Ge. 42: Joseph Messes with His Brothers

Wouldn't you know it, the worldwide famine crisis spreads to Canaan, where Jacob and his family still live.

Jacob tells his boys about Egypt, where he heard tell there was grain. In order to not die, he sends his boys down there to get some. So, everyone but Benjamin packs it up and head down there. Benjamin stayed behind, because Jacob feared what would have happened to him, the last remnant of Rachel. It was probably in Jacob's mind that the guys couldn't (or wouldn't) protect Benjamin.

When they got there, Joseph recognized them, but they didn't recognize him. It had been over 13 years, and Joseph was no longer a boy. Joseph's brothers, as he had dreamed back in chapter 37, bowed down to him, but Joseph spoke harshly to them. Finally, he can be in power over these guys who wanted to kill him, who sold him, and who let his father believe he was dead. He (pretendfully) accuses them of being spies, scoping out his land. But one of them answered, "No, we want to buy food. We come from Canaan, the youngest is with dad, and one is dead."

Joseph wanted to see Benjamin, his full blood brother, so he makes a deal with them. To prove they aren't spies, Joseph tells them to send one back home to bring the youngest back, and he will keep nine of them in prison. So for three days, the brothers sit in jail. Then Joseph comes back with another deal. Keep one guy here in prison, and the other nine go back home to bring back the youngest...so they won't die.

The brothers, no stranger to God's justice, assume God is punishing them for what they did to Joseph, and that they didn't listen when Joseph pleaded for his life. And maybe God did have them by the ear on this one, even though they were never really in danger. Don't you wonder if God uses situations like that? Times where God kind of lets you come to realization of where you messed up, and you think He's punishing you, but in reality, its your own guilty conscience? Hm. Reuben pipes up, "I knew we shouldn't have done that. I told you not to. Now we must account for his blood." All this in full view of Joseph, who we come to find out is using an interpreter, although he understood his brothers speaking his native language. I find this pretty amazing. His brothers had no way of knowing he knew their language.

Upon hearing Reuben's reply, he turned away from them and wept. Why? Was it because there was a shred of love in at least one of his brothers? That someone in his family cared about him? That this would be a chance to reconcile with them? I'm sure a million different emotions flooded back through Joseph's mind.

So he had Simeon taken from them, and imprisoned.

Unbeknownst to his brothers, Joseph gave orders to return each man's silver back into their sack, and to give them provisions for the journey home.

What mercy! What forgiveness....It would be very hard for me to want to be kind to those who betrayed me, and essentially wanted me dead. But Joseph shows me how a person who walks with God is supposed to act toward those who treat him poorly.

On the trip home, one of them discovers the silver, and they still think God is up to something.

When they get back to Canaan, they tell Jacob about their encounter with the governor of Egypt, about how they were treated as spies, and the deal he made, and why Simeon didn't return. As they emptied their sacks, each man found the silver used to pay for the grain. The showed Jacob, and he finally freaks. Mr. Cool loses his mind, saying, "everything is against me, Joseph is dead, Simeons is probably dead, and now you want to take Benjamin away."

Reuben, who really trusts this Egyptian guy, offers his two sons lives as collateral if they don't return with Benjamin. He vows to bring him back. Ah, Reuben. The oldest. The wisest. Except his sons probably weren't too thrilled about the deal, depending on how old they were. Chapter 42 ends with Jacob refusing to let them take Benjamin back. And I think, What about Simeon? Maybe Jacob feared they'd all be killed if they went back, and bought more grain with the same silver they bought the first round with?