Tests for Joseph's Brothers
Notes
Transcript
Text: Genesis 42-43
PRAY
How often do we get focused on the things of this life and this world and lose sight of eternal, heavenly realities?
How often do we fix our eyes on the problems that we’re facing instead of the promises and purposes of God?
What we see in Genesis 42-43 is that most of the chosen family has lost sight of God’s promises, purposes, and providence.
They have forgotten who God is, what He has done, and what He has promised to do. God had revealed Himself to Jacob, He had done amazing things for Jacob and his family, and He had made incredible promises to them. But here we find them living as if they don’t know God and don’t remember what He has done and promised to do.
Does that ever happen to us?
Do we ever get our focus off of God? Do we ever forget who He is, what He has done, and what He has promised to do for us?
I’ll be honest, this happens to me more than I’d care to admit. By His grace, God has revealed Himself to me in His Word so that I’ve come to know Him deeply; I’ve seen God work and do amazing things in my life; I’ve come to know and trust God’s promises about what He is going to do for me.
But when my van’s check engine light goes on during a trip for the second time in four months, I start to doubt that He really is working for my good.
When my child wakes up way too early and wakes everyone else up, or another one won’t stop whining, screaming, or throwing a fit or doing other annoying things, I’m tempted to be angry and respond harshly, instead of remembering how patient and compassionate my heavenly Father has been with me and seeking to imitate His character.
Joseph has shown us how to respond to God’s providence and His promises, even when going through extremely difficult circumstances. His brothers, and especially his father Jacob, are not there yet. But Joseph’s tests in these coming chapters help his family to recognize God’s providence and trust in Him.
The Baptist Catechism question 14 asks, “What are God’s works of providence?”
And the answer is, “God’s works of providence are, his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures, and all their actions.”
God is sovereignly orchestrating all things for His glory and the good of His people. Joseph has come to understand that, but Jacob and the rest of his family still need to see and trust God’s providence better.
Why did Joseph test his brothers?
To know their character — have they changed, or are they still the same men who sold him into slavery 22 years ago?
To expose their sin against him and lead them to repentance — the details of the test are going to call to mind for them the way they mistreated Joseph, so they are going to feel the guilt of their sin. And as uncomfortable as that is, it’s a good thing when our sin is exposed, because it is an opportunity to repent.
To protect Benjamin — if his brothers have not changed and are willing to sell Benjamin like they sold him, Joseph can protect Benjamin from them.
NOT to get revenge on them. Though it might seem like Joseph is mistreating his brothers here, nothing could be further from the truth. He has already forgiven them in his heart, and he wants to be reconciled to them. Even in the midst of this test, he shows them great kindness and provides abundantly for their needs. So Joseph is not seeking revenge.
He is testing their character, exposing their sin, and making sure Benjamin is safe with these other brothers.
In Genesis 42-44 there are 3 tests (depending on how we categorize them)
First, in chapter 42 he is testing their heart’s attitude toward money: will they forget about the brother they’re leaving behind, and perhaps even lie to their father about him since they got their money back along with the grain? 22 years ago, they sold Joseph for 20 pieces of silver; now they’re probably receiving a much larger amount. Are their hearts ruled by money? Will they abandon their brother to make a buck?
Second, in chapter 43 Joseph is going to treat Benjamin with favoritism, calling to his brothers’ minds how their father had shown favoritism to Rachel’s sons Joseph and Benjamin. Will they despise their brother and mistreat him because of the favorable treatment he’s receiving? Will they abandon their father’s favorite son?
Third, in chapter 44, Joseph sets up Benjamin as both a thief and as someone who thinks he can tell the future, probably to remind his brothers of the dreams he had had predicting the future that they would bow down to him. Will they leave Benjamin behind as a slave?
Each one of these tests (and other details as well) are going to reveal the character of these men, exposing their sin, and giving them an opportunity to repent.
Allen Ross begins his commentary on Genesis 42 with these helpful words: “Joseph’s tests of his brothers were important in God’s plan to channel his blessing through the seed of Abraham. God had planned to bring the family to Egypt so that it might grow into a great nation. But because the people who would form that nation had to be faithful, the brothers needed to be tested before they could share in the blessing.”
1 When Jacob learned that there was grain for sale in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?”
2 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.”
3 So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt.
4 But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, with his brothers, for he feared that harm might happen to him.
5 Thus the sons of Israel came to buy among the others who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.
6 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.
v. 5 - consider God’s providence; of all the cities where grain was stored, the one his brothers came to was the one Joseph was at.
God is providing an opportunity for reconciliation
Joseph has probably been anticipating this possibility, since people from other countries were coming for grain
The tests he gives his brothers may have been planned significantly in advance
v. 6 - Joseph’s dreams fulfilled, brothers bow down
7 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.”
8 And Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him.
Apparently, before he even realizes who they are, they have already bowed to him
v. 8 - he recognizes his brothers but they don’t recognize him
v. 7 - his rough speech to them is part of the test (he isn’t ultimately being unkind to them, even though it might seem like it to them at the time)
9 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.”
10 They said to him, “No, my lord, your servants have come to buy food.
11 We are all sons of one man. We are honest men. Your servants have never been spies.”
v. 9 - Joseph remembers his dreams and realizes they’re being fulfilled
Joseph is aware of and trusting in God’s providence — God gave him the dreams, and God is fulfilling the dreams, even if in a very different way than Joseph anticipated.
Joseph accuses them of being spies who have come to see how vulnerable Egypt is to attack
The brothers object and deny the charge, saying “we are honest men.”
How ironic is it that these 10 brothers are telling Joseph that they are honest men.
We’re honest — not the kind of guys who would sell our brother into slavery, dip his coat in blood, and lie to our father about him.
Their father seems to know better than to trust these guys with Benjamin, and Joseph certainly knows that these men have not been as honest as they are claiming they are.
That word “honest” is going to show up several times in this chapter, along with other words that refer to the truthfulness (or lack thereof) of these brothers.
The conversation continues...
12 He said to them, “No, it is the nakedness of the land that you have come to see.”
13 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.”
14 But Joseph said to them, “It is as I said to you. You are spies.
Joseph continues insisting on his accusation against them, but they continue to deny it. And here they reveal important information to Joseph:
v. 13 - they mention that their father and youngest brother are still alive and in Canaan
They also acknowledge that one brother is gone, not realizing that he’s the one they’re speaking to!
This brings us to the heart of chapter 42, which helps us understand this chapter and the next two also:
15 By this you shall be tested: by the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go from this place unless your youngest brother comes here.
16 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.”
17 And he put them all together in custody for three days.
Here Joseph tells them what he’s doing: he’s testing them.
He’s testing their character
He’s testing their words
He’s testing them to see if they are men of truth
We don’t know if this confinement in v. 17 was perhaps in the same place that Joseph had been confined several years earlier or what it may have been like, but it seems that he’s giving them a small taste of the suffering they put him through, in order to expose their sin, help them feel their guilt, and lead them to repentance.
I really don’t think Joseph is being vengeful here — I think he intends these things to genuinely help his brothers. And remember, they still don’t know who he is.
18 On the third day Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God:
19 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,
20 and bring your youngest brother to me. So your words will be verified, and you shall not die.” And they did so.
The third day pattern in the Old Testament is significant; many times there is a pattern of three days where they symbolize death, and then on the third day there is a type of resurrection. These brothers were in the pit for 3 days, and on the third day they experience a “resurrection.” Joseph may have done this intentionally to try to call to their minds this pattern that they should have known about from the life of Abraham in Genesis 22.
He also says, “I fear God,” in v. 18, which is kind of an OT way of saying something like “I’m a believer” or “I’m a Christian.” This was probably also intended to get their attention and think about their own faith and relationship with God.
Then he tells them what they must do: to prove that they are honest men, to verify their words, they must bring back Benjamin to stand before Joseph.
21 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.”
22 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.”
42:21 - recognition of guilt regarding Joseph, God’s justice
The distress they caused Joseph is coming now against them.
Reuben is proving himself to be an ineffective leader for the family (does it help anyone to say, “I told you so!”) — we will see Reuben contrasted with Judah in the next chapter.
23 They did not know that Joseph understood them, for there was an interpreter between them.
24 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.
42:23 - Joseph understood them, but they didn’t know
42:24 - why did Joseph weep? and why did he choose Simeon?
The emotion of this moment became too much for Joseph as he remembered the horror of being thrown into a pit and then sold into slavery by his brothers. I think he also sees some signs of his brothers recognizing their guilt, but they’re not all the way there yet.
We don’t know why he chose Simeon — perhaps he was the ringleader in mistreating Joseph; perhaps because Simeon had not yet repented of his sin in slaughtering the people of Shechem, and he needed time in jail to repent.
But I think we can say that whatever Joseph’s reason for choosing Simeon, he did so in love; and we see that in what comes next.
25 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.
42:25 - Joseph’s generosity, testing with money
Joseph has their bags filled — perhaps with more than what they paid for.
Then he has their money replaced — in part to test them, but I think also in part to provide for their needs.
And Joseph provides the things they need for their journey (I doubt he was doing this for everyone who traveled to Egypt).
He is making sure his family is taken care of, even while he is still testing them. He is showing them love. And this is really amazing when we remember how they treated him.
26 Then they loaded their donkeys with their grain and departed.
27 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.
28 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?”
42:28 - What has God done? This statement anticipates what Judah is going to say in chapter 44:16: “What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak? Or how can we clear ourselves? God has found out the guilt of your servants.”
It was through Joseph’s tests, but ultimately it was God who was exposing their sin and guilt, in order to provide an opportunity for repentance and reconciliation.
29 When they came to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them, saying,
30 “The man, the lord of the land, spoke roughly to us and took us to be spies of the land.
31 But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we have never been spies.
32 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.’
33 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.
34 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.’ ”
35 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.
36 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.”
42:36 - Jacob’s self-focus
Jacob has lost sight of who God is; he is not remembering God’s kindness and faithfulness.
He has forgotten all the good that God has done for him and for his ancestors.
He is not remembering the amazing promises God has made to him.
He is focused on himself, and all he can think about is the hurt and pain he is experiencing right now.
37 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.”
Once again, Reuben is showing us that he is completely ineffective as a leader.
“Trust me to protect your son,” he says. “And to show you I’m trustworthy, I’ll fail to protect my own sons.” It’s just absolutely stupid when you start thinking about it. If Reuben had any sense at all, he probably regretted these words as soon as they were out of his mouth.
In chapter 44, we’ll see how this contrasts with Judah’s leadership and intercession.
Reuben says, “take my kids instead of him.” Judah says, “take me instead of him.”
Jacob knows better than to trust this kind of leadership.
38 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.”
42:38 - Jacob’s lack of love for other sons
Think how hurtful these words must have sounded to Jacob’s other 10 sons. He’s essentially saying, “I don’t care what happens to Simeon, and I don’t care what happens to you. I only care about Benjamin. He’s the only one that matters.”
Despite Jacob’s lack of love for his sons, we’ll see that at least one of his sons truly loves him.
1 Now the famine was severe in the land.
2 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.”
3 But Judah said to him, “The man solemnly warned us, saying, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’
4 If you will 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.’ ”
Remember, Simeon is sitting in jail in Egypt for all these weeks or maybe months that his family is eating up the grain they got during their first visit. But the grain runs out.
Now Judah steps up and takes leadership. His 3 older brothers have all disqualified themselves, and now he steps up and leads.
6 Israel said, “Why did you treat me so badly as to tell the man that you had another brother?”
7 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’?”
Jacob is still self-focused and only thinking about how this situation affects him.
Judah steps up again, now as a godly and selfless sacrificial leader.
8 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.
9 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.
10 If we had not delayed, we would now have returned twice.”
43:8 - Judah’s leadership, contrasted with Reuben’s failure (42:22, 37)
43:9 - Judah will be the pledge (see ch. 38) and the sin-bearer for his family (Do you know Someone Else from Judah’s family who came to be the sin-bearer for his family?)
11 Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: take some of the choice fruits of the land in your bags, and carry a present down to the man, a little balm and a little honey, gum, myrrh, pistachio nuts, and almonds.
12 Take double the money with you. Carry back with you the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks. Perhaps it was an oversight.
13 Take also your brother, and arise, go again to the man.
It’s interesting that some of the items Jacob sends with these brothers as a gift for Joseph were the same things being carried to Egypt by the Midianite traders that they had sold him to.
14 May God Almighty grant you mercy before the man, and may he send back your other brother and Benjamin. And as for me, if I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.”
15 So the men took this present, and they took double the money with them, and Benjamin. They arose and went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph.
43:14 - compassion/mercy desired from God — a Hebrew word related to the word “womb”, indicating a kind of motherly tenderness or compassion.
Jacob starts remembering who God is — God Almighty.
16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, “Bring the men into the house, and slaughter an animal and make ready, for the men are to dine with me at noon.”
17 The man did as Joseph told him and brought the men to Joseph’s house.
18 And the men were afraid because they were brought to Joseph’s house, and they said, “It is because of the money, which was replaced in our sacks the first time, that we are brought in, so that he may assault us and fall upon us to make us servants and seize our donkeys.”
43:18 - response of fear
19 So they went up to the steward of Joseph’s house and spoke with him at the door of the house,
20 and said, “Oh, my lord, we came down the first time to buy food.
21 And when we came to the lodging place we opened our sacks, and there was each man’s money in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight. So we have brought it again with us,
22 and we have brought other money down with us to buy food. We do not know who put our money in our sacks.”
23 He replied, “Peace to you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has put treasure in your sacks for you. I received your money.” Then he brought Simeon out to them.
24 And when the man had brought the men into Joseph’s house and given them water, and they had washed their feet, and when he had given their donkeys fodder,
25 they prepared the present for Joseph’s coming at noon, for they heard that they should eat bread there.
43:21-22 - demonstration of honesty: returning the money
v. 23 - Peace to you! Do not be afraid! — Joseph’s steward preaches the gospel to them. Where did he learn about Shalom?
Your God and the God of your father has put treasure in your sacks for you — how does he know about the God of their father Jacob? Joseph has been telling the Egyptians about his God and the character and promises of God so that this man apparently knows and believes in God.
26 When Joseph came home, they brought into the house to him the present that they had with them and bowed down to him to the ground.
27 And he inquired about their welfare and said, “Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?”
28 They said, “Your servant our father is well; he is still alive.” And they bowed their heads and prostrated themselves.
29 And he lifted up his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, and said, “Is this your youngest brother, of whom you spoke to me? God be gracious to you, my son!”
30 Then Joseph hurried out, for his compassion grew warm for his brother, and he sought a place to weep. And he entered his chamber and wept there.
v. 26, 28 - bowing down again
v. 27 - Joseph inquires about their welfare (shalom) and the shalom of Jacob
v. 29 - Benjamin was probably just a young boy when Joseph was sold into slavery in Egypt. 22 years have passed, and he probably looks a lot different.
v. 30 - compassion granted — a direct answer to Jacob’s prayer from v. 14
31 Then he washed his face and came out. And controlling himself he said, “Serve the food.”
32 They served him by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because the Egyptians could not eat 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 at one another in amazement.
34 Portions were taken to them from Joseph’s table, but Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as any of theirs. And they drank and were merry with him.
43:33 - brothers seated in age order; since the older 10 were all born so close together, this was actually pretty amazing. You’ve got 10 guys between the ages of 40-45; what are the chances you can put them in age order on the first try?
Reuben
Simeon
Levi
Judah
Dan
Naphtali
Gad
Asher
Issachar
Zebulun
(Joseph)
Benjamin
(Did he even maybe leave an open space for their brother who “is no more”)
43:34 - Benjamin given special treatment — intended to reveal if there is still jealousy in their hearts over the special treatment that Jacob their father has given to Joseph and Benjamin. Do they resent their younger brother? Are they willing to get rid of him like they did with Joseph?
Or have they changed?
Applications
Applications
Keep your focus on God’s character, works, and promises in hard times.
Hard times: Sickness or other health struggles; financial difficulties; problems in relationships
Character: God is sovereign, wise, and good; He is merciful, patient, and kind; He is just, righteous, and holy.
Works: Salvation in Christ; daily provision and protection; all the ways He has helped you and guided you in the past
Promises: All things work together for good; Behold I am making all things new; I am coming quickly; I will never leave you nor forsake you.
Respond properly when your sin is exposed
humility
confession of wrongdoing
seeking forgiveness and restoration
seeking to change and do right
PRAY
