As the last chapter ended, we saw Joseph moaning and groaning about his life and how hard he has it. Joseph’s brothers’ guilt was exposed to a certain extent, and there was remorse, but there was still much to be finished in their hearts by God’s spirit before they would be truly prepared to serve as fathers of twelve tribes. They have to confront Joseph, learn the confusion and helplessness sin leads to, and finally experience the joy of forgiveness and learn about grace. They need a lesson in true faith in God and His plans, as well as submission to God’s command. To achieve this, another trip to Egypt was necessary.
Now the famine was severe in the land. 2 And it came to pass when they had eaten up the grain which they had brought from Egypt, that their father said to them, “Go back, buy us a little food.”3 But Judah spoke to him, saying, “The man solemnly warned us, saying, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’ 4 If you 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.’ ”
The famine was severe, and supplies that they had brought back were depleting. Nevertheless, they kept delaying the trip because of their certainty that it would prove to be disastrous unless Benjamin were with them and because of Jacob’s adamant refusal to let him go. However, famine became so grievous that their grain ran out, and they had to do something. Jacob again instructed his sons to get a small amount of food. By this time, Judah has taken over as a spokesman for the brothers. Judah explained to Jacob without Benjamin, it was futile to go. Judah insisted that they would not go back to Egypt without Benjamin.
6 And Israel said, “Why did you deal so [a]wrongfully with me as to tell the man whether you had still another brother?” 7 But they said, “The man asked us pointedly about ourselves and our family, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?’ And we told him according to these words. Could we possibly have known that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?” 8 Then Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the lad 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 myself will be surety for him; 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 For if we had not lingered, surely by now, we would have returned this second time.”
It is interesting that at this point, the name Israel begins to be used instead of Jacob. If you recall as we ended chapter 42, it was Jacob who declared everything is against me. This name had not been used since Chapter 37. as long as Jacob seemed broken and defeated over Joseph’s death, his old name Jacob is used, but now he is looking beyond Joseph and considering to send Benjamin, his faith is in the process of revival, and so he is called Israel. Many times even as seasoned Christian, we act like Jacob. We try to protect things and control the narrative, especially if there has been a loss or an injury. We forget it is God who is our shield and protector. I have seen many parents trying to protect their children from any harm or trial, but how will our children learn to get up if we never let them fall? Who is more capable of protecting them, God or us? I tend to worry as soon as my child is late coming home, and I always fear the worst. I can say I am a concerned parent and many other explanations, but at the heart of it, I lack faith. Before letting Benjamin go, he rebuked his sons for mentioning him to Egyptian. Judah assured him that he surely bring Benjamin back. He put the matter kindly but explained the urgency of the situation. If they did not go soon, not only would Benjamin die but all of them. There was no time to waste anymore.
11 And their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: Take some of the best fruits of the land in your vessels and carry down a present for the man—a little balm and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds. 12 Take double money in your hand, and take back in your hand the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks; perhaps it was an oversight. 13 Take your brother also, and arise, go back to the man. 14 And may God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may release your other brother and Benjamin. If I am bereaved, I am bereaved!”
Israel ( not Jacob) realized the gravity of the situation and understood he was acting selfishly. Benjamin himself was not afraid to go to Egypt. He was probably tired of the overprotective nature of Jacob and perhaps wanting to go desperately. Let me remind you Benjamin is in his 20’s at this point. Jacob proposes the same solution he used to appease Esau when he returned to the promised land. He tells his sons to bring gifts for the Egyptian man(Joseph). Jacob is so much like us in that he takes two steps forward and 1 step back. He acts in faith by allowing Benjamin to go but hedges his bait by sending gifts. I also like to point out, look at how controlling Jacob is as a father. His sons are grown men, some in their fifties yet, he is telling them what to do. The second thing I want you to notice is, he says, take your brother, not my son. He is emphasizing the relationship between them, creating a sense of responsibility. The third thing I like you to observe, he says, “God Almighty.” The first time “El Shaddai” appears in the Bible is when God introduces himself to Abraham in chapter 17. The second time is when Issac uses it as Jacob is running away from Esau, and now Jacob uses it. Verse 14 teaches us a great lesson. Jacob calls out to God for mercy, and there is no better place to make that request, but he ends with such a cynical attitude. Many of us have the same kind of attitude. We pray to God to intervene in the situation, but like Jacob, we say whatever happens happens. This is not faith. If we are trusting God, then we must have faith in His promises and claim it. We can not use statements like “it always happens to me.” Many Christians have a fatalistic view instead of acting in faith.
15 So the men took that present and Benjamin, and they took double money in their hand, and arose and went down to Egypt, and they stood before Joseph. 16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, “Take these men to my home, and slaughter [b]an animal and make ready; for these men will dine with me at noon.” 17 Then the man did as Joseph ordered, and the man brought the men into Joseph’s house. 18 Now the men were afraid because they were brought into Joseph’s house; and they said, “It is because of the money, which was returned in our sacks the first time, that we are brought in, so that he may [c]make a case against us and seize us, to take us as slaves with our donkeys.” 19 When they drew near to the steward of Joseph’s house, they talked with him at the door of the house, 20 and said, “O sir, we indeed came down the first time to buy food; 21 but it happened, when we came to the encampment, that we opened our sacks, and there, each man’s money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight; so we have brought it back in our hand. 22 And we have brought down other money in our hands to buy food. We do not know who put our money in our sacks.” 23 But he said, “Peace be with you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks; I had your money.” Then he brought Simeon out to them.
So they went back to Egypt, taking with them gifts, double the money, and Benjamin. When Joseph was told of their arrival, he said, let’s do lunch and had his steward take them to his home for a meal. The invitation confused them and made them very apprehensive. They right away put forth a defense for themselves, and they stressed that they were honest men. In reality, they should be excited to dine with royalty, but instead, they are worried. Guilt has a way of ruining your joy. They never dealt with their sin of what they did to Joseph. In the middle east, to be invited to a home for dinner is an honor. It meant you became one in a relationship. That’s why Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” Many are afraid to dine with Jesus because of guilt, but it is at the cross, you can find forgiveness for your guilt. I can only imagine how happy Simeon must be seeing them after a year in jail.
24 So the man brought the men into Joseph’s house and gave them water, and they washed their feet, and he gave their donkeys feed. 25 Then they made the present ready for Joseph’s coming at noon, for they heard that they would eat bread there. 26 And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house and bowed down before him to the earth. 27 Then he asked them about their well-being, and said, “Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?” 28 And they answered, “Your servant our father is in good health; he is still alive.” And they bowed their heads down and prostrated themselves. 29 Then he lifted his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, and said, “Is this your younger brother of whom you spoke to me?” And he said, “God be gracious to you, my son.” 30 Now his heart yearned for his brother; so Joseph made haste and sought somewhere to weep. And he went into his chamber and wept there. 31 Then he washed his face and came out; and he restrained himself, and said, “Serve the bread.”
The steward made them comfortable, treating them as honored guests. Finally, Joseph arrived, and they once again bowed down in respect. Joseph became emotional at seeing Benjamin, his full brother, and he wept. This is the first of two times; Joseph will cry concerning his brothers. Jesus also wept twice: once for Lazarus and once for people of Jerusalem. Joseph left the room to compose himself because as happy as he was to see Benjamin, he was not ready to reveal himself to his brothers. He still needed to see if his brothers have changed. In the last chapter, we saw the test of sincerity, and now we will see a test of jealousy.
32 So they set him a place by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves; because the Egyptians could not eat food 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 in astonishment at one another. 34 Then he took servings to them from before him, but Benjamin’s serving was five times as much as any of theirs. So they drank and were merry with him.
As we see here, the cast system is not just a problem of our day. Egyptians would not sit with anyone else because they thought anyone who was not Egyptians was uncivilized. As you can see, there were three different table settings. As high a position Joseph held, Egyptians still would not sit with him as they knew he was a Hebrew. If you ever wondered why God brought His people into Egypt and slavery, here is your answer. One thing God emphasized to Israelites is not to intermarry with Canaanites, so God brought them out to Egypt, where there was no chance for them to do that. Egyptians would not even eat with them, let alone mingle and intermarry with them. God created a pure nation, and He sent Joseph ahead to make arrangements.
Benjamin was given five times as much food as others to see their reaction. Joseph wanted to see were they jealous of Benjamin as they were of him. How will they treat Benjamin? Apparently, it did not bother them. They all ate and drank merrily together throughout the meal, with no suggestion of resentment.
The Lord also measures changes in our attitude once we submit to Him. What is my attitude toward my brothers? It is not difficult for us to mourn with those who are suffering. I think for most of us, it is much harder to see someone else’s success. We easily sympathize with those who are going through tough times or difficulties, but envy creeps in when we see someone who has much receives more blessing. Envy and jealousy is an excellent measure of your growth in Christ. When you can genuinely be happy for someone’s success, it shows your maturity in Christian walk. Joseph’s brother passed the first two tests, and in the next chapter, we will look at the third one. The test of Charity. Amen
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