Genesis 43

Updated
2001-05-26; 14:31:48utc

This chapter can be easily divided into two parts: vs. 1-14 where Jacob sends his sons again to Egypt and the discussion that is part of the preparation of the trip; vs. 15-34 where the brothers meet Joseph and are received at his personal residence.

Since the second trip took place during the second year of the famine, according to ch. 45:6, we may presume that the first trip took place some time during the first year of the famine; probably toward the end of it. How much time elapsed between the two trip is hard to determine. Vs. 2 says that all the grain brought from Egypt was finished. It would be reasonable to suppose to the brothers had tried to buy enough grain to last them till the next harvest.

Jacob tries to persuade his sons to go to Egypt without Benjamin, thus circumventing the problem. But his sons know better than to present themselves before the ruler of Egypt without him. They are convinced that this will be understood to be a confirmation of the accusation that they are spies. It could cost them their lives. Probably Jacob did not think that far. He would not have come to the place where he would sacrifice the lives of his ten sons in order to save Benjamin.

For us, who know the actual situation, it may be hard to put ourselves in the skin of those who were involved in the events and who did not know. It looked so terrible and it actually was so glorious. There is a compelling parallel between their situation and ours. Here we are going through life on earth, suffering, crying, fearing, despairing, most of the time without any nothing that God is leading us to glory through Jesus Christ.

The brothers will never have given it a thought that the man on the throne could be Joseph. Their guilt would have prevented them from thinking this. What should have been a glorious discovery became their greatest embarrassment, because this was their brother they had been trying to kill. At the appearance of Jesus Christ, we read that the people on earth will have a similar reaction. The prophet Zacharia paints the picture for us, that is taken up by the Apostle John in the book of Revelation. "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son." (Zach. 12:10) "Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen." (Rev. 1:7) If only we knew the facts life on earth would be different. But we can know them! The brothers could not, but we can and if guilt prevents us from hoping we may receive forgiveness and cleansing.

Finally, it is Judah who sways his father and convinces him that there is no alternative but to send Benjamin. Judah is less dramatic and overbearing than Reuben was, who offered the lives of his two sons. Judah gives himself as surety to his father. The fact that the family was literally starving also helped Jacob to decide. Jacob starts to fuss about some details of gifts that should be taken to mellow the authorities in Egypt, but the important thing is his act of surrender. He says he is ready to receive the final blow. We read in vs. 14 that he says: "And may God Almighty grant you mercy before the man so that he will let your other brother and Benjamin come back with you. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved." The blow never comes. It is when Jacob surrenders Benjamin, in the same way as Abraham surrendered Isaac, that he receives back not only Benjamin and Simeon, but Joseph too. The only way to keep our children is to surrender them to the Lord. The fast way to lose them is to want to keep them for ourselves.

Jacob kept some of his children as his pets. Those children were all he had. The difference between Jacob and Abraham was that Abraham had the Lord, so he could afford to give up everything. If we have everything, except the Lord, we are poor indeed. Jacob may have had several supernatural experiences and he confessed his sin in his wrestling with the angel at Peniel, but he did not walk intimately with God on a daily basis. If he had the world would not have turned about him the way we see it did. The fact that God calls us and that He executes His plan through our lives does not automatically make us friends of God. Only our surrender does.

In vs. 15-34 we find the brothers in Egypt with their money and "a little balm and a little honey, some spices and myrrh, some pistachio nuts and almonds," they present themselves before Joseph. It seems that at this point they do not talk to Joseph personally, but they are taken to his house, since Joseph has given orders to prepare a feast for them. Thinking that they are still under suspicion they are frightened. There first impression is that they will be taken into custody on the accusation that they stole money during their first trip, so they hasten to explain the situation to Joseph's steward.

The steward's reply in vs. 23 does not solve the mystery for them. We read: "'It's all right,' he said. 'Do not be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, has given you treasure in your sacks; I received your silver.' then he brought Simeon out to them." Whether this man was involved in the plot and personally returned the money to them, or whether Joseph paid for his brothers from his own pocket and told one the other servants to put the money in the bag, we do not know. The man may have been lying in saying that he received their silver, but he may also have spoken the truth.

In Joseph's house they receive VIP treatment. The fact that Simeon joined them at this point must have alleviated their fears. They are given the impression of being exonerated. All charges against them are evidently dropped. They will have taken their meal with Joseph as some kind of apology offered for the initial false accusation. When Joseph arrives, the comedy continues. He must have continued to use an interpreter in speaking to them. They present their presents, bow down, thus fulfilling once again the dream and they answer his questions about the family. Joseph is overcome by emotion when he sees his brother Benjamin and he has to withdraw to weep in the solitude of his room. Whether the brothers noticed any of this emotion we do not know. They may have answered his question from their prostrated position, which would have prevented them from seeing Joseph's reactions. Reunions are sometimes just as hard to deal with as separations.

In the serving of the meal we are given some interesting information about the relationship between the Egyptians and the Hebrews. Racial tensions ran high. If the assumption we mentioned earlier, that Joseph's rise to power took place during the period the Hyksos reigned in Egypt, is correct, it would explain why the two groups did not mix. Besides the political tension there

must have been a religious one. The cow was probably revered as a divine incarnation and eating of beef by Hebrews must have been a detestable practice to the Egyptians. The fact that the Israelites made a golden calf when they gathered at to foot of Mount Sinai, would be an indication that such was the case. Joseph could have been served separately on the basis of his position as ruler of Egypt and the brothers may not have recognized him as a Hebrew.

What amazes the brothers most is the fact that they are seated at the table in the order of their age: Reuben at one end and Benjamin at the other. This amazes them because it could hardly be a coincidence. It is also puzzling that Joseph honors Benjamin by giving him the largest portion. Evidently one did not serve oneself at the table. Archeology has confirmed that Egyptians did not recline at the table like the Jews later did, but actually sat down.

The result of the gathering is that everybody relaxes. The meal turns into a feast. The good food and, probably even more the good wine, helped to create an atmosphere of joy. The NIV puts the relaxation clearly on account of the drinks. We read: "So they feasted and drank freely with him." (vs. 34) The KJV says: "And they drank, and were merry with him." The brothers celebrate the fact that all charges against them are dropped, but Joseph celebrates the reunion. Yet the moment to reveal himself has not yet come.