Joseph - the Dilemma of His Brothers

 

Now the famine was severe in the land. And when they had eaten the grain that they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go again, buy us a little food.” But Judah said to him, “The man solemnly warned us, saying, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’ If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food. 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.’” Israel said, “Why did you treat me so badly as to tell the man that you had another brother?” They replied, “The man questioned us carefully about ourselves and our kindred, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ What we told him was in answer to these questions. Could we in any way know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?” And Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the boy with me, and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, both we and you and also our little ones. I will be a pledge of his safety. 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. If we had not delayed, we would now have returned twice.” (Genesis 43:1–10 ESV).

 

As long as the grain from Egypt lasted, an uneasy peace settled over the tents of Jacob’s clan. But two relentless forces bore down on them: the cruel famine parched the earth, and the food supply dwindled. Before long, they would need more grain.

 

But two other mighty forces were also squeezing the hardened sons of Jacob. On one side was that stern ruler, with his unyielding demand to see their youngest brother. And on the other side was their father, who could not bear the risk of letting his “only” son go. It was a dilemma they could not avoid any longer.

 

This pressure finally reaches a crescendo, however, the brothers do not yet come clean and confess their deep secret to their father Jacob. Sinful secrets are not easily exposed. It is so hard to admit doing wrong. Judah even tries to reprimand his father, saying they could have made two round trips to Egypt by now if Jacob had not delayed them. Finally, Judah strikes a deal with Jacob, offering to take full responsibility for Benjamin. And Jacob finally relents, telling his sons to bring many gifts to “the man” in Egypt, along with double the amount of silver they found in their sacks. So the brothers hurry off to Egypt—not knowing they are finally on their way to coming clean for their sin from so long ago.

 

Is God bringing you to such a place in your hidden sin? Now is a great time to turn to Him and receive forgiveness and restoration!

 

Joseph - a Father's Intervention

 

As they emptied their sacks, behold, every man’s bundle of money was in his sack. And when they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were afraid. And Jacob their father said to them, “You have bereaved me of my children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and now you would take Benjamin. All this has come against me.” Then Reuben said to his father, “Kill my two sons if I do not bring him back to you. Put him in my hands, and I will bring him back to you.” But he said, “My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he is the only one left. If harm should happen to him on the journey that you are to make, you would bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.” (Genesis 42:35–38 ESV).

 

The story of Joseph is a constant amazement in how God works all things together for good. In our reading today we see that it was father Jacob’s turn to confront his sons. His tone might not have been as harsh as Joseph’s, but his charge was heavy: “You have deprived me of my children.” (vv. 35-36). Remember that many years earlier he had been inconsolable after hearing of Joseph’s disappearance. “All his sons and daughters” had tried “to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted” (Genesis 37:35). Joseph’s older brothers were forced each day to face a heartbroken father. Yet they kept their secret hidden. Indeed, they lied to themselves that they were honest men.

 

This is such a common theme in humanity. We are all guilty of believing our own lies if we tell them to ourselves often enough. But now God turns up the pressure. The brothers are forced to face a father whose grief is now multiplied. First it was Joseph, and now Simeon is gone, and Benjamin could be next! Jacob reminds them that Benjamin is “the only one [of Rachel’s sons] left.” This blatant favoritism may well make them bristle. The surely were thinking “the only one left… how about us, the other nine? Don’t we count?” Still, Jacob could be right! Benjamin could be taken too. Where would that leave the brothers? The pressure rises, but they still won’t crack.

 

Yet God still has more planned for their conviction. We will see them go back to Egypt and facing Joseph again the will no longer be able to avoid the truth of their sin. It I then that Joseph will declare that what they had done was indeed meant for evil, but God meant it for good! And, that is all that matters!

 

Joseph - the Gift for a Guilty Conscience

 

And Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, and to replace every man’s money in his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. This was done for them. Then they loaded their donkeys with their grain and departed. And as one of them opened his sack to give his donkey fodder at the lodging place, he saw his money in the mouth of his sack. He said to his brothers, “My money has been put back; here it is in the mouth of my sack!” At this their hearts failed them, and they turned trembling to one another, saying, “What is this that God has done to us?” When they came to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them, saying, “The man, the lord of the land, spoke roughly to us and took us to be spies of the land. But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we have never been spies. We are twelve brothers, sons of our father. One is no more, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan.’ Then the man, the lord of the land, said to us, ‘By this I shall know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me, and take grain for the famine of your households, and go your way. Bring your youngest brother to me. Then I shall know that you are not spies but honest men, and I will deliver your brother to you, and you shall trade in the land.’” As they emptied their sacks, behold, every man’s bundle of money was in his sack. And when they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were afraid. (Genesis 42:25–35 ESV).

 

Guilt. What a gift for a seared conscience! For 20 years these men had been slinking along through life, hoping their dirty secret would never be exposed. But now, as they stopped to rest for the night, one of them opened his grain sack to feed a donkey and got the shock of his life. There lay his silver, staring him in the face. Later, back in Canaan, the jolt reverberated as each brother opened his sack with their father, Jacob, watching. Each one saw their own silver—“evidence” that could be used against them to show that they were not “honest men”!

 

When a truly guilty person wonders if some serious adversity may be a sign of God’s prodding them to repent, they may very well be on the right track. When we are truly guilty but our hearts are still hardened against coming clean, then God, who sees all we have done, may roar at us through some adversity so unnerving that we cannot help trembling. If something like that happens to us, it is a sign of God’s grace, a gift leading us back to God. It is God working good in our lives.

 

Each one of us will do well to ask ourselves honestly today, “Is there something I need to confess to God?”

 

Joseph - the Guilt of His Brothers

 

On the third day Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God: if you are honest men, let one of your brothers remain confined where you are in custody, and let the rest go and carry grain for the famine of your households, and bring your youngest brother to me. So your words will be verified, and you shall not die.” And they did so. Then they said to one another, “In truth we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us and we did not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us.” And Reuben answered them, “Did I not tell you not to sin against the boy? But you did not listen. So now there comes a reckoning for his blood.” (Genesis 42:18–22 ESV).

 

In this part of Joseph’s story we are about 20 years past Joseph’s brothers selling him into slavery. However, it doesn’t take long for their sense of guilt to return when this harsh-speaking ruler in Egypt demands that one brother stay as a hostage.

 

I’m in the process of finishing an essay titled “the Chickens Always come Home to Roost.” (I will make it available when it is finished of course). The gist of the essay is underscored in our reading today. While it’s one thing to suppress a sin, it’s quite another to erase it. Guilt—even old guilt—haunts us until it is fully confessed and forgiven.

 

Perhaps this guilt is what kept the brothers from going down to Egypt in the first place. They may have been afraid that they would somehow meet Joseph and their sin would come out into the open. It took a bit of chiding from their father, telling them to do something about the lack of food, to finally pry them loose and compel them to go.

 

So, after being kept in custody for three days, and then told that one of them must stay in prison while the others bring their youngest brother, the truth finally pops out. And Joseph hears it all, though his brothers don’t realize he can understand them, for he has been using an interpreter.

 

In response, Joseph turns away and begins to weep. But it is too soon to extend mercy to his guilty brothers. Conscience pangs are a beginning, but the brothers are not yet confessing and seeking forgiveness. They had not yet learned the essential nature of repentance. We have a difficult time with that as well. While we are forgiven, our hearts are truly cleansed in the act of confession. This is a season of such action. Be free from the shame and guilt you are carrying from your hidden sins. John wrote: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9 ESV).

 

Joseph - Harsh Words for His Brothers

 

Now Joseph was governor over the land. He was the one who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground. Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he treated them like strangers and spoke roughly to them. “Where do you come from?” he said. They said, “From the land of Canaan, to buy food.” And Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. And Joseph remembered the dreams that he had dreamed of them. And he said to them, “You are spies; you have come to see the nakedness of the land.” They said to him, “No, my lord, your servants have come to buy food. We are all sons of one man. We are honest men. Your servants have never been spies.” (Genesis 42:6–11 ESV).

 

As we begin this chapter in the life of Joseph we are able to see some of the resulting good God works in the life of both Joseph and the nation of Israel. It is interesting that Joseph spoke so harshly to his brothers, who didn’t recognize him (vv. 7-8). It sems like this is the response from someone who was bent on vengeance; However, this was not Joseph’s intent, as we see from the rest of the conversation. He was giving them an opportunity to show their remorse and repentance for what they had done in selling him into slavery.

 

It is also unusual to us that Joseph did not reveal himself to his brothers. However, the rest of the story will make it clear that Joseph does not have malicious intentions. The truth is that Joseph’s brothers were not exactly ready to be reconciled with Joseph and to receive forgiveness. Joseph may well have had a forgiving spirit, but that is not the same as extending or showing forgiveness, which will often happen later in the process.

 

Further, it was important that Joseph’s brothers recognize their sin and confess it. So, Joseph came up with a plan to get them thinking about their relationship as brothers and about their brother Benjamin, who had stayed home with their father. This was a first step in a long and painful but good process of reconciliation, as the brothers hear harsh words from a stranger in a richly ornamented robe.

 

It also points us to the coming of Jesus when He was born into such humble circumstances in Bethlehem. Though the King of kings, he came as a helpless infant, birthed in a stable, surrounded by only Mary and Joseph (his earthly father), and perhaps a few animals seeking shelter from the cold night. God sent His Son to call gently to His chosen people. Often, that is how He comes to us. We should take great care not to mistake that as weakness. It is the greatest expression of grace and love!

 

Joseph - a Healing for the World

 

The seven years of plenty that occurred in the land of Egypt came to an end, and the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph had said. There was famine in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph. What he says to you, do.” So when the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. Moreover, all the earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth. (Genesis 41:53–57 ESV).

 

Joseph’s story and influence have gradually shifted from a local setting in his family, to a national setting in the land of Egypt, to a much wider setting described as “all the world.” Indeed, because Joseph, with God’s wisdom, has stored up grain in Egypt against this major famine, Egypt has become the most powerful nation in the known world of its day. This famine has spread disaster in “all the other lands.” And “all the world” comes to Egypt to find food because the drought is “severe everywhere.”

 

Perhaps the most astonishing truth is in the Messianic Typology in this passage. It is painting a picture of the wondrous revelation that the entire world, facing death by starvation, can be fed with life-giving nourishment by one person. In this case it is Joseph; however, it unmistakably points us to Jesus. This story points us to Christ and his mission, appointed by God to save the world “when the set time had fully come” (Galatians 4:4). Jesus came to save us, the people of all nations, by feeding his very life into our starving souls.

 

This is a wonderful reminder, especially at this time of the liturgical calendar. We are thirteen days into the Lenten Calendar. Hopefully you are spending a bit extra time meditating on the incredible gift God provided for us in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. It ought to inspire us to serve faithfully so that God can work in and through us just as he did Joseph. As Joseph’s life points to the mission of Jesus in many ways, our lives can reflect that of Jesus, the ultimate Savior and Sustainer of life. I wonder who will be brought into your path today that needs to hear their challenge is merely a means to a great good in their lives. Give hope in what seems to be hopeless; give grace, in what seems to be despair and loss. Give healing in a time when death seems so mighty. Jesus has conquered all of that an more!

 

Joseph - the Healing of God's Grace

 

Before the year of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph. Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore them to him. Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh. “For,” he said, “God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father’s house.” The name of the second he called Ephraim, “For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.” (Genesis 41:50–52 ESV).

 

I encountered a wonderful young lady at my church the week after my last heart catheterization. She greeted me warmly and said, “I heard you had another brush with heaven last week.” I smiled and politely said, “It wasn’t nearly that good.” That turn of the phrase may seem a bit surprising. After all, how can we talk about death using the word “good”? Well, first, let me say, it was not nearly as serious as all that; however, death is not the end. Death is but the beginning of eternity at my home even now prepared for me. This truth has come from a life experiencing the healing of God’s grace. Paul said it this way: “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21 ESV). There have been plenty of experiences that could result in bitterness and anger; however, I have learned these are merely momentary inconveniences in the grand life He has given me.

 

Joseph was seventeen when he was sold as a slave, and he was thirty when Pharaoh made him second in command over Egypt. Thirteen years of undeserved misery could have left deep rage and bitterness in Joseph’s heart. But Joseph was also tempered by God’s constant care, and in the end, we will see that all this was for the good of Jacob’s family.

 

When Joseph eventually encounters his brothers again, he will give them a taste of discipline and speak harshly, but eventually they will reconcile. Joseph might wish for revenge after the way they treated him, but his actions show that he does not treat them as their sins deserve (cf. Psalm 103:10). In other words, we can see that God also guides Joseph to act with grace, mercy, and wisdom. Although the memories of our hurts can have a long shelf-life, their power to foster a spirit of retaliation can be disarmed by God’s healing mercies showered on our wounded spirits.

 

In addition, Joseph is richly blessed! Bumper crops pour in, just as God predicted through Pharaoh’s dreams. Joseph also enjoys the warmth of a loving wife and the birth of children. And his sons’ names suggest that he has been healed of the wounds he endured. Egypt, once a place of suffering for Joseph, is now a land of blessing. This land in which we live may seem like a land of suffering, however, God has something far greater in store for us!