Genesis 42

Updated
2001-05-26; 14:31:47utc

With this chapter we enter into one of the most moving accounts of human relations in the Bible; probably in the whole of world literature. I can never read this story without deep emotion.

As the story unfolds, we see, first of all, how Jacob sends his sons to Egypt to get food for the starving family. (vs. 1-4) The brothers arrive in Egypt; they are immediately recognized by Joseph but do not recognize him. Joseph accuses them of evil intent, obviously to put them to the test, and puts them in prison. (vs. 5-17) He sends them home with the order to come back with Benjamin, keeping Simeon hostage. (vs. 18-24) On the return trip one of the man discovers that his money was returned, which causes general alarm among all the brothers. (vs. 25-28) They return home, tell their story and Jacob reacts with despair. (vs. 29-38)

Vs. 1-4. Adam Clarke remarks that famines must have been frequent in Canaan. But if we go by the Biblical record we find that almost a century elapses between the one during Abraham's time and Isaac's and another century between that and the last one. The one around which this story runs must have been the worst one though. Even Egypt suffered hunger. The cause of the famine must have been a prolonged dry spell that affected most of East Africa and the Middle East.

From ch. 35:6 we understand that Jacob must have sent his sons during the second year of the draught. For two years in a row the fields had not been harvested and the grazing grounds for the cattle must have withered completely, greatly reducing the flocks.

Word about the availability of grain in Egypt probably reached Jacob via travelling salesmen, such as the Ishmaelites who had bought Joseph and sold him in Egypt. Jacob insists that his sons go to Egypt to buy food. There does not seem to have been any question about all of them moving to Egypt, as Abraham did when the famine struck in his time. The size of the family was probably a major factor. We do not know why the brothers hesitated so much to go. At least we get this impression from vs. 1. It could be that the name

Egypt appealed to their guilty conscience. After all it was to Egypt that they had sold their brother. This fact may not have stood vividly before their minds' eyes, but unconscious drives and restrictions often govern us all. Egypt was a black hole, a place to stay away from.

Jacob does not permit Benjamin to travel with the others. Benjamin had evidently taken Joseph's place in Jacob's affection. We do not read that the brothers had developed the same hatred toward him as they had for Joseph. At the time Benjamin must have been at least in his early twenties. The family situation has not changed much over the years. For Jacob there had been only one wife, Rachel and his only sons where Rachel's sons: Joseph and Benjamin. The rest of the family still suffered neglect. I wonder if Jacob ever knew what he had done to his family.

Vs. 5-17. There is no account of the actual trip to Egypt. The next thing we know is that the ten brothers stand in Joseph's court. Their apprehension has not left them. They had no indication that Joseph would be dead and so they had to count with the possibility of bumping into him somewhere. In their minds eye such an encounter would only be possible in the slums of a city, if Joseph had escaped, or in a place where slaves were kept. The royal palace probably never had occurred to them. In retrospect we have to say that God has the greatest sense of humor of anyone in the universe. But none of Jacob's family would have said so until the last chapter of their lives was written.

So there are the brothers among a large crowd that gathered at Joseph's palace to buy grain. We can hardly suppose that Joseph personally oversaw every sale. It could be coincidence, to use a human concept, that Joseph was present when his brothers arrived; but more likely Joseph had a special place where foreigners would buy and he took personal charge of that phase of the project for security reasons.

Had the brothers mixed with the crowd it would be possible that Joseph would not have recognized them separately, at least not easily. But their own feeling of apprehension kept them together and made them stand out in the crowd. Their bowing down to Joseph was probably a routine, required of everybody who passed through the line. For Joseph it was the first fulfillment of his dream. He probably was not prepared for this and it must have come to him as a profound shock. It wasn't that the Lord had not warned him and told him. But in spite of his knowledge of the events that would come to pass, his brothers' appearance must have come to him as the Lord's return will to us: We know He is coming, we think we are ready for His return and we will be shocked out of our wits. John, who knew Jesus more intimately than anybody else, says: "When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead." (Rev. 1:17)

Our first impression of Joseph's attitude toward his brothers is that he wants to take revenge. But the moments of uncontrollable emotions and his testimony after Jacob's death speak against this. Ch. 50:19-21 wraps up his attitude: "But Joseph said to them, [his brothers] 'Do not be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, do not be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.' And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them." It would obviously have been impossible for Joseph to receive his brothers, who wanted to kill him when he saw them last, without putting them to the test. The fragile defenses of Egypt, which laid it open to any army for attack required a watchful attitude. It would have been very easy indeed for any spies to mix with the crowd of buyers of grain. That situation provided Joseph with a very natural cover for the tests he made his brothers pass through.

Vs. 7 states very clearly that Joseph pretends to accuse his brothers. He knew they were no spies, but he could not be sure that they were no longer murderers. Evidently his heart went out to them and he wanted to save them and their families. Vs. 18 and 19 testify to this desire. The underlying principle is that there can be no salvation without confession. Even as Joseph could not save his brothers from starvation in the condition in which they were, Jesus cannot save us unless we recognize that it was for our sins He died on the cross.

The brothers' denial by stating that they are all sons of the same family is also a natural reaction. Spies usually do not come as a family. But the confession that they "are the sons of one man" gives Joseph a handle on them. He pretends he needs proof of their claim, which could be given by producing their youngest brother, Benjamin. Before coming to this point, Joseph gives his brother a taste of what it means to fear for your life and to be thrown in prison. He lets them endure for only three days what he had to suffer for about thirteen years. The treatment proves to be very effective. Probably for the first time in their lives, they come under conviction of sin.

The punishment for spying was evidently death. It seems that the words of vs. 18 bear this out: "On the third day, Joseph said to them, 'Do this and you will live, for I fear God ....'"So the brothers had all reason to believe that this could be the end for the ten of them. There is nothing so stimulating to make up the balance of our lives and see our sins for what they are as the possibility of death. Death can make crooks into honest men.

When the brothers give account of the composition of their family they say: "Your servants were twelve brothers, the sons of one man, who lives in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more." (vs. 13) The expression "one is no more" must have struck Joseph particularly. The brothers did not want to say that Joseph was dead. They would have had no qualms about killing their brother, but they did not want to lie about it. We saw their "scruples" when they reported the fact of Joseph's disappearance to Jacob. They let Jacob draw the conclusion that Joseph was dead. It is different when you try to keep the crime a secret from the victim. But they did not know they were talking to Joseph. Their attitude shows the essence of sin. Adam and Eve tried to hide from the omniscient God and people who sin have tried to do so ever since. Sin dulls our perception of reality.

Commentators have stumbled over Joseph's oath "As surely as Pharaoh lives," or as the KJV and RSV put it "By the life of Pharaoh." It is hard to determine from this distance if Joseph's words really constituted an oath. If Joseph considered Pharaoh to be a deity, the words would have a binding meaning. But we have no proof that Joseph ever abandoned his belief in God as the Supreme Being. It is unlikely that Joseph believed that Pharaoh would not die. The words may have been a common expression in Egypt, that would have aroused nobody's attention. It is also true that three days later Joseph reversed his decision based on his "oath" and let his brothers go home, with the exception of Simeon. Would Joseph have used the oath ironically? In Shakespeare's play "As you like it" the fool Touchstone talks about a knight who swore by his honor. What he said proved to be untrue, but according to Touchstone the knight was not "forsworn," because he had sworn by something he did not have!

Whether Joseph pretended that he wanted to keep all his brothers in prison, except one who was to fetch Benjamin, or whether he changed his mind three days later is not clear. He may have intended all the time to let them go back, but not without a taste of prison-life.

Vs. 18-20 say: "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 stay here in prison, while the rest of you go and take grain back for your starving households. But you must bring your youngest brother to me, so that your words may be verified and that you may not die.' This they proceeded to do." It may be going too far to say that, in spending three days in prison,

the brothers not only identified with Joseph in his suffering, but also with Christ. There could not be any possibility of the brothers seeing it that way, but they may have reflected upon this from glory. The Holy Spirit deals with us in strange ways.

The prison experience and Joseph's verdict bring 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. They had murdered, fornicated, and committed incest. They had lied to their father and hated. They performed cruelty on animals. These were not kind and tenderhearted shepherds. They considered themselves kings, responsible to no one. They lived under God's heaven, but did not acknowledge God. This is the first time we read that there was any feeling of guilt. Soon they will start to recognize that God has something to do with this.

From their conversation we gather that they supposed Joseph to be dead. At least Reuben thinks so. He distances himself from the crime the others committed with the words: "Did not I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn't listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood."

(Vs. 22) Thinking they can talk freely, because nobody understands their language, they are open about their fears and guilt feelings. People who are multilingual should be careful about what they say in a language they think nobody understands. The thought probably never occurred to the brothers that Joseph's interpreter would understand. He may have been a slave, who was too low to be considered by them. The mistakes they made in talking freely indicate the tension they found themselves under. Their conscience started bothering them and so they forgot to take the customary precautions. Their masks slipped.

Vs. 24 tells us that Joseph was overcome by emotion at this point. He wept. Joseph's tears were an expression of his love for his brothers. This does not prevent him from maintaining his attitude of harshness toward them. He had no choice. Had Joseph at this point revealed his identity to his brothers there would have been no healing in their relationship. Joseph's dilemma is God's dilemma between His love and His righteousness. If forgiveness is not on the basis of righteousness then there is no healing. When on the third day Joseph said to his brothers "I fear God" he proved the truth of his confession by showing the principles that governed his behavior.

It was not too difficult to single out Simeon as hostage; he was responsible for the massacre at Shechem. There is no indication that Simeon was treated roughly. His being bound publicly was for his brother's benefit.

When the brothers leave to return home they have no idea that they are twice as rich as when they came. They may have received as much as a full year's supply for their whole family, a total of sixty-seven souls, according to Ch. 46:27. ("With the two sons who had been born to Joseph in Egypt, the members of Jacob's family, which went to Egypt, were seventy in all.") On top of this their money had been returned to them.

For some strange reason the discovery of the money hits them harder than their other experiences, including their fear of death. For the first time they suspect that God may have something to do with this. The return of the money was an act of kindness on Joseph's part. Acts of kindness and expression of love are usually more effective in opening people's hearts and in bringing about conviction of sin, than anything else. Some people repent of their sins because they do not want to go to hell, but more often people are drawn to the Lord because of the love demonstrated by Christians.

Up to this point the brothers may have thought, or hoped that their experiences in Egypt were a complex of coincidences, vaguely relating them to their guilt about the crime they committed with Joseph. But the return of the money makes them realize that "the Hound of Heaven" is on their heels. There is no logical explanation for the return of the money. They are sure, however, that in Egypt they will be accused of stealing it. It is one thing to be accused for crimes you have committed, like the killing of a brother, but to be accused of stealing money that you did not steal is worse. God is piling it up on them.

When they arrive home they tell the whole story to their father, without the part of their guilt feelings, that is. They report to Jacob that they did not have a nice reception by the Egyptian authorities. They were accused of spying, which would carry the death penalty. They want Jacob to realize that they barely escaped. They understand that it will be almost impossible to meet Joseph's demand that next time they bring Benjamin. Jacob would never let his youngest son go. In this supposition they were right. They explain to Jacob that, if ever he wants to see Simeon again, he will have to let Benjamin go with them.

Before we are told about Jacob's reaction, we see the brothers find their money when they open their sacks. Supposedly Jacob is present when this happens. Two words are used to describe the travel gear of the brothers. One is bags and the other sack. The bags were the receptacles containing the large quantity of grain they carried home and the sack was the luggage they used during the trip. We understand that only one of the brothers found his money during the home journey, because it was laying on top. They others did not discover it until they got home and emptied everything. The same eerie feeling of facing an inexplicable phenomena comes over all of them, Jacob included. This reeks of magic. They know they paid, so how does the money show up again?

The supernatural touch of the experience does not face Jacob. He categorically accuses his sons. It is all their fault. "You have deprived me of my children," he says, not knowing that there is more truths in his words than he would be able to account for. It is hardly likely that Jacob would have suspected his sons of doing away with Joseph. But he could not honestly accuse them of being guilty of Simeon's disappearance. There was no reason to suppose that Simeon had been executed.

Jacob's problem is his ego. He may have had a major spiritual experience at Peniel, but the world still turns around him. He loved Rachel to the neglect of everybody else, then he showered his affection upon Joseph to the detriment of the rest of his family. Now he has only one pet left: Benjamin. He is not going to give him up, not because of Benjamin, but for his own sake. Everything is against Jacob, the world and God and the family.

Reuben's offer in vs. 37 sounds strange to us. We read: "Then Reuben said to his father, 'You may put both of my sons to death if I do not bring him back to you. Entrust him to my care, and I will bring him back.'" We if take these words literally they make no sense. The picture of Jacob killing two of his own grand children to compensate for the loss of Benjamin is ridiculous. Obviously Reuben did not mean it this way. His words are meant to be an absolute guarantee for Benjamin's safety. Since it would have been impossible for Jacob to kill Reuben's children, it would have been impossible for Reuben not to return Benjamin to his father. Since his children were more precious to him than his own life, he offers himself to Jacob as Benjamin's surety.

But Jacob is not moved. There are not many issues on which Jacob put his foot down during his life, but his affection for Benjamin is one. We can't deny that Jacob suffered a lot during his life. Even if some of the suffering was of his own making, it was suffering. We can understand that Jacob's sons pitied their father. He was an old man, grieving the death of his son. But if the old man indicates that he wants to be pitied, then it is much harder to bestow pity upon him. And Jacob plays this game. He says: "Look at me, pity me. I am old and the protective cocoon I had woven around myself is peeled away from me!" There is no indication, at least not at this point, that Jacob puts all the factors on the scale; the survival of his sons and their family on the one side and his own feelings on the other. A few months later when hunger makes his stomach cramp, he changes his mind, but not now. It is not a very pretty picture.