this passage.    

9.  In verses 20 & 28, Joseph hears for the first time that his father Jacob believes that Joseph is dead.  How do you think these statements impacted Joseph?   

10.  There has to be recognition of and remorse for sin, before repentance can take place.  Pastor Randy stated, "When a person repents, they change."  Do you see true repentance in Judah?