Genesis 42.18-24-Joseph's Brothers' Second Audience With Him
Thursday February 1, 2007
Genesis: Genesis 42:18-24-Joseph’s Brothers’ Second Audience With Him
Lesson # 274
Please turn in your Bibles to Genesis 42:1.
This evening we will continue with our study of Genesis 42, which presents to us the account of Joseph’s brothers with the exception of Benjamin making their first journey to Egypt to buy grain.
On Sunday morning we studied Genesis 42:1-5, which presents to us the record of Jacob sending his sons to Egypt to buy grain in order to deal with the problem of the famine in Canaan.
Genesis 41:53-57 records for us that there was not only a famine in Egypt but also in the countries surrounding Egypt and the entire earth, thus Canaan where Jacob’s family lived was a victim of famine.
On Tuesday evening we studied Genesis 42:6, which records the fulfillment of the prophecy recorded in Genesis 37:5-11 that was revealed in Joseph’s dream that he would rule over his entire family.
Last evening we studied Genesis 42:7-17, which records for us Joseph’s brothers’ first audience with him in Egypt.
This evening we will note Genesis 42:18-24, which gives us the record of Joseph’s brothers’ second audience with him in Egypt.
Genesis 42:1, “Now Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, ‘Why are you staring at one another?’”
Genesis 42:2, “He said, ‘Behold, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down there and buy some for us from that place, so that we may live and not die.’”
Genesis 42:3, “Then ten brothers of Joseph went down to buy grain from Egypt.”
Genesis 42:4, “But Jacob did not send Joseph's brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, ‘I am afraid that harm may befall him.’”
Genesis 42:5, “So the sons of Israel came to buy grain among those who were coming, for the famine was in the land of Canaan also.”
Genesis 42:6, “Now Joseph was the ruler over the land; he was the one who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph's brothers came and bowed down to him with their faces to the ground.”
Genesis 42:7, “When Joseph saw his brothers he recognized them, but he disguised himself to them and spoke to them harshly. And he said to them, ‘Where have you come from?’ And they said, ‘From the land of Canaan, to buy food.’”
Genesis 42:8, “But Joseph had recognized his brothers, although they did not recognize him.”
Genesis 42:9, “Joseph remembered the dreams which he had about them, and said to them, ‘You are spies; you have come to look at the undefended parts of our land.’”
Genesis 42:10, “Then they said to him, ‘No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food.’”
Genesis 42:11, “We are all sons of one man; we are honest men, your servants are not spies.”
Genesis 42:12, “Yet he said to them, ‘No, but you have come to look at the undefended parts of our land!’”
Genesis 42:13, “But they said, ‘Your servants are twelve brothers in all, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and behold, the youngest is with our father today, and one is no longer alive.’”
Genesis 42:14-15, “Joseph said to them, ‘It is as I said to you, you are spies, by this you will be tested: by the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go from this place unless your youngest brother comes here!’”
Genesis 42:16, “Send one of you that he may get your brother, while you remain confined, that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you.” But if not, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies."
Genesis 42:17, “So he put them all together in prison for three days.”
Genesis 42:18-20, “Now Joseph said to them on the third day, ‘Do this and live, for I fear God: if you are honest men, let one of your brothers be confined in your prison; but as for the rest of you, go, carry grain for the famine of your households, and bring your youngest brother to me, so your words may be verified, and you will not die.’ And they did so.”
Joseph’s brothers had to endure three days in prison whereas Joseph had to endure fourteen years of slavery and three years of prison because of his brothers’ decision to sell him into slavery.
Those three days must have been miserable and must have been filled with fear.
They would have been asking themselves as to whether or not they would ever return to their father and would they ever regain their freedom?
Also, they would have been discussing amongst themselves as to who would be the one who would be re¬leased to return to Canaan while the others remained captive?
For them, Joseph’s experience, which took fourteen years, was condensed to three days.
The three-day imprisonment provided Joseph with time to plan his strategy and it would also impress the brothers with the importance of cooperating with Joseph and also give them a taste of what Joseph had endured for three years.
Joseph statement “Do this and live, for I fear God” would reveal to his brothers that he who they do not recognize but rather saw as an Egyptian ruler, was a ruler who acknowledged that he was accountable to God and would therefore give them an opportunity to demonstrate their innocence and would not treat them unjustly.
“Fear” is the verb yare (ar@y*) (yaw-ray), which means, “to have reverence and respect” for God and so we see that Joseph expresses to his brothers that he has “reverence” and “respect” for God.
Reverence for God is an attitude of deep respect and awe for God and respect for God is to esteem the excellence of the Person of God as manifested through His attributes such as love, faithfulness, mercy, compassion, justice, righteousness, truth, omnipotence, omnipresence, omniscience, immutability, and sovereignty.
Joseph statement “Do this and live, for I fear God” also would reveal to his brothers that he was a ruler who cared for the needy and the hungry (See Job 29:12-13).
Leviticus 25:17, “So you shall not wrong one another, but you shall fear your God; for I am the LORD your God.”
Just as Joseph’s brothers replaced their first plan to kill Joseph with a wiser, gentler plan by selling him into slavery so Joseph also replaces his first plan to imprison all his brothers and send one back to get Benjamin with a wiser, gentler plan by imprisoning only one brother and sending the rest back to Canaan to get Benjamin.
Once Joseph had heard his brothers confess their guilt in the way that they treated him and acknowledged the justice in their being imprisoned, he changes his plan and allows all the brothers to go back to Canaan except for one of them.
Also, Joseph changed his plan because of concern for his father and his brother Benjamin and the rest of the family and did not want them to continue to suffer because of a lack of food.
Joseph’s new proposal to his brothers demonstrates to them that he is a fair, wise, reasonable ruler who respects God.
It also demonstrates to the reader that Joseph’s intentions towards his brothers was not revenge but rather only good in that he does not want his family in Canaan to suffer any longer from the famine.
This statement “do this and live for I fear God” as well as his demand would have filled them with hope and thanksgiving to God and gave them en-couragement dispelling any fear of judgment.
This statement reveals that Joseph’s intention was not revenge when he spoke harshly to his brothers and imprisoned them for three days but rather his desire was for a reconciliation with them and only the best for his brothers.
But certain changes had to take place before he could reunite with them in that their self interest and cruelty which had caused them to sell him into slavery must be dealt with.
Notice that Joseph does “not” use the covenant name of God, which is Yahweh, “Lord” when addressing his brothers but rather uses Elohim, “God” since he is attempting to conceal his identity to his brothers.
To his brothers, Joseph was a heathen, Gentile ruler who had no covenant relationship with God like they did, so Joseph continues to keep up this appearance in order to determine if they have indeed repented from their ill treatment of him and that God has transformed their character.
The fact that Joseph decides to release all of his brothers except for one reveals that his intention for incarcerating them for three days was so that they could examine their collective conscience in the matter in which they treated him.
Joseph placed all of the brothers in confinement together as opposed to solitary confinement in order to cause them to reflect upon the meaning of what was taking place in their lives and to cause them to examine their collective conscience, which they did since in Genesis 42:21 they acknowledge their cruel treatment of Joseph.
This was not punishment, but it was preparation, just as his confinement had been and it served to intensify the brothers’ comprehension of the gravity of the situation.
The three day imprisonment would invoke any rivalries as a result of their awareness that only one could return to Canaan and that the fate of all the others would depend on that one.
Joseph’s new proposal to his brothers that he release all of them except for one is designed to make his brothers relive their actions against him some twenty years before and his brothers recognize the parallels and consider it retribution from God.
Joseph’s brothers are now faced with two threats to their lives, the famine and now with Joseph if they do not bring back Benjamin to Egypt.
Both threats contribute to Joseph’s brothers confronting their sin against Joseph leading to reconciliation and fellowship.
The statement “and they did so” reveals that Joseph’s brothers were in agreement to accept Joseph’s new conditions.
Genesis 42:21, “Then they said to one another, ‘Truly we are guilty concerning our brother, because we saw the distress of his soul when he pleaded with us, yet we would not listen; therefore this distress has come upon us.’”
The purpose for which Joseph imprisoned his brothers for three days was accomplished in that Joseph’s brothers recognized the justice of their predicament and confessed their collective guilt in the way they treated Joseph over twenty years before.
Psalm 32:5, “I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I did not hide; I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD’; And You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah.”
The statement “We are guilty concerning our brother” was a collective confession of guilt and demonstrates that Joseph’s brothers did “not” blame each other but rather each takes personal responsibility for their own personal guilt in the matter of Joseph.
The prison experience and Joseph’s verdict brought about the first indication of conviction of sin in the lives of these men.
We should not forget that Joseph’s brothers were a bunch of criminals since they were guilty of murder, fornication, incest and had lied to their father and hated Joseph and had even been cruel to animals at Shechem (See Genesis 34).
Therefore, these were not kind and tenderhearted shepherds but rather they considered themselves kings, responsible to no one and even though they lived under God’s heaven and were His covenant people, they did not acknowledge God.
This is the first time we read that there was any expression of guilt in the way they treated Joseph and soon they will start to recognize that God has something to do with this.
Their discussion amongst themselves is not only a summary of Genesis 37:12-30 when they sold Joseph into slavery but also gives us graphic details concerning their treatment of Joseph in that it reveals Joseph’s reaction to having been thrown into the pit by them and their lack of compassion.
The brothers equate their present distress with Joseph’s some twenty years before demonstrating their awareness of the providence of God in their lives, overruling their lives and requiring restitution.
They recognize that under God’s authority they have reaped what they have sowed.
Galatians 6:7, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.”
In this moment of great adversity, where their lives are at stake and those of their families, the tortured consciences of the brothers are manifested by their confession of guilt in their treatment of Joseph.
The brothers saw divine retribution in what had happened to them and confessed their guilt in dealing with Joseph as they had done in his hearing.
However, Joseph wanted to assure himself that they had also borne the fruits of genuine repentance meaning that they had taken a different course of action with Benjamin and Jacob and so he did not reveal himself to them at this time.
Genesis 42:22, “Reuben answered them, saying, ‘Did I not tell you, ‘Do not sin against the boy’; and you would not listen? Now comes the reckoning for his blood.”
Reuben statement to his brothers “Did I not tell you, ‘do not sin against the boy’ and you would not listen” is a reference to his attempt to talk them out of murdering Joseph (See Genesis 37:21-22).
This statement along with the statement “Now comes the reckoning for his (Joseph’s) blood” clearly reveals that Reuben like his father believed that Joseph was murdered by his brothers indicating that his brothers did “not” tell him that they sold him into slavery.
The phrase “reckoning for his blood” is a reference to the biblical idiom “cover up his blood” that is used by Judah in Genesis 37:26.
Since the time of Cain, the blood of a murder victim was said to “cry out” for justice, thus uncovered blood served as a constant reminder of a crime and as an incitement to revenge.
Therefore, Judah’s use of the idiom and Reuben’s reference to it reveals their respect for the laws of God, which prohibit murder according to Exodus 20:13 and according to Genesis 9:6 is to be punished through capital punishment.
In Genesis 37:29-30, the fact that Reuben’s brothers do “not” respond to his questions as to the whereabouts of Joseph and their lack of surprise that Joseph was not in the pit, and their attempt to murder Joseph not too long ago, would lead Reuben to believe that his brothers had killed Joseph and disposed of the body.
There is no indication that Joseph’s brothers informed Reuben that they had sold Joseph into slavery but rather he believed that Joseph was dead since if his brothers had informed Reuben that they sold Joseph into slavery, he would have pursued the caravan to Egypt in order to buy Joseph back!
Reuben’s brothers would “not” want to inform him that they sold Joseph to the Midianites since they knew he would pursue the caravan and buy Joseph back since he previously prevented them from killing Joseph.
Therefore, by delivering Joseph they would have risked having their conspiracy to kill him exposed, not to mention their actions in selling him into slavery!
Judah would have no desire to tell Reuben of his scheme since he also knew that Reuben would pursue the caravan and buy Joseph back from the Midianites, which would result in exposing his scheme to sell Joseph into slavery, even though the scheme was an attempt to save Joseph from death.
For the first time, Joseph is aware of the fact that Reuben’s intention for stopping his murder and having him thrown into the pit was to deliver him when his brothers were not around since Reuben never revealed his motive for suggesting Joseph be thrown into the pit rather than murdered.
Reuben was apparently seeking to buy some time, intending to rescue Joseph and return him back home to the safety of their father when the others were not around.
Therefore, Reuben in effect saved Joseph’s life since if he was not there to stop his brothers, they would have murdered Joseph.
Reuben hid his motives for having Joseph thrown into a pit rather than murdered because he feared his brothers would not listen to him and would turn on him.
Until now Joseph held Reuben responsible for having him thrown into the pit, however, he never knew that Reuben’s intention was to rescue him when his brothers were not around.
Genesis 42:23, “They did not know, however, that Joseph understood, for there was an interpreter between them.”
The fact that Joseph used an interpreter to eavesdrop on his brothers’ conversation does “not” mean that he could not understand Hebrew anymore since he speaks to them in Hebrew without an interpreter when he reveals his identity to them in Genesis 45.
Joseph employs the interpreter since he wants to continue to conceal his identity and conduct himself as an Egyptian prime minister who is dealing with foreigners suspected of espionage.
Evidently, Joseph’s brothers did “not” realize that an interpreter was eavesdropping on their conversation since they speak freely of their guilt in their attempt to murder Joseph.
Genesis 42:24, “He turned away from them and wept. But when he returned to them and spoke to them, he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes.”
Joseph’s weeping was not only an expression of his love and affection for his brothers but also an expression of gratitude towards the Lord for bringing his brothers to a confession of their guilt leading to reconciliation with them.
Weeping is an emotion and emotion is the responder to what is in the mentality of the soul and so we see that Joseph’s weeping is an expression of his emotion, which is the response to what was in the mentality of his soul, which was love for his brothers and gratitude towards the Lord.
The Lord Jesus Christ wept at Lazarus’ tomb (John 11:6) and before His entrance into Jerusalem to present Himself to the nation of Israel as Messiah (See Luke 19:41) and believers are commanded to weep with those who weep (See Romans 12:15).
The statement “when he (Joseph) returned to them (his brothers)” indicates that Joseph left the room and wept in another room where his brothers could not hear him weep.
The fact that Joseph does “not” detain Reuben who is the oldest but rather detains Simeon reveals that Joseph was fully aware that Reuben attempted to save him and that Simeon was the mastermind behind the plot to murder Joseph.
Simeon was the master mind behind the plot to murder Joseph since he and Levi were the master minds of the massacre at Shechem and had a reputation for cruelty (See Genesis 34; 49:5-7).
Further indicating that Simeon was behind the plot to murder Joseph is that he had a motive since he was one of the sons of Leah, who were resentful towards Joseph since Jacob favored Joseph’s mother Rachel over Leah.
Joseph undoubtedly realized that Reuben was trying to save him and that Simeon wanted him murdered and so he released Reuben although he is the oldest and detained Simeon, the next oldest of the sons of Leah (See Genesis 42:24).
Joseph has Simeon bound before the eyes of his brothers in order to impress upon them the seriousness of his intentions and their situation and to test their solidarity.