Thursday Night Bible Study

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Genesis 42-Genesis 43 

"Driven To Joseph" • 7.29.10 • Thursday Night Bible Study

Intro.

- Joseph has been promoted, radically, from prisoner, to Prime Minister! The famine that God foretold of, that He correctly interpreted, has come upon that area of the world.

- It reached far beyond Egypt and into the world of Canaan, where we drop in on Jacob for the first time in two decades.

Text

• Genesis 42:1-5 : "When Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, 'Why do you look at one another?' And he said, 'Indeed I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down to that place and buy for us there, that we may live and not die.' So Joseph’s ten brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt. But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, 'Lest some calamity befall him.' And the sons of Israel went to buy grain among those who journeyed, for the famine was in the land of Canaan." : Jacob sees a caravan returning from Egypt, loaded down with supplies. They were coming from Egypt.

- This scene is funny: "Why do you look at one another?" In other words, "What are you standing around for?" What kept them from leaving and going down to Egypt?

- That journey would have brought some memories to the surface that they did not want to face, but they now had little choice. They had to go to Egypt, so 10 of the 11 sons went.

- Jacob would not send Benjamin fearing what might happen to him. Sadly, the brothers' act against Joseph had produced a fear in Jacob that never quite abated.

- The brothers joined the next caravan heading south.

• Genesis 42:6-17 : "Now Joseph was governor over the land; and it was he who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the earth. Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he acted as a stranger to them and spoke roughly to them. Then he said to them, 'Where do you come from?' And they said, 'From the land of Canaan to buy food.' So Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. Then Joseph remembered the dreams which he had dreamed about them, and said to them, 'You are spies! You have come to see the nakedness of the land!' And they said to him, 'No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food. We are all one man’s sons; we are honest men; your servants are not spies.' But he said to them, 'No, but you have come to see the nakedness of the land.' And they said, 'Your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and in fact, the youngest is with our father today, and one is no more.' But Joseph said to them, 'It is as I spoke to you, saying, ‘You are spies!’ In this manner you shall be tested: By the life of Pharaoh, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. Send one of you, and let him bring your brother; and you shall be kept in prison, that your words may be tested to see whether there is any truth in you; or else, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies!' So he put them all together in prison three days." : Joseph was the governor over the land. It took years of time and the strangest of circumstances, but it had become a reality! God's promises, no matter how unlikely, have an uncanny way of coming true! - As the governor, Joseph was not likely the hands on, hand out man. But the Lord had it happen that the day his brothers showed up, he happened to be there!

- Such things are not coincidence, they are providence! God set this meeting up.

- Joseph recognized them, but they did not know him. Joseph was in his late 30's, shaven and looking more like an Egyptian than a Hebrew. No doubt, he looked different as a man than a teen.

- This provided him with a perfect opportunity to discover the character of these men.

- Have they changed or are they the same cruel men that they once were?

- They said that they were honest men, but they said that one of their brothers, Joseph, was no more! Joseph probably wanted to say, "Say hello to Mr. No More!"

- He put them all in prison for three days to think about who they'd send. Who would be the one to go back to get Benjamin? Three days in prison would begin to determine much for Joseph.

- Over the next three days, he would change the terms of their freedom in his mind.

• Genesis 42:18-24 : "Then Joseph said to them the third day, 'Do this and live, for I fear God: If you are honest men, let one of your brothers be confined to your prison house; but you, go and carry grain for the famine of your houses. And bring your youngest brother to me; so your words will be verified, and you shall not die.' And they did so. Then they said to one another, 'We are truly guilty concerning our brother, for we saw the anguish of his soul when he pleaded with us, and we would not hear; therefore this distress has come upon us.' And Reuben answered them, saying, 'Did I not speak to you, saying, ‘Do not sin against the boy’; and you would not listen? Therefore behold, his blood is now required of us.' But they did not know that Joseph understood them, for he spoke to them through an interpreter. And he turned himself away from them and wept. Then he returned to them again, and talked with them. And he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes." : The brothers, even after all of these years, view this whole event through the lens of their own sin.

- It had created fear in their Father's life, and lasting guilt in theirs. Here they are, two decades removed and that horrible sin still haunts them.

- That is the true nature of sin. Sin seems to be the answer in the moment to whatever burns in our soul. The negative effects live on long past the satisfaction of the moment.

- Notice also the one that they sinned against. Joseph was still broken hearted by what had been done to him. He loved them. When he heard their conversation, it caused him to weep.

- Here Joseph is the governor over Egypt. He is in an unbelieveable position. He's married, he has kids, he has a great chariot and a nice place to stay.

- All that is going good today, will not stop the tears of hurt that come from what happened yesterday! Some might say, "Joseph, look around! See what you have."

- These do not understand the logic of pain. Sin is a deadly force to be reckoned with.

- In the end, at least Joseph got Simeon back. He was the most vehement advocate to kill Joseph back when he was a kid.

• Genesis 42:25-35 : "Then Joseph gave a command to fill their sacks with grain, to restore every man’s money to his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. Thus he did for them. So they loaded their donkeys with the grain and departed from there. But as one of them opened his sack to give his donkey feed at the encampment, he saw his money; and there it was, in the mouth of his sack. So he said to his brothers, 'My money has been restored, and there it is, in my sack!' Then their hearts failed them and they were afraid, saying to one another, 'What is this that God has done to us?' Then they went to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan and told him all that had happened to them, saying: ^'The man who is lord of the land spoke roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country. But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we are not spies. We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is no more, and the youngest is with our father this day in the land of Canaan.’ Then the man, the lord of the country, said to us, ‘By this I will know that you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers here with me, take food for the famine of your households, and be gone. And bring your youngest brother to me; so I shall know that you are not spies, but that you are honest men. I will grant your brother to you, and you may trade in the land.’ Then it happened as they emptied their sacks, that surprisingly each man’s bundle of money was in his sack; and when they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid." : Their hearts failed them and they were afraid. Even this stroke of good caused their consciences to "flare up." God is indeed working upon them.

- They resented Joseph because they thought him a spy. Now, they are thought of as spies. They cast Joseph into a pit. Now, one of them is living in prison.

- God is allowing this circumstance, whereby they are treated poorly and unfairly, to awaken them to the reality of the evil that they had done.

- In spite of this, the still go home and repeat their lying story. Yes God is working on them, but not enough time has elapsed, not enough pain has been had, for them to confess their wrong.

- After they emptied their sacks and found all of their money was accounted for, they were all afraid, including Jacob who was hearing all this for the first time.

• Genesis 42:36-38 : "And Jacob their father said to them, 'You have bereaved me: Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you want to take Benjamin. All these things are against me.' Then Reuben spoke to his father, saying, '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 left alone. If any calamity should befall him along the way in which you go, then you would bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave.'" : Whoa Reuben! There is such a thing as overcompensating! I wonder if Reuben's kids were in earshot. I wonder what they thought of this sentiment!

- Obviously, Reuben was not thinking. Jacob thinks that he has lost at least two sons. He does not want to give another one.

- But to make him feel better, Reuben says, "Kill your grandsons if I lose another of your sons!" How does that make sense?

- While Reuben is clearly not thinking, the important thing is that he is willing to do all that he can to protect Benjamin, proving that by his thoughtless claim.

- Jacob at this point refuses to give in. He has a fatalistic viewpoint and all that he can believe is that something bad will happen.

- He has let every horrible thing that has happened in his past, color his view on the future. Notice that there is not even a possibility that God might be involved in this.

- There is no hint of faith, no hint that Jacob believed that God could work through this.

- This is what giving into fear produces in our lives. Even when God is trying to bless us, fear dictates that we enslave ourselves to fatalism.

- It does not need to be that way. We can choose to believe that our current circumstance is God at work to bless us.

• Genesis 43:1-10 : "Now the famine was severe in the land. And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the grain which they had brought from Egypt, that their father said to them, 'Go back, buy us a little food.' But Judah spoke to him, saying, 'The man solemnly warned us, saying, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’ If you send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food. 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.’ And Israel said, 'Why did you deal so wrongfully with me as to tell the man whether you had still another brother?' But they said, 'The man asked us pointedly about ourselves and our family, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?’ And we told him according to these words. Could we possibly have known that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?' Then Judah said to Israel his father, 'Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, both we and you and also our little ones. I myself will be surety for him; 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. For if we had not lingered, surely by now we would have returned this second time.'" : Some time has gone by. The famine instead of letting up, had now become severe. At least they had some grain. "What do you mean that was the last bag!?"

- "Who had seconds!?" Circumstances and supplies had delayed their need for a decision.

- The prospect of going back and facing this was not what anyone wanted. Finally, Jacob feels the pinch and tells them to go back.

- When Judah tells him that they can't go back without Benjamin, Jacob screams out his frustration about the situation! Why had they been so stupid! God was setting them up.

- Judah steps forward here and offers himself as a surety. Reuben had offered his kids. Now, Judah ups the ante and offers himself. These men are showing that they've changed.

- They are considerate of their Father's position and willing to take personal responsibility for their brother Benjamin.

• Genesis 43:11-17 : "And their father Israel said to them, 'If it must be so, then do this: Take some of the best fruits of the land in your vessels and carry down a present for the man—a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds. Take double money in your hand, and take back in your hand the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks; perhaps it was an oversight. Take your brother also, and arise, go back to the man. And may God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may release your other brother and Benjamin. If I am bereaved, I am bereaved!' So the men took that present and Benjamin, and they took double money in their hand, and arose and went down to Egypt; and they stood before Joseph. When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, 'Take these men to my home, and slaughter an animal and make ready; for these men will dine with me at noon.' Then the man did as Joseph ordered, and the man brought the men into Joseph’s house." : This time down, Joseph brings them into his home. He has not seen his little brother in over 20 years. He wanted to be close to him, but more importantly, to see how his other brothers might treat Him. Joseph is still testing their characters.

• Genesis 43:18-23 : "Now the men were afraid because they were brought into Joseph’s house; and they said, 'It is because of the money, which was returned in our sacks the first time, that we are brought in, so that he may make a case against us and seize us, to take us as slaves with our donkeys.' When they drew near to the steward of Joseph’s house, they talked with him at the door of the house, and said, 'O sir, we indeed came down the first time to buy food; but it happened, when we came to the encampment, that we opened our sacks, and there, each man’s money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight; so we have brought it back in our hand. And we have brought down other money in our hands to buy food. We do not know who put our money in our sacks.' But he said, 'Peace be with you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks; I had your money.' Then he brought Simeon out to them." : Your God and the God of your Father has given you treasure in your sacks. He is showing such grace, showing what kindness that Christ has shown to us.

- He did not take their money, but gave them grain and their money. In a sense, Joseph is trying to get them to acknowledge the Lord's activity in their lives.

• Genesis 43:24-31 : "So the man brought the men into Joseph’s house and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their donkeys feed. Then they made the present ready for Joseph’s coming at noon, for they heard that they would eat bread there. And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed down before him to the earth. Then he asked them about their well-being, and said, 'Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?' And they answered, 'Your servant our father is in good health; he is still alive.' And they bowed their heads down and prostrated themselves. Then he lifted his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, and said, 'Is this your younger brother of whom you spoke to me?' And he said, 'God be gracious to you, my son.' Now his heart yearned for his brother; so Joseph made haste and sought somewhere to weep. And he went into his chamber and wept there. Then he washed his face and came out; and he restrained himself, and said, 'Serve the bread.'" : Joseph is overwhelmed by his brothers visit. He wants to reveal himself to to them, but he has to see their hearts.

• Genesis 43:32-34 : "So they set him a place by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves; because the Egyptians could not eat food with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians. And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth; and the men looked in astonishment at one another. Then he took servings to them from before him, but Benjamin’s serving was five times as much as any of theirs. So they drank and were merry with him." : This lunch was a great celebration. Joseph maintained his distance, both from the Egyptians and from his brothers.

- Joseph made sure to show great favor to Benjamin. What would this provoke? Would the brothers be angry? Would they resent Benjamin as they had Joseph? There is not even a hint.

- They drank and were merry with him. This is what Joseph had wanted all along.

Conclusion

- To those who think like Jacob, who have let fear take root in their souls, who can see no good thing that the Lord is doing, take heart!

- Be reminded afresh that no matter what the previous chapters have held, God is writing a good story. Don't let fear rule your hearts.

- To those who think like the sons of Jacob: Repent from your sin, come clean before the Lord and know His forgiveness. Don't hide it. Don't justify it.

- Acknowledge your guilt and believe in His forgiveness. Believe it or not, like Joseph, Jesus has invited you to His table, not to burden you, but to bless you.

- He is calling you to come to His house, so that you would drink and be merry with Him.