August 13, 2007

• Discovering God’s Character – Part 21
  
  
  
  Joseph’s Brothers Travel to Egypt

  The first verse of Genesis 42 has to be a “classic” if one can say that
  about scripture. Now we know that there’s a famine going around all
  over including the area where Jacob and his 11 sons lived in back in
  Canaan. The chapter opens up with Jacob saying something like “Don’t
  stand there looking at each other! There’s grain in Egypt. Get down
  there and buy us some so we don’t starve to death!”  So ten of the
  brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt.  Now Jacob would not let
  the youngest, Benjamin, go. He was afraid some harm would befall him. 
  Considering that Joseph had disappeared and he was a son of Rachel and
  so was Benjamin, and that Rachel was Jacob’s favorite wife, these were
  likely some of the reasons that went on in the back of Jacob’s mind. 
  If we remember, Jacob took Joseph’s apparent death very hard and
  mourned bitterly over it.  There were probably some doubts and
  suspicions as to what really happened to Joseph given that the brothers
  did not treat Joseph very well before he disappeared.

  Anyway, the 10 sons of Israel arrived in Egypt to buy grain. It
  happened that those who wanted to buy grain from Egypt had to talk to
  him since he was responsible for its distribution and was ruler over
  the land.

  His brothers came and bowed before him but did not recognize him yet
  Joseph did recognize them.  Joseph spoke to them harshly asking them
  where they had come from.  They told him from the land of Canaan to buy
  food. As they were bowing, Joseph remembered the dreams he had had
  about them long ago but told them that they were spies coming to check
  out the undefended parts of their land.  They insisted they were the
  sons of one man and that they were honest men who have come to buy
  food. However, Joseph wouldn’t let them get off that easy and continued
  to say they were spies. The pressure was on and they not only insisted
  that they were brothers but also began to tell Joseph a little more of
  the truth but not yet all.  Joseph maintains they are spies and puts
  them all together in prison for three days.

  After the three days, Joseph sees them again and gives them strict
  instructions and informs them that he fears God.  He tells them that
  they must leave one of the brothers in prison and the rest may go to
  take grain back to their homes and that they must bring their youngest
  brother to him so that their words would be verified and they would not
  die. They agreed to do this.

  Now the brothers began to talk between themselves and began to realize
  that their sin against their brother, Joseph, was the cause of what was
  happening to them. Reuben spoke up and said that he had told them not
  to sin against the boy and they wouldn’t listen and now comes the
  reckoning for what was done. Now they still did not realize it was
  Joseph there and that he could understand what they were saying since
  Joseph was using an interpreter even though he didn’t need one. This
  was too much for Joseph as he turned away and wept for a bit and
  returned. He then took Simeon and bound him before their eyes.  Then
  Joseph had everything prepared for them, having their grain bags filled
  for them and their money returned and gave them provisions for the
  journey. So they loaded up their donkeys with their grain and departed.

  As one had opened his sack to feed his donkey when they stopped for the
  night, he saw his money inside and told his brothers that his money had
  been returned and they became discouraged and began to be fearful and
  wondering what God was doing to them.

  When they got home, they told Jacob everything that had happened to
  them and related the conditions that they were told to verify who they
  were… to bring Benjamin with them the next time they came. They even
  showed Jacob that all their money was returned to them and they were
  all dismayed.  Reuben spoke to his father and said that he could put
  both his sons to death if he did not return with Benjamin.  Jacob wouldn’t even think of it. He had lost
  Joseph, now he lost Simeon, and it was unthinkable that he would let
  them take Benjamin to Egypt.

  After a little while (Genesis 43), they had finished eating the grain
  and they needed to go back to buy more.  Jacob told them to go back and
  Judah said that they were warned not to come back without Benjamin.  If
  Benjamin went with them, they would go.  Their father asked why did you
  have to tell him that you had a younger brother and they said “the man”
  questioned them in detail about their family and they just answered his
  questions and didn’t know he would make them do what he was requiring
  of them. Judah tells his father to send Benjamin with them and they’ll
  go before everyone dies of hunger. He also says that he himself will
  bear the blame forever if something happens to Benjamin.

  So Jacob relents and lets Benjamin go and further instructs his sons to
  take some of the best products of the land as a present and take double
  the money with them in case there was a mistake when they were there
  before. So all 11 sons went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph.

  Now Joseph saw Benjamin was with them and made preparations to dine
  with them at noon. So the brothers were brought to Joseph’s house and
  they were very afraid and was fearful that the money that was returned
  in their sacks was going to be the reason they were going to be taken
  captive.  So they approached Joseph’s house steward and spoke to him
  and explained the problem with the returned money. The steward said to
  them not to worry. It was God and the God of your father who has put
  the treasure in your sacks because he (the house steward) was one who
  did it.  Then he brought Simeon out to them. So they were invited
  inside Joseph’s house and were refreshed and their donkeys were taken
  care of. So they prepared the present they had brought for Joseph when
  he would come at noon for they had heard that they were to eat a meal
  there.  When Joseph came, they brought the present into the house they
  had made and bowed before him.

  Joseph asked them about how they were all doing and asked about the
  welfare of their father. Now as they were bowing in homage to him,
  Joseph sees Benjamin and asks them is this the one but he has to leave
  since he is so emotionally moved he had to find a private place to weep
  and then wash his face and returned and controlled himself.  Then the
  meal began. Now they all ate in separate groups as was the custom and
  prejudice. Now they were astonished as they noticed that they were seated
  according to their birth order from oldest to the youngest and that
  Joseph took portions of food from his own table to give to them but
  Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as any of them.

  In Genesis 44, we find that the 11 brothers stay the night and while
  they were there Joseph has his house steward fill the men’s sacks with
  as much food as they can carry and put each man’s money in the mouth of
  his sack. He also tells him to put his silver cup in the mouth of the
  sack of the youngest and also his money for the grain. So his house steward
  did as he was told.  At daybreak, the men were sent away with their
  donkeys. When they had just left the city and not very far away, Joseph has his
  house steward catch up to them and accuse them of taking the silver cup.

  Now the brothers say that they had no need to take the cup and they had
  even brought the money back from last time with them. So when they all
  checked their sacks and the cup was, of course, in Benjamin’s sack.
  What frustration for them! So they loaded up their donkeys and returned
  to the city and to Joseph’s house.

  After Joseph queries them about the deed, its confession time for
  Judah. He responds to Joseph like this: “There is no way we can justify
  ourselves. What can we say? God has found out our iniquity and now we
  are all your slaves.”  However, Joseph says that only the one who had
  the cup will be his slave. The rest are to return to their father. Now
  Judah gets really serious and begs for Joseph to listen to the whole
  story and
  pleads that Joseph take him as his slave in place of his brother
  Benjamin so that his father Jacob wouldn’t die in sorrow. We’ll stop
  here for now.

  It has been a long time, hasn’t it? Joseph has been in Egypt for 22
  years now. They are two years into the famine with five left to go.
  Three years earlier we learned from Chapter 41 and from the name of his
  sons, Joseph is feeling better about life having gotten past his
  troubles and all that happened with his family and he’s finally feeling
  fruitful.  Now God has brought his brothers back on the scene. Now is
  where Joseph’s character would either shine or be tarnished.  Joseph’s
  treatment of them seemed a bit interesting and we might even wonder if Joseph is playing "cat and mouse" with them. Yet he never harmed them and
  often did them good and this puzzled and troubled them.

  God is at work here.  Sometimes it takes us a long time to get over
  the pain and bitterness that comes from other people mistreating or
  abusing us. Joseph would have been the same as anyone else.  God begins
  mending Joseph’s heart and mind by giving a new frame of reference. His
  troubles started with his brothers mistreating him and selling him off
  and they ended with God giving him the opportunity of his life and
  giving him the wisdom and knowledge to pull off the saving of countless
  lives by the work he would do.  Well, into this task, God blesses
  Joseph with two sons who apparently gave him great joy. The combination
  of being busy with good work and valuing simple things such as children
  helped him gain a good perspective on life.  God also gave Joseph time
  to heal the wounds of his past.  This worked because it is clear that
  Joseph did not want to harbor bitterness as we have seen small glimpses
  and will see fully in short order. He instead patiently worked with the
  situation until he could, with heartful thankfulness to God, forgive
  his brothers for what they had done to him.  Its also important to know
  that God gave him his dream that his family would be bowing down to him
  back when he was 17 to let Joseph know some time later (22 years) God
  was behind all this plan from the beginning. God was gracious to Joseph
  and let him in on the plan so he wouldn’t be discouraged and also to
  let him know that God put him in that high position to save them. I wonder if he almost expected his brothers to
  show up at some point… and they did. Have you ever had God help you by
  giving you insight to get through hard times or to perform a difficult
  task? He will do that if you’re paying attention.  He knows when the
  way gets rougher than we’re able to deal with and let’s us know He
  still loves us and helps us through it. Haven’t we seen God do this
  already when Joseph encounters various difficulties… He gave him favor
  in the eyes of his master, in the jail keeper, and Pharaoh… and then
  later with the people as the famine started and they knew for sure that
  God had told Joseph what to do to save their lives.

  When we see the intimate interaction of God working in Joseph’s life and realize that we, like Joseph, are key instruments in God’s plan to do things which
  He Himself has sought to create us for to perform in that plan. In His
  genius, He takes our situations like He did with Joseph and not only
  accomplishes the direct and pressing need of millions of starving
  people but is not so busy to demonstrate how He can overcome the abuse
  and bitterness we experience in our families and friends and make
  things new again. With God, nothing is impossible. Personally, I’m glad
  that’s so.  Mr.Vee

  • 12:14 am
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