Genesis 42

Joseph's Brothers Go to Egypt

   "The entire history of Joseph's life--his being sold into slavery, his false imprisonment, his interpretation of dreams, his exaltation in Egypt--contained the events that God used to bring his people to Egypt. Through the hindsight we have from Moses' narrative, we can clearly see God's hand in the events. What a great lesson in the workings of God's providence this passage is!" - http://www.scripturestudies.com/Vol5/E6/e6_ot.html

   The entire story about Joseph is a great illustration of Romans 8:28 - And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

⁽¹⁾ When Jacob heard* that there was grain available in Egypt, he said to his sons, "Why are you standing around** looking at one another?

*heard: How had he heard this? From caravans passing through?

**standing around: Jacob has to take over leadership from his sons who seem unable to figure out what to do about their circumstance. They're just asking each other, "What should we do?" Quite a contrast to Joseph who came up with the solution for Egypt and is busy implementing the program!

⁽²⁾ I have heard there is grain in Egypt. Go down and buy some for us before we all starve to death."

⁽³⁾ So Joseph's ten older brothers went down to Egypt to buy grain.

⁽⁴⁾ Jacob wouldn't let Joseph's younger brother, Benjamin*, go with them, however, for fear some harm might come to him.

*Benjamin: son of my right hand

⁽⁵⁾ So Jacob's* sons arrived in Egypt along with others to buy food, for the famine** had reached Canaan as well.

*Jacob's: Hebrew Israel's.

**famine: Just as there had been a famine in Canaan that forced Abram to go to Egypt: Genesis 12:10.

⁽⁶⁾ Since Joseph was governor of all Egypt and in charge of the sale of the grain, it was to him that his brothers came. They bowed low* before him, with their faces to the ground.

*bowed low: Literally "bowed down with their faces to the earth". Fulfilling Joseph's dream in Genesis 37:7: We were out in the field tying up bundles of grain. My bundle stood up, and then your bundles all gathered around and bowed low before it!

   "Joseph not only realized the fulfillment of his dreams but also the reason for them. He saw that God had a purpose for placing him in his position of power, and this purpose was for him to function as the family head, protecting and preserving his family. He had great power and prestige, but God had given these to him for a purpose much greater than merely to seek revenge. He saw that leadership involved power, but that it also brought upon him the weight of responsibility. At times the greatest need is not to be aware of the power at our disposal, but of the purpose for which this power has been given."- http://www.bible.org/page.asp?page_id=120

   "Joseph, as we have previously pointed out, was a model of the work ethic. No matter what his position--whether slave in Potiphar's house, prisoner in Pharaoh's jail, or second-in-command to Pharaoh--he always went about his work diligently and faithfully, and in so doing, he always gained the respect and admiration of his superiors. We are exhorted by Paul to have such a work ethic: "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving" (Col. 3:23-24). We see here that the duties of our profession--whether we be a plumber, a teacher, a police officer, an engineer, an manager of others--I say, the duties of our profession are part of our service to Christ. We should labor as diligently for our bosses at work as we would if we were working directly for our Lord Jesus Christ." - http://www.scripturestudies.com/Vol5/E6/e6_ot.html

⁽⁷⁾ Joseph recognized them instantly, but he pretended to be a stranger. "Where are you from?" he demanded* roughly. "From the land of Canaan," they replied. "We have come to buy grain."

*demanded: through an interpreter!

⁽⁸⁾ Joseph's brothers didn't recognize him, but Joseph recognized them.

⁽⁹⁾ And he remembered the dreams he had had many years before (in Genesis 37:7). He said to them, "You are spies! You have come to see how vulnerable our land has become."

⁽¹⁰⁾ "No, my lord!" they exclaimed. "We have come to buy food.

⁽¹¹⁾ We are all brothers and honest men, sir! We are not spies!"

⁽¹²⁾ "Yes, you are!" he insisted. "You have come to discover how vulnerable the famine has made us."

⁽¹³⁾ "Sir," they said, "there are twelve* of us brothers, and our father is in the land of Canaan. Our youngest brother is there with our father, and one of our brothers is no longer with us**."

*twelve is a perfect number, signifying perfection of government, or of governmental perfection. There are 12 signs of the Zodiac which completes the great circle of the heavens of 360 (12 x 30) degrees or divisions, and thus govern the year. There were 12 patriachs. There are 12 tribes of Israel. There were 12 Apostles. There are 12 foundations in the heavenly Jerusalem. The number of the sealed in Revelation 7:4 will be 144,000. There were 12 stones in the High Priest's breastplate. 12 stones were taken out of the Jordan. There were 12 spies. The New Jerusalem will be 12,000 furlongs square, while the wall will be 144 (12 x 12) cubits, Revelation 21:16,17.

Source: http://www.biblebelievers.org.au/number16.htm which references Bullinger's excellent book, "Number in Scripture - Its Supernatural Design and Spiritual Significance" - I have a copy.

**no longer with us: No explanation! What do you suppose Joseph thought when they said this?

⁽¹⁴⁾ But Joseph insisted, "As I said, you are spies!

⁽¹⁵⁾ This is how I will test your story. I swear by the life of Pharaoh that you will not leave Egypt unless your youngest brother comes here.

   Joseph is testing them in this entire story - are the sorry for what they did to him? Have they changed from the jealous scheming immoral characters Joseph had known them to be in the past? How is his brother Benjamin? What is the relationship like between them now. Which one of them has been assuming the leadership? But, Joseph doesn't realize that he's being tested too - how will he react upon seeing these "good for nothing" brothers who'd wanted to kill him and then sold him off into slavery - would he try to get even?

⁽¹⁶⁾ One of you go and get your brother! I'll keep the rest of you here, bound in prison. Then we'll find out whether or not your story is true. If it turns out that you don't have a younger brother, then I'll know you are spies."

   Joseph persisted in insisting that the brothers were spies. We may well ask, "Why the charade? Why the harsh tone?" Was this merely Joseph's way of getting back at his brothers? I don't think this is the reason for Joseph's harshness. Revenge was very much not a part of Joseph's character. So then, if not for revenge, why the charade? In verses 14 through 16, we get a clue as to Joseph's motive: "Joseph said to them, `It is just as I told you: You are spies! And this is how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you will not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. Send one of your number to get your brother; the rest of you will be kept in prison, so that your words may be tested to see if you are telling the truth. If you are not, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!'" Joseph very much wanted to see his younger brother Benjamin. However, Joseph was not entirely sure that Benjamin would be safe in his brothers' hands. Joseph perceived that threatening the lives of the brothers was the best way to get them to bring Benjamin safely to him. After reinforcing his threat by keeping them in custody for three days, Joseph gave them a less harsh proposition: "Do this and you will live, for I fear God: If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here in prison, while the rest of you go and take grain back for your starving households. But you must bring your youngest brother to me, so that your words may be verified and that you may not die" (vss. 18-20). Joseph tried to reassure them that he would hold up his side of the bargain by saying, "I fear God". Quite possibly Reuben took this to heart because, as we shall see later (see vs. 37), he was convinced that Benjamin would not be harmed by being brought to Egypt. - http://www.scripturestudies.com/Vol5/E6/e6_ot.html

⁽¹⁷⁾ So he put them all in prison for three days.

   Giving them a taste of their own medicine - how does it feel to be in an Egyptian prison? How are you going to act in difficult and scary circumstances?

⁽¹⁸⁾ On the third day Joseph said to them, "I am a God-fearing** man. If you do as I say, you will live.

*third day: Jesus was raised on the third day! Three denotes divine perfection.

**God-fearing "elohim" - gods in the ordinary sense or the supreme God.

⁽¹⁹⁾ We'll see how honorable you really are. Only one of you will remain in the prison. The rest of you may go on home with grain for your families.

⁽²⁰⁾ But bring your youngest brother back to me. In this way, I will know whether or not you are telling me the truth. If you are, I will spare you." To this they agreed.

⁽²¹⁾ Speaking among themselves, they said, "This has all happened because of what we did to Joseph long ago. We saw his terror and anguish and heard his pleadings, but we wouldn't listen. That's why this trouble has come upon us."

   Their guilty consciences are working on them and they are convinced that God is punishing them. They talked the matter over in Hebrew , not suspecting that Joseph understood them, much less that he was the person they spoke of.

⁽²²⁾ "Didn't I tell you not to do it?" Reuben asked. "But you wouldn't listen. And now we are going to die because we murdered* him."

   For the first time, Joseph learns that Reuben, the eldest, was not part of the scheme to get rid of him and that Reuben had, in fact, tried to rescue him.

*murdered: They assume that Joseph has died.

⁽²³⁾ Of course, they didn't know that Joseph understood them as he was standing there, for he had been speaking to them through an interpreter.

⁽²⁴⁾ Now he left the room and found a place where he could weep. Returning, he talked some more with them. He then chose Simeon* from among them and had him tied up right before their eyes.

*Simeon: Normally, the eldest (Reuben) would have been chosen! Many commentators believe that the reason Joseph chose Simeon to be imprisoned was that Simeon was the ringleader in the selling of Joseph into slavery. Simeon was a violent man. He, with Levi, was the instigator in the slaughter of the Shechemites in retaliation for the defiling of Dinah (see Genesis 34:30). Also, later, when Jacob gives his sons his death-bed blessings, he has nothing good to say about Simeon (see Genesis 49:5-7). If Simeon was the ringleader, his imprisonment would have especially caused the rest of the brothers to see these events as retribution by God for the selling of Joseph. With Reuben absent when Joseph was sold down to Egypt, Simeon was the responsible leader, being next to the oldest; hence his being retained. The brothers were openly reviewing their sin against Joseph, thinking that he didn't understand their Hebrew language. At that moment Joseph had to turn away from them, for he saw that they really did believe in God and understood the full consequences of their sin, that now it was time for them to be held accountable before God. He wept because he saw that these hard-hearted half-brothers were beginning to repent of their twenty-year-old sin against him. And they also were coming to the point of realizing that they could not escape God's judgment.

⁽²⁵⁾ Joseph then ordered his servants to fill the men's sacks with grain, but he also gave secret instructions to return each brother's payment at the top of his sack. He also gave them provisions for their journey.

⁽²⁶⁾ So they loaded up their donkeys* with the grain and started for home.

*donkeys: Probably several dozen, if not hundreds, or they could not have brought enough corn for a family as large as Jacob's.

⁽²⁷⁾ But when they stopped for the night and one of them opened his sack to get some grain to feed the donkeys, he found his money in the sack.

⁽²⁸⁾ "Look!" he exclaimed to his brothers. "My money is here in my sack!" They were filled with terror and said to each other, "What has God* done to us?"

*God: This is the first time that we have ever seen the brothers refer to God.

⁽²⁹⁾ So they came to their father, Jacob, in the land of Canaan and told him all that had happened.

⁽³⁰⁾ "The man who is ruler over the land spoke very roughly to us," they told him. "He took us for spies.

⁽³¹⁾ But we said, `We are honest men, not spies.

⁽³²⁾ We are twelve brothers, sons of one father; one brother has disappeared*, and the youngest is with our father in the land of Canaan.'

*disappeared: Not in the original. The original says he "is not" as they said to Joseph.

⁽³³⁾ Then the man, the ruler of the land, told us, `This is the way I will find out if you are honest men. Leave one of your brothers here with me, and take grain for your families and go on home.

⁽³⁴⁾ But bring your youngest brother back to me. Then I will know that you are honest men and not spies. If you prove to be what you say, then I will give you back your brother, and you may come as often as you like to buy grain.'"

⁽³⁵⁾ As they emptied out the sacks, there at the top of each one was the bag of money paid for the grain. Terror gripped them, as it did their father.

⁽³⁶⁾ Jacob exclaimed, "You have deprived me of my children! Joseph has disappeared, Simeon is gone*, and now you want to take Benjamin, too. Everything is going against me!"

   How wrong he was! In reality, God was working these strange events to Jacob's good. Jacob was judging by appearances, instead of seeing things from a heavenly perspective.

*Joseph has disappeared, Simeon is gone: Literally, "Joseph is not and Simeon is not". Jacob is assuming that Simeon will die too.

⁽³⁷⁾ Then Reuben said to his father, "You may kill my two sons if I don't bring Benjamin back to you. I'll be responsible for him."

   Reuben is at long last assuming full responsibility as the eldest son. But, would Jacob really kill Reuben's two sons who are Jacob's grandsons - of course not!

⁽³⁸⁾ But Jacob replied, "My son will not go down with you, for his brother Joseph is dead, and he alone is left of his mother's children. If anything should happen to him, you would bring my gray head down to the grave in deep sorrow."

   How would you feel if you knew that you'd caused your father so much pain and grief?

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On-Line Sources:

• BibleGateway: www.biblegateway.com


• Bible.org: www.bible.org


• Chuck Missler: www.blueletterbible.org/audio_video/missler_chuck


• Crosswalk: http://bible.crosswalk.com


• David Guzik's Commentary on Genesis: http://www.enduringword.com/commentaries/01.html


• Gleanings in Genesis: www.pbministries.org/books/pink/Gleanings_Genesis/genesis.htm


• "GOD IS NOT MOCKED" by Ron Ritchie http://www.pbc.org/library/files/html/4420.html of the Peninsula Bible Church


• Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Bible: www.ccel.org/h/henry/mhc2/MHC00000.HTM


• Scripture Studies - Genesis 42: http://www.scripturestudies.com/Vol5/E6/e6_ot.html


• Wikipedia: www.wikipedia.org

Off-Line Sources:

• "New International Biblical Commentary - Genesis" – John E. Hartley – Hendrickson Publishers


• "New Living Translation" – Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.


• "The Genesis Record" – Henry M. Morris – Baker Book House