The Story Through the Bible Gen 42

Facing the past.

Genesis 42:1 ESV

When Jacob learned that there was grain for sale in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?”

This first verse is just so relatable… “boys, whose day is it for this chore?” then they just start looking at each other.… “Hey, get up and go find out or all of you just start doing it now.”

Genesis 42:2–5 ESV

And he said, “Behold, I have heard that there is grain for sale in Egypt. Go down and buy grain for us there, that we may live and not die.” So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt. But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, with his brothers, for he feared that harm might happen to him. Thus the sons of Israel came to buy among the others who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.

Notice how the men that go are described, what do you think that’s communicating to us? How else could they have been described?

Jacob’s 10 sons ?

The 10 sons of Israel - as later described…

Why did Jacob not want to send Benjamin? - Why does he have that concern? Does he suspect something about Joseph’s death, is he just over protective, is he not concerned about something happening to the rest of them?

But they do go down to Egypt the same 10 who sold off Joseph to Egypt

Genesis 42:6 ESV

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.

OH, what’s this a fulfillment of? what’s going on here?

Genesis 37:7 ESV

Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.”

Yes, not even knowing it the brothers here are fulfilling the what Joseph saw in his dream!

Genesis 42:7–8 ESV

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.

Does it seem like any particular word seems over used in these two verses?

Recognized - Nikar is used 3 times in English but there is a fourth time used for the same Hebrew root word so it extra stands out. The fourth time is for the “stranger” it doesn’t mean foreigner like you might suspect or like we’ve talked about before but that theme wouldn’t fit here. He treated them like one that was not recognized aka a stranger. Identified is another way this word gets translated. Can you think of something identifiable or immediately recognizable about Joseph not long after he was introduced to our story? The coat - now how do these then, the coat and identifying or recognizing play together with what’s happening here?

It should remind us of Jacob having to identify or recognize the coat covered in blood that belonged to Joseph. It’s a subtle but not really subtle reminder of that bloody coat.

Genesis 42:9–14 ESV

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.” He said to them, “No, it is the nakedness of the land that you have come to see.” And they said, “We, your servants, are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan, and behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is no more.” But Joseph said to them, “It is as I said to you. You are spies.

Here we bring up spies a whole lot. I have found no significance to this particular word but what it does do is raise the stakes and point to deception like the deception of the brothers in dealing with Joseph. What do you think the penalty is for being a spy? Death. That’s the penalty they planned for his crime of being a “dreamer” back in chapter 37. 19-20

This escalation of stakes starts getting their lips looser and they just blurt out the truth about their circumstances in some hope that if they just tell the truth about themselves he’ll recognize that they’re telling the truth and spare them. He rejects all their pleas just like they rejected his while he was in a pit before them years ago.

Now he’s going to take this opportunity to come up with a test.

Genesis 42:15–16 ESV

By this you shall be tested: by the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go from this place unless your youngest brother comes here. Send one of you, and let him bring your brother, while you remain confined, that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you. Or else, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies.”

Joseph in doing this will ensure first that they were actually telling the truth about his brother and second the safety of Benjamin and the possibility of extending his own protection over his little brother, if he can get him safely to Egypt. Something that maybe takes a little bit of the authority of his father with that sort of action if he’s the one now providing the safe care of one of his father’s sons.

Genesis 42:17–20 ESV

And he put them all together in custody for three days. 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.

First thing that jumps out? three days

What are some “three day” things you think of when it comes up in the Bible?

Abraham’s journey to Moriah to sacrifice Isaac Gen 22:4

The days from the prisoners dreams with Joseph to the decision made by Pharoah was 3 days. Gen 40.12

The journey for Israel to leave Egypt was supposed to just be 3 days but Pharoah wouldn’t let them go, eventually there is a 3 day darkness at the end of which Moses will not ever see Pharoah’s face again and the plague that brings the death of the firstborn will come. Exo 10:21-29

lots of events happen in Joshua, Judges, Jonah with the fish, Esther in her fast and of course The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. But here in it’s third appearance we’ve established a pattern that three days should start reminding us of it’s own theme that also points us to Christ. Three days will either bring life or redemption for God’s people. Often there is a test or measuring out that happens.

What happens to the brothers during this time? I’m sure they had some really interesting conversations there in the dungeon…

I think some of those thoughts sneak through in the conversation they have there amongst themselves.

Genesis 42:21–25 ESV

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.” They did not know that Joseph understood them, for there was an interpreter between them. Then he turned away from them and wept. And he returned to them and spoke to them. And he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes. 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.

They recognize what’s happening not as random and unjust but as from God for their own wrongs. Any guesses why Simeon was picked?

Rueben seemed to be coming to the aid of Joseph so don’t pick one that was less bad. Simeon was the second born while Rueben was the first so it might be just down the line. There isn’t any particular reason given but it’s good to think through what’s happening even when we don’t have an answer to every question we might ask.

Genesis 42:25–29 ESV

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,

Then they recount all the things that happened.

This sort of setup we’ll see repeated later but when it happens they understand how bad it will be if they’ve left and this harsh Egyptian lord thinks they’ve essentially stolen the grain they came for. It’s bad on top of bad here.

Genesis 42:35–38 ESV

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.”

At the end of the journey where they recounted the events that happened back to their father they unload and realize not just one person had all the money they paid with but EVERYONE had all the money back that they thouht they paid with.

Notice that Jacob just counts Simeon as dead as Joseph at this point. Essentially I’m not willing to risk the potential of losing Benjamin and that will guarantee Simeon dies. This certainly isn’t the end of the famine or the end of this story but it is the end of the chapter.

Wrapping back around we see the brothers have to confront some of their past. Years had gone by and they likely thought their terrible deeds have been forgotten and there will be no consequence or accountability for it. They spend 3 days in a dungeon come out repentant. Our history has a bloody coat in our hands, maybe none of us have sold off a brother to slavery and pretended he died when dad asked but we’ve certainly sinned. Those things don’t get to be ignored. Christ died, was buried, and on the third day was resurrected. Our past isn’t something we ignore or that God even turns a blind eye to. We need to acknowledge our sins before God and repent as well. Sometimes it can be easy to ignore our past sins in a thought that God has forgiven us, but his expectation is that we have come before him and repented. It’s okay to take some time as you’re in prayer, as you’re reading the Bible, spending time with God to acknowledge sin in your life and turn from it. We don’t have to continually re-repent for the past don’t get stuck there either. Ask for help from the Lord find a brother or sister in Christ if you need someone to walk with you on the way back to the land of the Father.