The following is Pastor Nate’s teaching transcription from Calvary Monterey’s 10/6/20 Tuesday Night Service. We apologize for any transcription inaccuracies.

Welcome everyone to our continued study through the Book of Genesis in this Through the Bible format that we’re releasing on Tuesday nights or Tuesday afternoons at Calvary.com, YouTube wherever you listen to podcasts and at nateholdridge.com as well.

One thing I did want to mention to you is that generally, we release the teaching on Tuesday and then generally, on Wednesday, at nateholdridge.com the transcript of the teaching is also released if that’s helpful to you to be able to skim along or follow along with the teaching. If these are helpful to you and our blessing to you, if you could share them in any way that you’d like to, that would be a great blessing to us as a church and as a ministry.

The Situation

Right now, we’re continuing our journey through the life of Joseph here in Genesis chapter 42 is where we’ll pick up the teaching today. The situation, of course, was laid out for us in the previous chapters. In chapter 41, Joseph miraculously, meteorically ascended to the position at Pharaoh’s right hand. He became, overnight, the second most powerful man in all of Ancient Egypt, the powerful nation of that particular region.

The day began with Joseph in prison. He had, years earlier, interpreted dreams for two of Pharaoh’s servants. One of them was beheaded according to the interpretation that Joseph gave and one of them was restored to his position of honor according to the interpretation that Joseph gave. That servant forgot Joseph and did not report of Joseph to Pharaoh until two years later when Pharaoh had a set of dreams of his own that he did not understand and none of his dream interpreters or religious priests could interpret for him. The servant of Pharaoh told Pharaoh of Joseph. Joseph was brought from the prison. He confessed that God was the one who gave interpretations to dreams. He heard Pharaoh’s dream and then interpreted the dreams. “Pharaoh, there will be seven years of plenty throughout the region. You should collect and store up during the years of plenty because following those seven years, there will be seven years of terrible famine throughout the land.”

That is the situation that we find ourselves in as we turn to Genesis chapter 42, the famine has been in the land for a number of years. People are growing desperate and Joseph, because he did well during the seven years and collected into the store houses of Egypt, is now overseeing the distribution. People are coming to Egypt in search of grain, and Joseph is going to wisely expand Egypt’s territory through trading land for grain during this difficult season in that area of the world for these seven years. That’s the situation.

Beyond the situation that that region was going through, we have to remember the goal of God. What was the goal of God? God had told Abraham that he would make of him a great nation that would then be a blessing to all the world. Israel would be the nation. Messiah Christ Jesus would be the one who would make them a blessing to the whole world, to all nations but first, Israel had to become a people.

At this point, in our story, Jacob whose name has been changed by God to Israel is leading a family of around 70 people. They’re not yet a great nation. They’re living in the land of Canaan, but God wants to develop them numerically into a larger group that could inhabit the land of Canaan like a nation would. In order for that to occur, God wants to bring them to Egypt so that Egypt can serve as their incubator, so to speak, so that they can grow from a family of 70 to a people of 2 to 3 million over the course of 400 years.

God's Goal

In fact, listen to this prophecy that God had given to Abraham generations earlier. Genesis 15 verse 13, God said to Abraham, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for 400 years.” This was part of God’s plan. Yes, there would be affliction as they served the Egyptians especially near the end of their service or the end of the 400 years, but Egypt would serve as a great place for them to grow, to numerically become strong as a people.

Joseph now is in a place of authority in Egypt but he's the only Hebrew, he is the only Israelite, he is the only descendant of Abraham there in Egypt. The rest of the family needs to come. How is God going to get them there? Not only how is God going to get them there but what is God going to do about the hearts of the brothers that were so wrong when they sold Joseph years earlier into slavery? It seems that they along with Jacob need some course correction before they can come to Egypt. That’s where the next movement in Genesis will take us, the purifying of Joseph’s brothers and the reconciliation between the brothers with Joseph.

The Search for Grain

1 When Jacob learned that there was grain for sale in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?” 2 And he said, “Behold, I have heard that there is grain for sale in Egypt. Go down and buy grain for us there, that we may live and not die.” 3 So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt. 4 But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, with his brothers, for he feared that harm might happen to him. 5 Thus the sons of Israel came to buy among the others who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.

Let’s begin our study tonight in verse one. It says when Jacob learned that there was grain for sale in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?” And he said, “Behold, I have heard that there is grain for sale in Egypt. Go down and buy grain for us there, that we may live and not die.” So 10 of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt. But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, with his brothers, for he feared that harm might happen to him. Thus the sons of Israel came to buy among the others who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.

The whole movement here begins with a word of frustration from the father, Jacob, to his remaining sons. In verse one, he said, “Why do you look at one another?” He's upset with their inactivity. He wishes that they would do something about the situation that they find themselves in. Apparently, the situation they found themselves in was dire. He says there in the opening verses, “Do this so that we may live and not die,” so that we may live and not die. In other words, the famine had affected God’s people. It had affected this holy family so to speak.

Now, this is important for us to understand because trials and difficulties face God’s people just like they face the world around them. This famine had, of course, hit that region but Jacob’s family was not exempted from the difficulties of the people around them. They were caught in this widespread disaster that it overtaken the world. You see we have no promise of unconditional ease through life. No, we have no promise that we’ll escape the floods, the famines, the persecution, the difficulties of this world. Jesus said it this way in Matthew 5 verse 45, he said, “Your Father in heaven, He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and the unjust.” That’s a way of Jesus describing God’s common grace for humanity. The sun, it shines on everybody. The rain, it pours out for everybody.

Just as we experience common grace, we also experience the commonness of brokenness throughout the world. All of us are experiencing the fall together. Here, in this moment, Jacob’s family experienced the trial that the whole region was going through as well.

As I record this, we are in a time in our nation's history and in our world's history where we are dealing with the effects of a worldwide virus, COVID-19. Though there is debate on whether it has been handled correctly by various governments and states throughout the world, the reality is that believers are suffering right along with the world that they are living in and. Here, Jacob, his family was suffering right along with everyone else.

Now, you might have noticed there in verse four that Jacob did not want to send Benjamin, Joseph's brother, with his brothers because he feared that harm might come to him. Jacob, in a sense, is presented here as the same man as he was before.

Years earlier, when Joseph was a teenager, Jacob coated him with a coat that signified that he was the favored son. Now, years later, with Joseph gone, it's clear that now Benjamin has replaced Joseph as the favored son. All the other sons are allowed to go to Egypt to find grain but Benjamin is not allowed to go. He would not send Benjamin. In a sense, there's probably some paranoia that Jacob is experiencing. Benjamin is the last son of Rachel to be alive, the only one that is still left as far as Jacob knows. He also knows that the last time that a son of Rachel was sent out to be with the other 10 brothers, he died. So perhaps he is a little nervous about Benjamin’s fate if he goes on a journey with these 10. Perhaps he'd grown suspicious of the 10 as the years had gone by. Perhaps he had begun to suspect them of some crime or some evil but still he's paranoid. Still, he has favorites. Still, he can't let go and he's scarred by the past.

The other thing that's fascinating, of course, is that the brothers have gotten no relief. They sold Joseph into slavery because Joseph was the favored one. They thought that this somehow would turn their father's hearts towards them but they’ve gotten no relief. In fact, they've made things worse because not only is Jacob grieving still over the death of Joseph or the perceived death of Joseph, now he has a new favorite. It’s just rubbed in the face of these brothers day after day, week after week. So often when we try to solve problems by and with sin, we just make matters worse and that's exactly with these brothers had experienced. They've gotten no relief. God now is using this famine to move his people.

Testing The Brothers

6 Now Joseph was governor over the land. He was the one who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground. 7 Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he treated them like strangers and spoke roughly to them. “Where do you come from?” he said. They said, “From the land of Canaan, to buy food.” 8 And Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him.

Now, it says in verse six, Joseph was governor over the land. He was the one who sold to all the people of the land, and Joseph’s brothers came and bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground. Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he treated them like strangers and spoke roughly to them. “Where do you come from?” he said. They said, “From the land of Canaan, to buy food.” Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him.

Now, Joseph, in one sense, was probably not entirely surprised to see his brothers. The whole world at that time or region at that time was under a famine and everyone was coming to Egypt. Perhaps Joseph was on the lookout for his brothers for the moment that they might come to purchase grain from him.

Also, their failure to recognize him is easily explainable. First of all, 20 years have elapsed since they saw him last. Secondly, they thought that he was dead as we'll see later on in the passage. Thirdly, he walks and talks and lives like an Egyptian official. He's speaking Egyptian, not even speaking their own language so they don't recognize him. It's easy for him to pick out 10 brothers coming into town who he recognizes but hard for them to pick out this one man that they sold into slavery so many years earlier.

When Joseph saw them, you noticed in verse seven, it says that he treated them like strangers and spoke roughly to them. Later in the passage, we’re going to see that underneath this gruff exterior, underneath this rough treatment was affection from Joseph. He cared about these brothers. He missed his brothers he wanted to love. He wanted to be reconciled to these men, but there was likely a little bit of anger that was mixed in as well. Perhaps some resentment but at the end of this whole story, he's going to tell his brothers what God, what the enemy, and what you meant for evil, God meant for good. He processed all of the events in his life so well.

What Joseph is going to do now is rather than reveal himself to his brothers because, of course, he could've done that. He could have seen his 10 brothers, taken off his Egyptian garments, and opened his arms and said, “I am Joseph. Look at what God has done.” Joseph is going to, first, test his brothers to see what's happened inside of them to give them opportunity to repent and get right with God. Because of this, Joseph is actually acting as God's agent. I'm not saying that you or I should do what Joseph did in this scenario, but he is divinely inspired by God at this moment to prepare the patriarchs, the fathers of the tribes of Israel, to get their hearts right before they grow together as a nation and as a people. He sees them and recognizes them and speaks roughly with them.

9 And Joseph remembered the dreams that he had dreamed of them. And he said to them, “You are spies; you have come to see the nakedness of the land.” 10 They said to him, “No, my lord, your servants have come to buy food. 11 We are all sons of one man. We are honest men. Your servants have never been spies.” 12 He said to them, “No, it is the nakedness of the land that you have come to see.” 13 And they said, “We, your servants, are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan, and behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is no more.” 14 But Joseph said to them, “It is as I said to you. You are spies. 15 By this you shall be tested: by the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go from this place unless your youngest brother comes here. 16 Send one of you, and let him bring your brother, while you remain confined, that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you. Or else, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies.” 17 And he put them all together in custody for three days.

In verse nine, it says: And Joseph remembered the dreams that he had dreamed of them. He said to them, “You are spies. You've come to see the nakedness of the land.” They said to him, “No, my Lord, your servants have come to buy food. We are all sons of one man. We are honest men. Your servants have never been spies.” He said to them, “No, it is the nakedness of the land that you have come to see.” And they said, “We, your servants, are 12 brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan, and behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is no more.” But Joseph said to them, “It is as I said to you. You are spies. By this you shall be tested: by the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go from this place unless your youngest brother comes here. Send one of you, and let him bring your brother, while you remain confined, that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you. Or else, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies.” And he put them all together in custody for three days.

First of all, in that paragraph, we noticed that it begins with verse nine, Joseph remembering the dreams that he dreamed earlier. Remember, back in chapter 37, he had received these two dreams as a 17-year-old that indicated that one day his brothers and his parents would bow down before him, would receive from him. Now, of course, this episode is not a fulfillment completely of those dreams or of that vision. Benjamin is not there, for one, one of his brothers, and Jacob, his living parent, is not there at this moment either.

Benjamin and Jacob needed to come to Egypt, and so Joseph is going to work to bring these two from the land of Canaan to Egypt. Now, his accusation that he brings against his brothers is very simple. He accuses them of being spies. The first accusation he gives to them is in verse 9 and 10. He says, “You are spies.” When he confronts them that first time, they say, “We are sons of one man,” so what do they reveal? They admit to being brothers.

In verse 12 and 13, he tells them, “You've come to see the nakedness of the land,” and then they confessed, “We are 12 brothers.” In this second confession, these 10 admit that there are two more brothers. One of them, of course, is Benjamin. The 12, they're talking to him so they’ve confessed now that they recognize that Joseph was part of their family.

Then the third accusation, again, goes back to verse 14, you are spies. Later, in verse 21, they will say in truth, we are guilty concerning our brother. They’re finally beginning to think about Joseph. They’re finally beginning to think about their guilt. This ancient sin is now going to be dealt with in this story. Joseph took them and put them all in custody for three days which, of course, is the ultimate role reversal. They had thrown him into a pit that served as his prison, but now he takes them and throws them in prison for a time.

This is a way for, of course, them for God to allow their consciences to develop. These three days were probably days that they were seeking out and thinking about their lives. What have we done to deserve something like this? Perhaps it was in those quiet moments in prison that they began to really sense the conviction of the Holy Spirit about sending their brother Joseph away in slavery two decades earlier. I just love this: God is doing what He has to do to reach into the lives of these men. You see, this is what God will do. God will not allow His chosen one, His children to run far from Him. He chases us. He pursues us. He will bring conviction into our lives one way or another.

On the third day Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God: if you are honest men, let one of your brothers remain confined where you are in custody, and let the rest go and carry grain for the famine of your households, and bring your youngest brother to me. So your words will be verified, and you shall not die,” and they did so.

Now, one of the things that Joseph did here would have been shocking to the brothers. He said, “Do this and live for I fear God.” When he said that, he was using the name Elohim for God, a Hebrew name for God. This should have gotten their attention. He didn't tell them that he feared the gods of Egypt but that he feared their God.

18 On the third day Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God: 19 if you are honest men, let one of your brothers remain confined where you are in custody, and let the rest go and carry grain for the famine of your households, 20 and bring your youngest brother to me. So your words will be verified, and you shall not die.” And they did so.

Then he said to them in verse 19, “Let's make a deal. Let one of you remain and the rest of you go until you bring your additional brother that has not come to me.” Now, this is a good development in their minds because in verse 16, when he put them into the prison, he’d said, “All of you stay in prison and only one of you can go bring back the missing brother.” Here now, he says, “Only one of you must remain but all of you must go back and get your missing brother.” This is beautiful because it would give them a chance to demonstrate that they changed. The last time, it was one of them in prison and the rest of them free. They'd abandon that one, that one being Joseph. Joseph wants to see, are you changed men? Will you forget the one to save yourselves or will you save the one by risking yourselves?

Then Joseph tells them in verse 20, “Bring your youngest brother to me.” Benjamin has to come. What Joseph is doing is he wants to see how do these 10 treat the favored son. How do these 10 treat the other son of Rachel? How Benjamin is treated by these 10 will say a lot about how far they've come over the years.

21 Then they said to one another, “In truth we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us and we did not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us.” 22 And Reuben answered them, “Did I not tell you not to sin against the boy? But you did not listen. So now there comes a reckoning for his blood.” 23 They did not know that Joseph understood them, for there was an interpreter between them. 24 Then he turned away from them and wept. And he returned to them and spoke to them. And he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes.

Then they said to one another in verse 21, “In truth, we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul when he begged us and we did not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us.” Reuben answered, “Did I not tell you not to sin against the boy? But you did not listen. So now there comes a reckoning for his blood.” They did not know that Joseph understood them for there was an interpreter between them. Then he turned away from them and wept and he returned to them and spoke to them and he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes.

Notice here that the conviction is really beginning to blossom in the hearts of these 10. In verse 21, they collectively say, “In truth, we are guilty concerning our brother.” Joseph's anguish, Joseph's blood was heavy upon their conscience at this point. Joseph is giving them a beautiful opportunity to face their guilt. Rather than just expose himself to them, he's giving them a chance to come clean, to make things right on their own to repent, which is such a refreshing thing to do.

Of course, as Joseph does, he is so much like our Lord. Jesus gives us a chance to face our guilt. He gives us an opportunity to recognize areas of sin in our own lives. He’ll give us moments of sobriety about ourselves. This is the faithfulness of God giving us an opportunity to come clean. Jesus calls us, beckons us, and says, “Get right with Me in this area of your life.”

25 And Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, and to replace every man’s money in his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. This was done for them. 26 Then they loaded their donkeys with their grain and departed.

As they had this conversation together, it says in verse 23 that Joseph understood them. He heard their words to each other. He heard the words of Reuben, the rebuke of Reuben, and it broke his heart. He was using an interpreter, it seemed, so they suspected that he couldn't understand them but of course, he did understand their native tongue because it was his native tongue.

What would he have learned? In verse 21, he learned that they felt guilty about what they had done to him so many years earlier. In verse 21, he learned that they had seen his distress of soul when they put him in the pit and sold him into slavery. They were conscious of his feelings because he went through that great trial. He also learned in verse 21 that they heard his begging, his pleas to be released. Then from Reuben in verse 22, Joseph would have learned what really happened, that Reuben told them not to do this, not to sin against the boy, but that they would not listen, that the brothers overrode the firstborn, Reuben, and went their own way. He also would have learned that they thought that he was dead by this time. They say it in verse 22 that this was a reckoning for Joseph's blood so they suspect that he's dead, and he learns all these things as he overhears what they say.

Joseph took one of them just like he had said and the one that he took was Simeon. Now, we don't know why Joseph took Simeon. The Bible doesn't say why he took Simeon and none of the other. Simeon, of course, was the secondborn through Leah, Reuben, being the oldest; Simeon being the second oldest. Some have suspected that because Reuben confessed, Simeon was next in line and so Joseph took him. Others have suggested that perhaps Simeon would actually make the test more powerful because he was one of the ones most likely to be abandoned by the rest: unliked, a little hostile, did the whole thing in Shechem that disqualified him. Perhaps his very nature would have tempted the rest of the 10 to forget about him in that prison. Perhaps they would treat Simeon like they treated Joseph so many years earlier. Perhaps Simeon was the one that made the test perfect, heightened the intensity. Again, it doesn't say why he chose Simeon but Simeon is the one that remained.

Verse 25: And Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, and to replace every man’s money in his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. This was done for them. Then they loaded their donkeys with grain and departed. So every man’s money was replaced in their sack. These guys would not be allowed to buy anything from Joseph. He was going to be in the position of a giver throughout the whole passage.

A Response of Dismay

27 And as one of them opened his sack to give his donkey fodder at the lodging place, he saw his money in the mouth of his sack. 28 He said to his brothers, “My money has been put back; here it is in the mouth of my sack!” At this their hearts failed them, and they turned trembling to one another, saying, “What is this that God has done to us?”

As one of them opened his sack to give his donkey fodder at the lodging place, he saw his money in the mouth of his sack. He said to his brothers, “My money has been put back; here it is in the mouth of my sack.” At this, their hearts failed them, and they turned trembling to one another saying, “What is this that God has done to us?”

This is going to be a major theme throughout the story of Joseph reconciling with his brothers. The whole time they are going to suspect and the whole time, Jacob is going to suspect that God is doing something to them in the negative sense, but the whole time, God is doing something for them in a positive sense. Jacob or Israel needs to learn that and these 10 need to learn that God is doing something for them through their brother, Joseph. That was what the whole thing was about at the beginning. They saw it as a negative that they would bow down to Joseph, but Joseph would be a great source of blessing in their lives. Nothing within these brothers, at this point, causes them to suspect God's grace when they find the money but God's judgment when they find the money. This is the heart of a guilty person.

29 When they came to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them, saying, 30 “The man, the lord of the land, spoke roughly to us and took us to be spies of the land. 31 But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we have never been spies. 32 We are twelve brothers, sons of our father. One is no more, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan.’ 33 Then the man, the lord of the land, said to us, ‘By this I shall know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me, and take grain for the famine of your households, and go your way. 34 Bring your youngest brother to me. Then I shall know that you are not spies but honest men, and I will deliver your brother to you, and you shall trade in the land.’ ”

Verse 29: When they came to Jacob, their father, in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them saying, “The man, the lord of the land, spoke roughly to us and took us to be spies of the land. But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we have never been spies. We are 12 brothers, sons of our father. One is no more and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan.’ Then the man, the lord of the land said to us, ‘By this I shall know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me, and take grain for the famine of your households, and go your way. Bring your youngest brother to me. Then I shall know that you are not spies but honest men, and I will deliver your brother to you, and you shall trade in the land.’”

35 As they emptied their sacks, behold, every man’s bundle of money was in his sack. And when they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were afraid. 36 And Jacob their father said to them, “You have bereaved me of my children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and now you would take Benjamin. All this has come against me.”

Now, as they emptied their sacks, behold, every man’s bundle of money was in his sack. When they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid. Jacob their father said to them, “You have bereaved me of my children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and now you would take Benjamin. All this has come against me.”

Now, I want you to notice that in this whole passage when they come back and they speak these words of what they perceive are trial and difficulty negative, a negative report to Israel, Israel speaks but notice it's not Israel who speaks but his original name is used, Jacob. He's not speaking in faith. He is not speaking as God's man. He is speaking as a man who can only see things according to the flesh. In his report, what he responds with is, “Simeon is no more.” He assumed that Simeon was dead just like he’d assume that Joseph was dead at this point. He said, “All of this is against me.” This is just amazing to me and amazing to us as the readers of Genesis because we know that God was blessing Jacob at this point. Jacob had no idea at this point. He couldn't see God's perspective.

Sometimes, quite often, in fact, it is hard for us, isn't it, to see the perspective of the Lord. Romans 8 teaches us that God is working in the lives of His people using the all things of life together for His good in our lives, but so often it's difficult for us to see how He's doing that, why He's doing that, what He's using to accomplish that purpose. So often we don't see what the Lord is doing. Like Jacob, we are tempted to say, "All of this has come against me."

This is why it's important for us to perpetually see the cross of Christ. Through the lens of the cross of Jesus, we can perpetually be reminded and know that God is for us, not against us, and that if God would not withhold His own Son from us then He will graciously also give us all things. This was the conclusion that Paul came to in Romans chapter 8 after describing the glorious gospel for eight chapters in the Book of Romans. If this is what God has done, if He has not withheld His Son from us and all that is attached to His Son then how will He not also freely give us all things?

37 Then Reuben said to his father, “Kill my two sons if I do not bring him back to you. Put him in my hands, and I will bring him back to you.” 38 But he said, “My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he is the only one left. If harm should happen to him on the journey that you are to make, you would bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.”

Jacob, at this point, does not have that perspective. Instead, he thinks that all of this has come against him. Then Reuben said to his father in verse 37, “Kill my two sons if I do not bring him back to you. Put him in my hands, and I will bring him back to you.” But he said, “My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he is the only one left. If harm should happen to him on the journey that you are to make, you would bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.”

Reuben, of course, and the brothers understand that at some point, they're going to have to go back to Egypt to get more food. Reuben says, “Well, hey, we can't go back without Benjamin so here's my proposal, dad. If I don't come back with Benjamin, your beloved son, then kill my two sons as a replacement.” Now, I don’t know why Reuben thought this would be a good idea. He's basically going to his son’s grandfather and saying, “Dad, if I don't come back with your beloved son, then you can kill my two sons, your two grandsons.” This is not a good plan from Reuben. It reveals the kind of man that he is but he's trying at this point. He failed to save Joseph in the pit. Now, he fails to convince Jacob to allow him to bring Benjamin back to Egypt. Partly, this is what God is doing because God is raising up Judah, the fourthborn from Leah over Reuben. Judah would be the great tribe in Israel but Jacob resists the whole proposal. He says, “My son shall not go down.”

Now, again, just the way that Jacob is talking, it would have been so difficult and painful for these brothers to hear. They’re hearing things like Benjamin is the only one left. What about all of them? He overlooks them for Benjamin. He says, “If he's lost, then you would make my gray hairs go down to Sheol with sorrow.” What about Simeon? What about the rest of us? Again, the thing that they tried to do with Joseph in selling him into slavery, it did not solve the problems in the family.

Now, of course, as I've been saying, the brothers still, at this point, need to get fully right with God before God can bring them into Egypt for a period of growth and prosperity. Conviction is beginning to stir inside of them but it’s not full grown yet. In the next chapter in chapter 43, we’re going to see them come closer to full-grown conviction and repentance. They’re going to take responsibility for their actions by interceding for Benjamin and Simeon. They’re going to demonstrate honesty in this passage by reporting the money that is in their sacks back to Joseph. They're going to pursue unity as a family by rescuing Simeon from prison. They're going to believe that God is at work by interpreting the events that unfold in this next chapter correctly, and they're going to rejoice for others by celebrating Benjamin's blessings which is what they could not do with Joseph so many years earlier.

Genesis 43 -- Joseph's Brothers Return

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

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

Let's read this next chapter together. It says: Now the famine was severe in the land. When they had eaten the grain that they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go again, buy us a little food.” But Judah said to him, “The man solemnly warned us saying, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’ If you will 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.’” Israel said, “Why did you treat me so badly as to tell the man that you had another brother?” They replied, “The man questioned us carefully about ourselves and our kindred saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ What we told him was in answer to these questions. Could we in any way know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?”

What we discover here is that, of course, the famine has continued to grow worse and worse in the region. Jacob, it seems, was fine with allowing Simeon to languish in prison in order to save his beloved son, Benjamin. Ultimately, his hand is forced and he knows I've got to send my sons to go down and get more food. The famine was so severe.

Even now, his whole desire is to try to keep Benjamin from going to Egypt. This is so interesting to me because I think many parents make a similar mistake with their beloved children. They think there is some mission that God wants for their child, some endeavor that God might send their child on some ministry, that God might call their child into, and in their hearts, all they can say to themselves is, “No. This would be the worst for my child.” Of course, Benjamin going to Egypt was the absolute best. He was in a famine in the land of Canaan and would live in prosperity in the land of Egypt. Jacob in his mind cannot fathom how this could possibly be good for his son. If you're a parent and your child is sensing a call of God upon their lives, know that the endeavor that they'll go on will be good for them. God will bless their lives.

Now, Jacob in responding to Judah's request says, “Why did you tell this guy that you had another brother? Why did you treat me so badly as to tell the man that you had another brother?” In other words, I have a favorite; he's Benjamin. Why did you tell this man about Benjamin? This is Jacob's way of playing the victim. He's just grasping at this point. His despair is leading to irrationality, and he scolds Judah a little bit. He's trying to evade the situation. It’s, of course, not their fault that they told Joseph about Benjamin. They had no idea why the questions were being asked. Jacob was reluctant and he scolds his sons.

8 And Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the boy with me, and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, both we and you and also our little ones. 9 I will be a pledge of his safety. From my hand you shall require him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever. 10 If we had not delayed, we would now have returned twice.”

Judah said to his father, Israel, “Send a boy with me and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, both we and you and also our little ones. I will be a pledge of his safety. From my hand, you shall require him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever. If we had not delayed, we now would have returned twice.”

Judah basically tells his father, “Look, we could have gone back and forth two more times and brought plenty of supplies. You've got to give me Benjamin, and I will be responsible for him. I will bear the blame forever if he does not return.” Now, when he says this to Jacob and says, “I will bear the curse. I will bear the pain. I will bear the blame forever,” he's sounding very similar to an experience Jacob had many years earlier as a young man when he stole the blessing from Esau. His mother, she had said to him, Rebecca had said to him, “Let your curse be on me if you get caught but obey my voice and do this thing.” Here, Judah says the same thing, “Let the curse be on me. If I fail to bring him back, let the curse be on me.”

Now, remember, of course, that Judah is the one who sold Joseph ultimately into slavery. Reuben tried to intercede but Joseph stepped in and said, “No. Let's sell him to these traders that are passing by.” Judah was the one that actually needed the biggest restoration. This likely hung upon his conscience for decades.

Here, we discover that he's gone from remorse to repentance. He's now stepping up and saying, “I want to be the one responsible for Benjamin. I was not responsible for Joseph many years earlier. I will be responsible for Benjamin today.” Then their father, Israel, said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: Take some of the choice fruits of the land in your bags and carry a present down to the man, a little balm and a little honey, gum, myrrh, pistachio nuts, and almonds. Take double the money with you. Carry back with you the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks; perhaps it was an oversight. Take also your brother and arise. Go again to the man. May God grant you mercy before the man and may he send back your other brother and Benjamin. As for me, if I'm bereaved of children, I am bereaved.”

Jacob finally concedes but he doesn't want to leave anything to chance. He tries to prepare the way for his sons. First of all, he puts together the gift basket; what a classic. He takes together all these special items from the land of Canaan to bring to this mystery man in Egypt. He tells them also to take double money with them along with the money that they had returned to them in their sacks the first time. Jacob now is resigning himself to the possibility that he'll lose his third son, Joseph, Simeon, and now Benjamin. He actually says, “As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.” He's got a gift to give. He's got repayment to give. He prays to God Almighty, but finally here, he just presents himself as a beaten man submitted wholly to whatever God is going to do in his life. “If I am bereaved, I am bereaved,” he says.

This man who was so cunning, this man who stole and lied to get his way to be blessed, he comes to the end of himself at this point. There's nothing he could do. He’s sending a few nuts to the second most wealthy man in the whole world. He is sending a little gift basket to try to call a many fraction that might be there between his sons and this man. He's got nothing to offer. He's got no move to make. He can’t wiggle out of this situation, and he just presents as a man that’s totally broken. If I am bereaved, I am bereaved. God had touched his hip many years earlier and he’d walked with a limp, but now this man, he is truly limping internally within his soul. He says, “There's nothing I can do. If my son dies, my son dies.”

A Gracious Meeting

15 So the men took this present, and they took double the money with them, and Benjamin. They arose and went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph. 16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, “Bring the men into the house, and slaughter an animal and make ready, for the men are to dine with me at noon.” 17 The man did as Joseph told him and brought the men to Joseph’s house.

The men took this present and they took double money with them and Benjamin. They arose and went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph. When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, “Bring the men into the house, and slaughter an animal and make ready, for the men are to dine with me at noon.” The man did as Joseph told him and brought the men to Joseph’s house.

Now, the story has just left Joseph. We leave him there in Egypt. He's been waiting now for some time for his brothers to return and finally, they come back. He could see that Benjamin is there with them until he tells the steward of his home to prepare a feast for his brothers, that at noon they will enjoy together. This would be, of course, an undeserved feast that Joseph's brothers would receive. Joseph is going to spread the feast out. He's going to spread the feast out. He's going to pay for the feast. He's going to make the sacrifices that need to be made and commission the ruler of the house to bring it in. He will do all the work. This is destabilizing, undeserved grace that these brothers are going to receive, and it’s just going to be the first of waves of grace that come upon these boys or these men, these brothers during this episode.

18 And the men were afraid because they were brought to Joseph’s house, and they said, “It is because of the money, which was replaced in our sacks the first time, that we are brought in, so that he may assault us and fall upon us to make us servants and seize our donkeys.”

The men, verse 18, were afraid because they were brought to Joseph’s house, and they said, “It is because of the money, which was replaced in our sacks the first time, that we are brought in, so that he may assault us and fall upon us to make us servants and seize our donkeys.” They respond and they don't think that God is blessing them at all, just like they didn't think God was blessing them with the money in their sacks. They are paranoid about this event. They think that Joseph is going to, they say, assault them. They think that Joseph is going to turn them into his slaves. They were basically judging Joseph by their own motives.

I don’t know if you’ve already done this to someone or ever committed this sin or this crime, reading into someone else's innocent or favorable actions motives that are less than favorable because it's what you might do. This is what Joseph's brothers might have done, make a slave of these men, but that's not what Joseph was doing at all. They were misguided in their estimation of what was happening in this moment. They judged their fate by their past. I think their guilt was just so overwhelming that they look at what was happening to them in this moment and they just assumed the absolute worst.

If you're in Christ Jesus, you have a past, of course, but it is covered by His blood and He's asking you to move forward by and in and with His grace into the new life and territory that He has for you. Unfortunately, so many people bring this kind of view that the brothers had of Joseph into their relationship with Jesus. They think that Jesus is out to get them, that God only wants to punish them rather than spend His grace lavishly upon their lives.

19 So they went up to the steward of Joseph’s house and spoke with him at the door of the house, 20 and said, “Oh, my lord, we came down the first time to buy food. 21 And when we came to the lodging place we opened our sacks, and there was each man’s money in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight. So we have brought it again with us, 22 and we have brought other money down with us to buy food. We do not know who put our money in our sacks.” 23 He replied, “Peace to you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has put treasure in your sacks for you. I received your money.” Then he brought Simeon out to them.

Verse 19: They went up to the steward of Joseph’s house and spoke with him at the door of the house, and said, “Oh, my lord, we came down the first time to buy food. And when we came to the lodging place, we opened our sacks and there was each man’s money in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight. So we have brought it again with us, and we have brought our other money down with us to buy food. We do not know who put our money in our sacks.” The steward replied, verse 23, “Peace to you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has put treasure in your sacks for you. I received your money.” Then he brought Simeon out to them.

Now, the steward here appears to be in on Joseph’s plan; he mentions God. He tells them that God is the one who gave them their money back and that he had received their money, that there was nothing that they needed. In other words, Joseph’s gift was meant to be perceived as a gift from God Himself. In fact, the land that Joseph would eventually give them, the favor that Joseph would give them in Egypt, it was all meant to be understood not as a gift from Joseph but as a gift from God. The steward, of all people, the servant of Joseph in Egypt, this Egyptian man is being used by God to remind these brothers of one of the central themes of the Book of Genesis that they were God’s favored people, that God knew what they had done but loved them anyways because He had chosen them as His people.

When the man had brought the men into Joseph’s house and given them water, and they had washed their feet, and when he had given their donkeys fodder, they prepared the present for Joseph’s coming at noon, for they heard that they should eat bread there.

24 And when the man had brought the men into Joseph’s house and given them water, and they had washed their feet, and when he had given their donkeys fodder, 25 they prepared the present for Joseph’s coming at noon, for they heard that they should eat bread there. 26 When Joseph came home, they brought into the house to him the present that they had with them and bowed down to him to the ground.

27 And he inquired about their welfare and said, “Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?” 28 They said, “Your servant our father is well; he is still alive.” And they bowed their heads and prostrated themselves.

29 And he lifted up his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, and said, “Is this your youngest brother, of whom you spoke to me? God be gracious to you, my son!” 30 Then Joseph hurried out, for his compassion grew warm for his brother, and he sought a place to weep. And he entered his chamber and wept there.

When Joseph came home, they brought into the house to him the present that they had with them and bowed down to him to the ground. He inquired about their welfare and said, “Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?” They said, “Your servant our father is well; he is still alive,” and they bowed their heads and prostrated themselves. He lifted up his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, and said, “Is this your youngest brother, of whom you spoke to me? God be gracious to you, my son.” Then Joseph hurried out, for his compassion grew warm for his brother, and he sought a place to weep, and he entered his chamber and wept there.

The brothers, they prepared their little gift. Joseph is going to give them so much but they prepared their little gift, some food from home which I’m sure Joseph enjoyed. The big movement here is that Benjamin stands out to Joseph. Joseph sees Benjamin. This is his brother, his brother by the same mother and father, so his full brother. When he sees his full brother, he's provoked within. It says in verse 30, his compassion grew warm for his brother and he left the room, went into his chamber and wept. Then he washed his face and came out and controlling himself he said, “Serve the food.” They served him by himself and them by themselves separating them, and the Egyptians who ate with them by themselves, because the Egyptians could not eat with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians. They sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth. The men looked at one another in amazement. Portions were taken to them from Joseph’s table, but Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as any of theirs, and they drank and were merry with him.

A Feast

31 Then he washed his face and came out. And controlling himself he said, “Serve the food.” 32 They served him by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because the Egyptians could not eat with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians.

33 And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth. And the men looked at one another in amazement. 34 Portions were taken to them from Joseph’s table, but Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as any of theirs. And they drank and were merry with him.

Now, this is an amazing moment. First of all, they sit down to eat a meal. Joseph separates himself from his brothers because they’re Hebrews and they think he's an Egyptian. Egyptians had a custom that kept them from eating with Hebrews lest they become, in their Egyptian eyes, unclean. When they sit down to eat, the brothers noticed that they are seated in birth order which is no small feat, a mathematical impossibility, from Reuben all the way down to Benjamin. When they noticed this, they’re in awe of the order. It says that they are amazed at this moment. Again, they don’t suspect Joseph; they suspect that God is messing with them, that God is doing something, that God is going to repay them for the injustice that they’ve done so many years earlier. Then when the food is served, Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as any of theirs. Now, just imagine this heaping plate of food that is placed in front of Benjamin. It just says that they drank and were merry with Joseph.

In a sense, what’s happening here, is that wave after wave of shocking event is unfolding: They have a feast, the steward tells them that God gave them the money, and now the birth order. They’re designed to know that God is moving. The big thing that’s happening here is that Joseph is testing them to see what their response is when the younger, favored brother is blessed in their presence. When Benjamin receives five times more food than the rest of them, how will they respond? What will they do? They don’t do anything bad here and as we’ll see in the next chapter in our next study, they will respond favorably and protect Benjamin and lay down their lives for him. Their repentance will come full circle.

Joseph is testing them to see if that envy still exists within. Would they treat Joseph or treat Benjamin in the same way that they treated Joseph so many years earlier? They, of course, were going to pass the test. They weren’t going to have that envy or jealousy.

I find that the Lord, He often will test our lives by how we react when someone else is blessed. The Bible says that we should rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. I find that it’s often easier to weep with those who weep than it is to rejoice with those who rejoice. When God blesses someone else’s life in the way that you wish your life was blessed, are you able to rejoice or are you on the throne to such a degree that envy and jealousy fills your heart? Now, I find that the Lord measures the changes that have taken place in our lives by how we react when our brothers and sisters in Christ are blessed.

Here, these brothers saw Benjamin blessed and they had become changed men. They were not the same men that had thrown Joseph into the pit 20 years earlier. Just as these brothers were sanctified with growing and the spirit of God was putting His finger on the error within, praise God that the spirit of Christ so patiently even taking decades as He did with these men, works in our lives as well conforming us slowly but surely into the image of Christ. God bless you, church. Have a wonderful week.