This week’s reading: Genesis 42:30— 43:34
Hi Friends,
We pick up the journey of the people of God after Joseph’s brothers made their first trip to Egypt to buy grain for their hungry families. They are taken back by the harsh reception and accusations they received by the governor of Egypt, who they, of course, had no idea was really their long lost brother. Joseph must put them to the test because he is not sure if they have had any change of heart. The big question is, can Joseph trust his brothers? We are in Genesis chapter 42, reading verses 30 all the way through chapter 43, verse 34. Listen to the joyful heart of Joseph when he hears the good news about his father and meets, face to face, with his young brother for the first time.
“When Joseph came home, they presented to him the gifts they had brought into the house, and they bowed down before him to the ground. He asked them how they were and then he said, “How is your aged father you told me about? Is he still living?” They replied, “Your servant our father is still alive and well.” And they bowed low to pay him honor. As he looked about and saw his brother Benjamin, his own mother’s son, he asked, “Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?” And he said, “God be gracious to you, my son.” Deeply moved at the sight of his brother, Joseph hurried out and looked for a place to weep. He went into his private room and wept there.” Gen 43:26-30 NIV
The Test
After Joseph placed his brother Simeon in prison and sent the rest of his brothers back home, the brothers are not sure how their father is going to handle what was said to them by this governor of Egypt. They arrive home and tell Jacob all that happened and he is left dismayed and questioning their loyalty. Seeing that the fee for the grain was returned to them in their sacks, and knowing that they were one brother short, Jacob and his sons are all terrified over this turn of events. Jacob basically tells them that there is no way he is going to let them take Benjamin to Egypt, and seems to have already given up Simeon for dead too. “Their father Jacob said to them, ‘You have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more, and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me!” (Gen 42:36) Can you relate? Have you ever been in his place? Has there ever been a time in your life when it seemed like everything was going against you too?
Of course, if we are familiar with this wonderful story, we know that God has a much bigger plan of redemption and joyous reunion in store for this divided family. But like them, because we only see part of the picture, we too can get frightened and depressed about our current circumstances. One of the things we can learn here is that God is not done yet. If we have breath in our lungs and blood flowing through our veins then God is still doing what only God can, working it all together for good. (see Ro 8:28) None of them know that Joseph is the one in Egypt. They do not know Joseph is following God’s lead to test these brothers, to see if they can be trusted. To see if he can be reunited with them. To see if they have felt remorse about what they did to him. Joseph is never seeking revenge, but is using godly wisdom to discern whether he can let these jealous brothers back into his life. We would be wise to do the same.
Once we have been hurt by someone, we should use caution and let God guide our interactions with that person. Instead of opening ourselves up to further pain, we must see if the other person has repented over the past offense. No, no one is perfect, except Jesus of course. Yet we just might be setting ourselves up for another disappointment, so we too have to test the ground to see whether the other person’s heart has changed. Whether they truly desire to have a deeper relationship where we can trust one another again. Without trust, it is almost impossible to have a healthy relationship. I said “almost” because God can teach us when to open doors and when to close them. In other words, when to allow that person back into our lives or when to give Him more time to continue to work on their hearts.
We never give up on anyone…God can change the state of their heart at any moment. But we do use godly wisdom and should be cautious. Not only could we get hurt again, but we can act as an enabler which does not help the other person we want to love. Joseph is aware of who his brothers were: jealous, callous and selfishly unloving. Now Joseph is curious to see who they have become. You see, if past offenses have caused the offender to have a change of heart, to be humbled enough to seek God, to desire to make things right if they can, then it was worth going through the whole trial. Joseph knows that God has never left his side. Joseph knows that what was meant to kill him only deepened his Faith in God. Joseph knows he is better off because of all the hard things he has been through. Now Joseph wants to makes sure his brothers have become better individuals too. But since Joseph cannot look into their hearts, he puts them to the test.
The Trust
Since Jacob has refused to allow his youngest and most beloved son, Benjamin, go with his other sons back to Egypt, they can do nothing but stay put and eat whatever provisions they had brought with them. They do nothing for a long while as we hear Judah comment, “As it is, if we had not delayed, we could have gone and returned twice.” (Gen 43:10) Poor Simeon is stuck in prison this whole time as Jacob is struggling with letting Benjamin go. But then they begin to sense the desperation of the famine once again. After all, it had been quite some time since they came back home from their trip and their food supply was dwindled back to nothing. So the sons start to reason with their father about going back to Egypt and sending Benjamin with them. Yet we can sense that Jacob just does not trust these boys. Listen to this excerpt from Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary: “He laid the fault upon his sons; knowing them, he feared they had provoked the Egyptians, and wrongfully brought home their money. Jacob plainly distrusted his sons, remembering that he never saw Joseph since he had been with them. It is bad with a family, when children behave so ill that their parents know not how to trust them.” It seems Jacob was once again wrestling with God so much, yet he could not deny that, since the famine continued on and only God (and Joseph) knew for how long, he just had to send his sons back…which meant having to trust them with Benjamin.
When you lose trust in someone it is so very difficult to put ourselves back out there to try to trust them again. Faithfulness is one of the virtues we should guard with all our strength. If we say we are going to do something, then we must do it, period. We cannot make a promise, but then change our minds later. This means we must stop and pray about any commitment we make, BEFORE we make it. Yes, there are some legitimate times, when things happen out of our control, where we just cannot fulfill the obligation. But even then, we must contact those involved and do all we can to find other means to get the job done. Whether we have to find substitutes or pay for the promise to be fulfilled, it is a matter of our reputation which we should never take lightly.
Too many people are flippant about their word, and their words. Our words should be all that is required to guarantee what we have pledged. Words are precious to God. As we seek to imitate Jesus, we can plainly see that He always, and only, said what He meant and meant what He said. Being trustworthy is certainly a growing character trait, but if we are humbled people, then we will make a serious effort to be worthy of the trust of others. Fidelity, loyalty, dependability…sadly it seems sometimes that the display of these words are becoming less and less evident. But we are children of the Most High God. We are New Creations in Christ who are to follow in His very big footsteps. And with the leading and aid of the Holy Spirit, it is not only possible for us, but it is also possible that we can help others know Him and desire to follow Him as well.
Because this level of morality is becoming more rare, we make a big impression on others as we simply live it out. Not to impress them with ourselves, but to have some influence so we can point them to God who has changed us so much that being faithful is just how we live our lives. We can be trusted because we lean on God to do all things with integrity. While Judah steps up and promises his father that he will protect Benjamin with his very life, Jacob is not quite sure if his sons have changed at all. But he really does not have any choice here other than to put them to the test.
The Change
Let me take a moment to comment on Judah. We talked about his transformation a couple of weeks ago in the article called “His Original Plan”. (click link for that article from 9-11-23 if you missed it.) Now we are seeing clear evidence of his changed heart. While he had been the one to suggest they sell Joseph off into slavery, (see Gen 37:26-27), here he is willing to lay down his life for Benjamin. He promises his father that, “I myself will guarantee his safety; you can hold me personally responsible for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him here before you, I will bear the blame before you all my life.” (Gen 43:9) At first, this might seem just like a really nice thing to say, but Judah has a lot riding on this promise. Remember the birthright? (see link in article) We have already read how Reuben disrespected his father as he chose to sleep with his concubine, and as a result, lost this great blessing. (see Gen 35:22) We have also read about how the next two in line, Simeon and Levi, also dishonored their father by killing all the men of Shechem, so they were not in good standing with Jacob, and would not be inheriting the birthright either. (see Gen 34:25-30) This means Judah is next in line. If he is not able to fulfill his word, there goes his opportunity to become the heir to this important position in the family too.
Here he is putting his future and that of his children on the line by being willing to lay down his life for Benjamin. Willing to lay his life down for someone else. Does this remind you of anyone? Yes, the Messiah, our Jesus, who eventually comes from the human lineage of Judah. God did not require Judah to become more humble and godly. God had already determined Jesus would come from Judah’s genealogy. God does not need Judah, nor us, to be at any certain level of maturity before He brings about His Plan. But it is wonderful to see the Christ-like image of Judah, is it not? And it is wonderful for us to live with that kind of integrity and courage as well. As I always say, everyone benefits when we choose to follow the example of Jesus: we are blessed, we are able to be a blessing to others and God is glorified.
Change is very good for us and Judah certainly has become a more mature man of God. 22 years have past and we can clearly see that God has certainly transformed the heart of Judah, and now we will see what He will do in the hearts of his brothers. Unlike Reuben who previously, impulsively and foolishly said that Jacob “…may put both of [his] sons to death if [he did] not bring [Benjamin] back.…” (see Gen 42:37), Judah is sincerely offering HIS life- no one else’s- as he says what he means and means what he says. Judah was being truthful. Judah was acting responsible. Judah was displaying his faithfulness. And this huge change in his heart came about because he had been put to the test.
The Second Journey
Jacob hesitates, but relents and sends all 11 of his sons back down to Egypt, least they all die from the continued severe famine. Jacob wisely tells them to take some gifts and double the money for the grain along with Benjamin to appease this man in charge in Egypt. Here is another good quote from Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary: “His prudence and justice appeared in three things. 1. He sent back the money they had found in the sack. Honesty obliges us to restore not only that which comes to us by our own fault, but that which comes to us by the mistakes of others. Though we get it by oversight, if we keep it when the oversight is discovered, it is kept by deceit. 2. He sent as much again as they took the time before; the price of corn might be risen, or they might have to pay a ransom for Simeon. 3. He sent a present of such things as the land afforded, and as were scarce in Egypt, balm, and honey.” Again we see how being trustworthy is so important for those who follow God. Jacob is not sure how his sons came upon the money in their sacks, but he knows it does not belong to them, so he makes sure they return it to the rightful owner. Even though this is a struggle for him, he wants to do the right thing, just like a person of integrity would. And so He sends his 11 sons with gifts and the money to buy more grain for the family.
Jacob, like all of us is far from perfect, but he is not a fool. He knows something is going on, but I do not think he understands that all of this is the hand of God. Even “losing” his favorite son, Joseph, is part of the plan to make sure this still little family will survive and thrive. God knew the famine was coming and someone would have to take charge to ensure this family would not starve to death. God also knew this band of humans needed to grow in their humility and godliness, thus the trials. Physically speaking, these tests had to happen so they would live and continue to grow in number. But spiritually, this was a lovely example of how God can use the difficulties of life to change anyone’s heart to reflect His own more closely.
Trials have a way of killing us. Either we will turn away from God and sense death come upon us. OR we will run to God and work with Him to kill off that old sinful, fleshy, MMI nature. Death brings life, isn’t that interesting!?! Like Jesus said, “Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.” (Mt 10:39) My point is we humans do not see things the way God does. He has a long term viewpoint which we often lack. Certainly Jacob is not thinking in these terms either. But as I said before, he relents and off his 11 sons go. His surrender is noted as he proclaims, “…As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.” (Gen 43:14b) Jacob must remember God and His promises and yield to whatever will happen. This is probably a good, albeit hard, reminder of God’s Faithfulness since this is not the first time Jacob has been put to the test.
The Encounter
The 11 brothers make their way to Egypt and are presented to Joseph once again. Joseph recognizes his brother, Benjamin, and tells the steward of his house to prepare a dinner for all of them. The brothers become anxious because they are being taken into the governor’s house and quickly try to make excuses. Guilt has a way of doing this, doesn’t it? Those who do not belong to Christ should react in this manner. It is God’s Hope that this guilt will bring everyone, in repentance, to God’s side.
Yet too many of us who have already received God’s forgiving Love, may still struggle with guilt. We allow this guilt to keep us away from God, and the enemy quickly turns that helpful virtue into something God never desired it to be. The old serpent desires us to feel shame and condemnation. He wants us to beat ourselves up. He thinks guilt will separate us from God further. This is what happened in the Garden of Eden, after all, so he expects every human to act the same way. But the problem is not guilt. It is what we do with it.
I called guilt a virtue before, did you notice? That is because guilt is meant to be a blessing to us. It is meant to show us when we are about to go, or have already, strayed far from God’s righteousness. The moment we sense guilt, we should run to God. We should confess any sin. And we should receive His forgiveness and restoration. Guilt is meant to grow us up to be more and more like Jesus. Guilt is supposed to keep us from additional trouble. As with all things, when used the way God intended, guilt can be a blessing. These brothers do not yet understand this, but I hope we do.
They begin to tell Joseph’s steward how they found the money in their sacks from the last time they had been there, but they had no idea how that happened. It is interesting, and beautiful, to hear the steward tell them, “It’s all right.… Don’t be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, has given you treasure in your sacks’ I received your silver.” (see Gen 43:23) This is certainly the influence of the godly Joseph in this attendant’s life as he gives God the glory for their unexpected blessing. He had received their full payment, and we know that that was a gift from Joseph. But since they still did not know who the governor was, they are left confused.
When Joseph comes home to eat, these brothers once again bow down to him. This time though, I wonder if Joseph even notices. His focus is not on the dreams God had given him, but on hoping his brothers have become more godly men. They present their gifts to Joseph, but his mind is on his father and his eyes are on Benjamin. He asks and receives the good news that his father is still alive and well. Then he turns to Benjamin and pronounces a blessing over him. (see Gen 43:29b) But Joseph is so grateful and relieved that he becomes overwhelmed by his emotions, and must find a quiet place to let out all his pent up feelings.
After he composes himself, he commands that dinner be served. Joseph eats by himself, while the brothers form another group and the Egyptians, who refuse to lower themselves to eat with Hebrews, do the same. Three groups. I love when God shows me things in “three’s” and here we go again. In this situation, Joseph is symbolic for God, while the brothers represent God’s people, and the Egyptians stand for those who refuse to be His. Just like God, only Joseph really knows what is going on here. You see, his brothers were seated according to their age, from the first-born to the youngest, the Bible says. (see Gen 43:33) Once again, these brothers are astounded and confused about what was going on. Then Joseph gives them another test as Benjamin is served five times as much as anyone else. Will they be jealous and get angry at Benjamin for the extra blessing, just like they did with Joseph? But this does not seem to happen as they all join together to feast and drink freely with one another. (see Gen 43:34b)
I am sure Joseph is pleased to see some change in them. Listen to this quote talking about Jacob, and the new attitude of these brothers, from Ellicot’s Commentary for English Readers: “Probably by this time he had lost Leah as well as Rachel, but the blow that had struck him utterly down had evidently been the loss of Joseph, in whom Rachel had still seemed to live on for him. And therefore now he clung the more warmly to Benjamin, and it is plain that the father’s deep sorrow for the loss of the petted son had softened the hearts of his brethren. They have no grudge against Benjamin because he has taken Joseph’s place, but rather seem to share in their father’s feelings, and their hearts were in accordance with what Judah says in Genesis 44:18-34, that any personal suffering would be cheerfully borne by them, rather than to have to undergo the sight of the repetition of such grief as they previously had themselves inflicted.” The anguish they saw their father experience at the presumed loss of Joseph did indeed make a difference in the cold and hard hearts of his brothers. Yet Joseph had to be sure, so he would put them all to one more test.
The Benefit
One of the things I praise God for is His Holy Word. There is so much we can learn from the Bible and these amazing Saints. Of course, we can learn from those who were not so saintly also. The more we choose to engage with the Bible, the better our lives can become, because we are discovering God’s Way of living through the very lives of all those that Scripture introduces to us.
I cannot emphasize enough how vital it is for each of us to read, study and apply the Bible’s principles to our lives. Not only is surrendering to God the only way to enter into Heaven, but it is also the only way to have, enjoy and share the Abundant Life here too. I have made it my personal goal to read through the entire Bible every year. Even if this seems too lofty a goal for you, I do pray you will read at least some part of the Word every week. With this Hope, I continue to share these insights weekly with you, my Friends.
It only benefits us to know God’s Word, because it is the best way to know our God. And as it should be every believer’s objective to know Him, know Him deeply and then make Him known, we must start with the Bible. I remember when I became born again, I hungered for God’s Word. That is when I began this yearly journey through the Bible. That was 23 years ago and I am still surprised when I come across a Bible verse that I “never really saw before.” I mean it is not like God just stuck it in there in the past year! But it is more like, every time I mature to the next level, I see His Word with new eyes. God’s Word is beneficial. God’s Word is beautiful. And God’s Word is Life. Apart from His Truth we cannot know who we are because our identity is securely and intricately connected to who God is. The more I get to know Him, the more I apply what I know to my life and the more my life gets more and more incredible. Do you want that too? Then won’t you join me?
Until we meet again, keep lifting your eyes to God, He’s closer than you think.
<>< Peace, Diane
