Genesis 43:16-44:28

The dreams turn out to be prophetic insights given to Pharoah by God and God uses Joseph to interpret them. The dreams foretell of a vicious seven year worldwide famine that will come on Egypt and the rest of the world after seven years of great bounty.

Joseph then tells Pharoah what he should do to protect Egypt. His wisdom and insight are clearly from the Spirit of God which Pharoah recognises and makes him the most powerful man in Egypt and the world second only to Pharoah himself. Even then he was greater than Pharoah when it came to matters relating to the famine.

The great famine eventually comes upon the world, that’s the known world at that time, after Joseph has organised massive, uncountable volumes of grain to be stored in every city of the land.

Eventually the famine threatens the family of Jacob down in Canaan along with the ten sons of Jacob, who were Joseph’s half brothers, who hated him and had conspired to kill him but instead threw him in a pit and then sold him into slavery. An eleventh brother, Benjamin, who is Josephs full brother from Jacobs beloved wife Rachel, is down there as well. He was just a toddler at the time of Joseph’s calamity.

As expected the famine causes Jacob to send his ten sons, minus Benjamin, down to Egypt to buy some of the life giving grain that’s only available there.

Joseph recognises the brothers when they arrive and come before him to buy the grain, but they have no idea who he is. Time and a change of appearance made Joseph unrecognisable to them as their brother who they ‘re sure is dead.

Joseph then initiates a plan that will test the brothers to see if they have the same hatred for Jacob’s other favourite son, Benjamin as they had for him. The plan will also reveal whether they’ve changed from their total disregard for Jacob’s feelings when they told him Joseph had been killed.

This is an amazingly intricate plan yet it is perhaps the only way that Joseph can get an accurate, up to date picture of his whole family that he’s not seen for over 20 years.

Now the plan caused the brothers to go back home to Canaan with enough grain to keep them alive but they’re minus Simeon who is kept as a hostage in Egypt. The find the money they used to pay for the grain hidden in the grain sacks. The brothers will need to bring Joseph’s younger brother Benjamin back with them to be able to buy more grain and to free Simeon. They’re forced to do this as the grain they bought runs out and Jacob, who’s adamant that Benjamin will not go to Egypt is forced to relent as starvation threatens again and he so he reluctantly agrees to let Benjamin go with the others to buy more grain. Now they’re once again back in Egypt standing before this all powerful Egyptian official who they have no idea is really their brother Joseph.

Let’s take up the story today from Genesis 43:16-17,

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. 

Joseph’s inviting them to his home because he wants to talk with them in private.

Verse 18,

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.” 

The brothers are really panicking now and they’re also very puzzled.

They can’t imagine why they’re being invited into the personal home of the second most powerful man in the world. It can’t be for anything good. They’d been dealt with harshly by him before, and now they’re being invited to lunch!

Under ordinary circumstances this would be something of an honour, like being invited to lunch in parliament house by the prime minister. Yet, for these men, it brings no joy whatsoever.

You see here that it’s that guilty conscience and the nagging thought that God’s going to judge them for their sin that causes them great foreboding.

They feel guilty about everything that happens now and they see everything through that guilt. The guilt changed any joy into misery. In their fear, they wonder and begin to speculate whether or not this powerful man’s plotting to take them as slaves because of the money in the sacks. Of course, they hadn’t hesitated to make a slave of Joseph when they sold him to the Ishmaelites for the slave market in Egypt.

Verses 19 to 22,

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.” 

We see here that the desperation is rising. They’re beginning to apologize, explain, and plead. They even appeal to this official who’s taking them to Joseph’s home.

Verse 23,

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. 

This official, probably through the testimony of Joseph, had come to a knowledge of the living and true God. It’s probable that Joseph had at least partially let him in on what was taking place. When he said, “I remember that you paid your money,” it probably was of little comfort and more than likely frightened the brothers even more.

Verse 24,

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. 

Here we see the custom of foot washing again which was the custom of the day. We saw it in the life of Abraham and then again down in the city of Sodom. This official even fed their donkeys for them.

Genesis 43:25-26,

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. 

Remember that old Jacob had told his sons to take a present to “the man.” Notice that they “bowed themselves to the ground in front of him.” Yet again the boyhood dreams of Joseph are being fulfilled.

Verse 27,

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?” 

This is another dramatic moment! Joseph is more than likely seated, not necessarily on a throne, but on a seat that’s elevated giving the impression of his high office, as his brothers bow before him. When they stand to their feet, Joseph looks them right in the eye, and they look at him. Joseph asks, “How is your elderly father you told me about. Is he still alive and well?”

You see, Joseph is acutely interested because old Jacob’s his father, also.

Verse 28,

And they answered, “Your servant our father is in good health; he is still alive.” And they bowed their heads down and prostrated themselves. 

Here they go down on their faces again. The prophecies in Joseph’s dreams are fulfilled time and time again. Benjamin is with them this time, and he goes down on his face, too.

Verse 29,

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.” 

Joseph looks at his brother Benjamin, “his mother’s son.”

The others are his half–brothers, but this boy is his full–brother, his mother’s son. He asks, “Is this your youngest brother that you told me about?” Probably the brothers nodded. Joseph said to Benjamin, “God be gracious to you, my son.!”

What a dramatic moment! And Joseph can’t contain his emotion as we see in Verse 30,

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. 

Joseph was deeply moved, and his heart broke with intensity of the emotion.

He felt the emotion turning to tears and we can see him holding back from sobbing as he made some spat out an excuse and got out of the room as quickly as he could. He went into his own private quarters, and he wept. After all these years, about 22 years, he sees his own brother Benjamin again. Joseph is almost forty now, and Benjamin is a young man. The feelings simply overwhelmed him.

Verse 31,

Then he washed his face and came out; and he restrained himself, and said, “Serve the bread.” 

This is a wonderful picture of something prophetic that is yet to be fulfilled. I hope that we’ll not miss this. The prophet Zechariah tells us in Zechariah chapters 12 and 13 that Jesus Christ is going to make Himself known to His brethren, the nation of Israel, someday.

They’re going to ask Him about the piercing of His side and the nail prints in His hands and He’s going to say to them in that day, “Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.”

Then they will recognise Him, and they’ll weep. He’s the One who’s provided salvation for them. He’s the One who gave His life for their redemption.

This is going to take place when the Lord Jesus comes back to the earth. He’ll be revealed to His brethren, the nation Israel. There will be a remnant there who’ll know Him. Many of His brethren did not believe on Him when He came the first time, but at that time they’re going to know Him.

Just as Joseph’s brothers are the ones who delivered him into slavery. They sold him, got rid of him. But now he’s going to make himself known to his brethren. Someday our Lord Jesus Christ is going to do just that.

My Christian friend beware of antisemitism. Regardless of how blind the nation of Israel is today or what they engage in, and regardless of whether or not they’re all lovely people, it’s still true that they’re the brethren of our Lord. There’s coming the day when He’s going to make Himself known to them. It’s a family affair and we’d best leave His family alone. No real Christian can possibly engage in antisemitism.

After Joseph had gone to his private quarters to weep, he regained control of his emotions, washed his face, and returned to his brothers. “Let’s go and eat,” He said.

Verse 32,

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. 

There are several things about this meal that the brothers would’ve noticed had they not been so frightened. In particular the seating arrangements should have struck them as odd. The first thing is that Joseph didn’t eat with the Egyptians. The Egyptians ate alone with Joseph separate from them and then the brothers were seated separately again. Even though Joseph was second in the power hierarchy of Egypt, the Egyptians still thought that it was an abomination for them to eat with Hebrews. The brothers may have put this down to the position Joseph held but they didn’t for a moment click that it was because he was a Hebrew like them.

Now here is something else, in verse 33,

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.

Joseph had arranged the place cards, so to speak, and he put Reuben in the first place and Benjamin in the last place, and all the other brothers were in their right order, according to their ages. They looked at each other in amazement and wondered how in the world he knew that. The whole day’s getting stranger as it goes on.

Verse 34,

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.. 

Also notice that he served their places.

Joseph selected and sent portions to them from his own table, but Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as any of theirs. So, they feasted and drank freely and celebrated with him.

What a wonderful day it had ended up as and it’ll be even more so later on when Joseph finally reveals himself to his brethren.

Now it’s time for us to move on to Genesis chapter 44.

Again, we have a wonderful and dramatic chapter before us.

Joseph has something else up his sleeve and we’ll see that he sends his brothers away with the grain they need. He tests his brothers to get a firm picture of their relationship and their affection for Benjamin and their father, Jacob.

We always remember that the brothers had sold him into slavery. Have they changed? Will they be willing to let Benjamin go into slavery to save themselves? He needs to satisfy his mind in this regard before he makes himself known to them. The test he uses here would give him absolute proof that his brothers would not repeat the episode that he’d experienced at their hands.

We’ll see Judah acting as the spokesman for the group, drawing another wonderful picture for us. He’s willing to take the place of Benjamin, and his impassioned defence of Benjamin is one of the most moving passages in the Bible.

We’ll open Genesis 44:1-5,

And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, “Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man’s money in the mouth of his sack. 

Also put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his grain money.” So he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken. 

As soon as the morning dawned, the men were sent away, they and their donkeys. 

When they had gone out of the city, and were not yet far off, Joseph said to his steward, “Get up, follow the men; and when you overtake them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid evil for good? 

Is not this the one from which my lord drinks, and with which he indeed practices divination? You have done evil in so doing.’ ” 

The servant does as Joseph orders and hides the silver cup in Benjamin’s sack of grain.

Joseph sends them on their way, and the brothers start their journey back home, thinking everything’s all right. They’ve got no idea of the cup in Benjamin’s sack.

Then Joseph commands the servant to go and catch up to the brothers and stop them and ask them why they’d stolen Joseph’s special silver cup when they’d received only kindness from Joseph.

Notice how the steward is to say that Joseph uses this cup for “divination.” Remember that Joseph was a prophet, and he was able to foretell the future through the interpretation of dreams.

We know that because he interpreted the dreams of the baker, the butler, and of Pharaoh. He may have used this cup, or maybe that was part of the ploy he was using. We must understand that his gift of prophecy was a gift that God had given him, and this was before there was any written revelation. We are not to get a cup and look at tea leaves, nor are we to read the daily horoscope. That is all nonsense. It reveals the sad spiritual condition of people today when they turn to that sort of thing.

Joseph had a gift, but the gift was not in the cup it was from God.

The point was to make the brothers aware that this was a special cup, and it was a crime to take it.

Verses 6 to 9,

So he overtook them, and he spoke to them these same words. 

And they said to him, “Why does my lord say these words? Far be it from us that your servants should do such a thing. 

Look, we brought back to you from the land of Canaan the money which we found in the mouth of our sacks. How then could we steal silver or gold from your lord’s house? 

With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my lord’s slaves.”

They were so sure that none of them had the cup that they use the very words that they’ll condemned by.

Verses 10 to 12,

And he said, “Now also let it be according to your words; he with whom it is found shall be my slave, and you shall be blameless.” 

Then each man speedily let down his sack to the ground, and each opened his sack. 

So he searched. He began with the oldest and left off with the youngest; and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. 

Can any of us imagine the utter shock and devastation that these brothers when they see the cup come out from Benjamin’s sack.

By their own words they’ve condemned Benjamin to Egyptian slavery or even death.

They must have been physically sick with horror as the planted evidence was found.

According to their oath, they would now be rid of the other favoured son.

If they hated Benjamin as much as they hated Joseph, they would be glad at this.

Verse 13,

Then they tore their clothes, and each man loaded his donkey and returned to the city. 

This was an extreme expression of horror, as if someone had just died.

They weren’t happy at the idea of being rid of Benjamin; they were horrified. They all tore their clothes and they all returned to the city.

The reaction of the brothers showed that for them, this was the worst thing imaginable.

The cup was found in the sack of their father’s favourite son, the one he worried about the most. Now Benjamin was sentenced by their words to a life of slavery in Egypt or even death.

This terrible, horrific, almost uncontrollable despair was a radical change in the brothers. Before, with Joseph, they didn’t care about their father’s feelings or his favourite son. In fact, they were happy to murder him themselves.

Now, the idea of hurting either father or son made them feel worse than as if someone had died.

Each man loaded his donkey and returned to the city. When Joseph was taken as a slave, the brothers allowed him to go and thought nothing of it. Now, they’re willing to stand with Benjamin as he faces slavery or death. This demonstrated a significant change in the heart and attitude of Joseph’s brothers.

Genesis 44:14-15,

So Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house, and he was still there; and they fell before him on the ground. 

And Joseph said to them, “What deed is this you have done? Did you not know that such a man as I can certainly practice divination?” 

They came back to the Egyptian official with humility. They’d been wronged; the evidence had been planted. Yet they didn’t come demanding justice, but with a humble plea for mercy.

When they fell before him on the ground, once again – for the third time – they once again fulfilled the dreams Joseph had more than 20 years before.

It also demonstrated that the brothers were desperate to gain favour with this  Egyptian official to obtain the release of Benjamin. They knew it was a genuine disaster to lose Benjamin and that it would kill their father.

When Joseph spoke of divination here it was because it was important, at least for a while longer, to play the part of an Egyptian and not allow them to know he was a Hebrew who worshipped Yahweh, the One true God.

Now Judah comes to the front, and the nobility of this man really stands out now. Remember it’s from the tribe of Judah that the Saviour’s going to come. This man makes one of the finest speeches ever recorded. He makes a full confession that it is because of their sin that this has come upon them.

Verses 16 and 17,

Then Judah said, “What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak? Or how shall we clear ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants; here we are, my lord’s slaves, both we and he also with whom the cup was found.” 

But he said, “Far be it from me that I should do so; the man in whose hand the cup was found, he shall be my slave. And as for you, go up in peace to your father.” 

Joseph wants to test them now in regard to their love for their brother. He says that Benjamin is the guilty one; so it’s Benjamin who must stay. They’d sold him into slavery; now he says, “Just leave Benjamin here, and he can be my slave. He’s the guilty one. The rest of you can go home.”

Now listen to Judah in verse 18,

Then Judah came near to him and said: “O my lord, please let your servant speak a word in my lord’s hearing, and do not let your anger burn against your servant; for you are even like Pharaoh.

You can see the position which Joseph occupies in Egypt.

Verses 19 to 29,

My lord asked his servants, saying, ‘Have you a father or a brother?’ 

And we said to my lord, ‘We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, who is young; his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother’s children, and his father loves him.’ 

Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him.’ 

And we said to my lord, ‘The lad cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.’ 

But you said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall see my face no more.’ 

“So it was, when we went up to your servant my father, that we told him the words of my lord. 

And our father said, ‘Go back and buy us a little food.’ 

But we said, ‘We cannot go down; if our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down; for we may not see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’ 

Then your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons; and the one went out from me, and I said, “Surely he is torn to pieces”; and I have not seen him since. 

But if you take this one also from me, and calamity befalls him, you shall bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave.’ 

Judah here in this statement is recounting what’s happened and the feelings of their father.

Actually, the father had been deceived, and Joseph can see that now. He now knows exactly what the brothers told their father what had happened to him so long ago. Quite probably this is the first time any one of them has ever addressed the incident. They’d said previously that he “was not,” meaning that he was dead.

We can see something else here. Jacob is growing in grace, but he hasn’t arrived. Instead of trusting the Lord, he is leaning on this young fellow Benjamin. If anything had happened to Benjamin, it would have killed him. He would have gone down into his grave, sorrowing.

There are Christians today who reveal a very wonderful faith in God at the time when death comes to a loved one. Others actually collapse when this happens.

My friends, no matter how much you love that person, if both of you are children of God, you know you’re going to see each other again someday. The one walking by faith is not going to collapse completely at a time like that. Yes there’ll be grief and yes there’ll be sorrow but there’ll also be a blessed assurance that you’ll be reunited with that loved one.

We can see that Jacob’s not quite arrived at that place yet, although he is growing in grace. He still doesn’t have a complete trust in God but it’s coming. He’s no different to most of us. Although we know the truth it is often hard to act it out in its fullness.

Notice the concern that Judah has here for old Jacob. Judah is the spokesman for the group but probably any one of the other brothers would have made this same statement. We’ll have to wait until next time to see how Joseph handles this appeal from Judah and it’s heart wrenching in its telling. Until then my friends may God bless you richly and keep you in His care.