In some of the best television shows and movies, we see characters who hold great power over others. It’s what gripping plots are made of. That’s what’s happening in our story as we pick it up today. Joseph, whose brothers sold him off as a slave to get rid of him, has managed to rise to the height of power in Egypt and the brothers have had to come to him to buy grain. Wouldn’t it have been so easy for Joseph, out of spite, to use that power to get even with his brothers? He was second only to Pharoah… who would stop him?
We remember from our last lesson that Joseph had one brother, Simeon, put in prison, and sent the other nine home to get their little brother, Benjamin (who is now grown). Their father, Israel, does not want Benjamin to go to Egypt as he has already lost one of Rachel’s sons and is afraid of losing the only other one, but Joseph wants to see his brother. Joseph makes bringing Benjamin a condition of Simeon’s release. The brothers still do not know he is Joseph, their brother, and they are worried that God is punishing them for what they did to Joseph years ago.
Verse 1 implies that some time has passed since the brothers have returned home from Egypt. Simeon is still there in prison. Can you imagine how much he must be feeling that his father values Benjamin’s life far more than his own? But now, in verse 2, the family has eaten all the grain they brought back from Egypt and they need food.
In verses 3-5, Judah tries to reason with his father. He reminds his father that they will not be able to buy more grain if they do not bring Benjamin back with them, and the family needs food. The famine is very severe. There is no point in even going if Benjamin doesn’t come. And what does Israel reply in verse 6? “Poor me!!”
Israel acts like this is all about him and having to let Benjamin go to Egypt. He is the only one here with problems. He is having a pity party. Are we tempted to do that sometimes? Rather than trying to solve a problem for everyone’s good, we sit around and feel sorry for ourselves like we are the only one affected by the situation. And in verse 7, the brothers answer in a very defensive manner. They have been dealing with their father’s grief over Joseph’s loss and their own guilt for a very long time.
So, in verses 8-10, Judah tries again. He offers to personally take the blame if something should happen to Benjamin. But notice in verse 8, he reminds Israel that if they don’t get more grain, “we, you, and our children will die”. He calls out all three generations. And he reminds him that they could have been there and back twice by now if they had only gone. You can see the stress building in the family. Israel has allowed his grief to make the family become dysfunctional. His sons are at their wits’ end.
Why has Israel reached this point? Look back at Gen 42:36. He tells his sons they have deprived him of two of his sons… Joseph and Simeon. Despite the lie they concocted about a wild animal killing Joseph, Israel still blames his sons for Joseph’s loss. There is still bitterness and anger. And deep down, they know they are guilty. Can you imagine? They have lived with this guilt for probably almost 15 years by now. Twice his sons have gone out and come back missing one of Israel’s sons and now they have to convince him to let them do it again. Do you think Israel may be having doubts about trusting his own sons?
Read verses 11-14. Israel gives them a plan for returning to Egypt to buy grain. He knows he has to let Benjamin go. It is that or they will all starve to death. He sends them with some of the best gifts of Israel for the governor in charge. He has them take double their money so they can pay for this load of grain and repay the money that was returned to them last time (surely it must have been a mistake). And… he tells them to take Benjamin. In verse 14, he calls on the mercy of El Shaddai, ‘God Almighty’. Finally, he has let go and put it into God’s hands. Sometimes, that is all we can do.
Read verses 15-17. The brothers leave. Can you imagine what conversation must have been like on the way to Egypt? Especially for Benjamin? They had waited such a long time to go back for their brother, I imagine they were probably trying to come up with some kind of explanation for leaving him all that time in prison. And even more awkward, when Joseph sees them coming, he has them brought to his house.
Now we know that Joseph was preparing a feast in their honor, but they didn’t know that. Read verses 18-23. The men were frightened. Joseph was a man of great power. And they thought this was over the money that had been put back into their sacks. At this point in time, the brothers thought Joseph was planning for them the same thing they had done to him years ago. They thought they were facing slavery or prison or something equally severe, so they tried to smooth things over with the steward, explaining about the money. And what did he tell them? Joseph’s steward either knew the God of Israel or knew of him from Joseph. Who would have expected that in Egypt? And he brought Simeon out of the prison to them.
Read verses 24-30. The brothers were taken into Joseph’s house by the steward where they prepared for the meal with Joseph. The hospitality is amazing. When Joseph arrived, they gave him their gifts and they bowed down before him (just like in Joseph's dream) once again. Can you imagine their surprise when he began asking about their father and introducing himself to the little brother? This was the 2nd most powerful man in Egypt. He could have dealt them any fate he liked, but here he was welcoming them, strangers, into his house for dinner. They did not know what to think. And Joseph had to excuse himself to go out and weep.
Finally, read verses 31-34. Joseph washed up and came back and dinner was served. Egyptians will not eat with Hebrews, so the Egyptians sat at one table, Joseph at one table, and the brothers at one table. Joseph did not sit with his brothers due to his rank and their belief that he was Egyptian. The brothers were stunned to see that they had been seated in birth order. They probably thought this had been done by divination or some method such as that. He also amazed them by giving Benjamin five times as much of a portion as the others. It was, after all, his mother’s only other son.
Many people believe that Joseph should have told them who he was at this point. I suspect that he probably didn’t feel comfortable doing that. They had sold him as a slave. Their lives had gone on without him. They had separated him from his family. They were now from two different worlds. I doubt he felt like he was still one of them. But he will reveal it in good time. For now, he is just having them to dinner and showing much more restraint in the use of power than most men would. It is a certainty that he, like all of us, will one day stand before God and answer for how we use the power we have available to us and the mercy we show to other people.
Responding to God: Praise God who makes all things right and good. Praise Him that He is just and that He is merciful. Thank Him for all His good gifts. Seek His wisdom to deal fairly and mercifully with others. Ask Him for self-control. Pray for forgiveness for those times you have taken advantage of a situation where you had the upper hand. Pray for wisdom in how you deal with others who have wronged you.
Further Research: On the internet, research the symptoms of unresolved guilt.
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