Midweek Meditation May 12, 2021 Genesis 43 You may remember from last week, Joseph’s brothers, in response to a famine, went to Egypt to buy some food so that they would not starve. Joseph’s brothers, because they felt guilty about selling Joseph into slavery, were not crazy about the idea of going to Egypt. But, if they wanted to eat, the only place to get food was in Egypt. And that was true because God had revealed to Joseph a seven- year time of abundance to be followed by a seven-year famine. And then God empowered Joseph to manage Egypt’s grain in the time of plenty so that they would have grain to spare in the time of Famine. So, when Joseph’s brothers arrived in Egypt, they had to deal with Joseph. And, you may remember that Joseph did not reveal himself to his brothers, and he dealt harshly with them. He accused them of being spies. He made them stay in jail for three days, and he left one in their number, Simeon, imprisoned in Egypt with the condition of his release, being that his brothers must bring their youngest brother, Benjamin, with them upon their return. Then, Joseph would know that he could trust that they were not spies. Now of course, Joseph already knew that his brothers weren’t spies. He just wanted to test where their hearts and minds were before he let them know who he was. He did not want to know if he could trust that they were not spies, He wanted to know if he could trust them as his brothers. We pick up today’s passage at the point in time when Jacob and his son’s, Joseph’s brothers, had made the food from their first journey to Egypt last as long as they could. So, Jacob told his son’s, go back to Egypt and get us some more food, so that we do not die of hunger. Judah, Jacob’s son, told Jacob, that the only way we can return to Egypt is if we take Benjamin, Jacob’s other son from the womb of his beloved Rebekah. Jacob had refused to risk the well-being of Benjamin before, but now the situation was more desperate. So, Judah went to his father and said, if we are going to get more food, and get our brother Simeon released from captivity, we have to take Benjamin with us. And then Judah pledged to his father that he would be responsible for Benjamin’s safe return. And so, Israel hesitantly agreed and he said, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved. And then Jacob’s sons, including Benjamin set out for Egypt in pursuit of food, and the release of their brother Simeon, who by now, was probably wondering where in the heck his brothers were? He had been waiting in jail for their return. One interesting thing here is that Jacob in this part of the chapter is referred to as Israel. The last time Jacob was referred as Israel was when he was wrestling with God; In other words, the last time God broke Jacob down and forced him to trust in God. Those are the times when Jacob is called Israel; the times when God was able to break Jacob down and force him to surrender to God’s will. After Israel conceded to allow Benjamin to go with his brothers, he said to his sons, take as many provisions as gifts as you can carry. You must pay back the silver that was granted to you in the bags of grain on your last journey, and then double the amount in order to pay for more grain for us to eat. In addition to the silver, you must be prepared to pay whatever the price is for Simeon’s release, whatever the price is for all of you to travel back safely from Egypt. You can bet that part of the reason for the extra gifts was to help to ensure the safe return of his beloved Son, Benjamin. When they arrived in Egypt, Joseph saw his brother, Benjamin, and told his steward to take his all of his brothers into the house and Joseph arranged for them to sit at the table from youngest to oldest. It was not Joseph’s brothers that just sat in order of their age. Joseph knew the age of each one, and directed where they would sit. Now Joseph’s brothers were terrified. They thought that they were just going into the house of the second in command of all of Egypt, to receive their punishment; either for taking too long to return with Benjamin, or for stealing the silver on the first journey, or for being spies or whatever else this Egyptian leader could think of. So, Joseph’s brothers immediately started to explain that they were innocent of all these things. They were just trying to procure some food. But to Joseph’s brothers surprise, Joseph said, don’t worry, I believe you. And then Simeon was released to them. The steward to Joseph gave them fodder for their donkeys and washed their feet. It seemed as though they were being welcomed in. But Joseph’s brothers were still suspicious. Joseph came in, and he was presented their gifts that they had brought. And they all bowed down before Joseph, reminiscent of Joseph’s dream over 20 years ago. And then, Joseph asked about their father. At the sight of his younger brother, Benjamin, he said, “God be gracious unto you my son,” and had to leave the room in tears at the sight of his beloved younger brother. After he washed his face and returned to his brothers, Joseph ordered that the meal be served. And this passage ends by explaining that Benjamin received very large portions compared to his brothers. And the reason Benjamin received so much food not because he was exceptionally hungry. It was because Joseph was trying to find out if Joseph’s brothers would be envious of the extra food. Joseph wanted to know if his older brothers were treating Benjamin the same way that they had treated him. And it seems as though Joseph was satisfied that they were treating Benjamin okay, which brought Joseph one step closer to trusting and accepting his brothers. It is interesting, while it his true that Joseph was being deceitful to his brothers, testing them to see if they were different people than the ones who left him for dead in the well, and who sold him into slavery, there is also a lesson that we can learn about how his brothers responded. Here we see guilt and grace interacting here. I believe that these brothers were not convinced that they were worthy of the gifts that they had received. Joseph said that they had been blessed by God. But they had sinned against God by the way that they had treated Joseph. In their minds, there had to be a catch. Fear and Guilt got in the way of their ability to see grace when it was right there before them. They didn’t deserve blessing from God. They didn’t deserve being welcomed into the house of this powerful leader in Egypt. They didn’t deserve to receive their silver back from Egypt so that they did not pay for the food they were given. This picture of grace shone to the brothers of Joseph is reflective of the grace that comes from God into our lives by the sacrifice of our savior Jesus Christ. We don’t deserve the Grace of the master’s sacrifice, nor can we repay that sacrifice. Another lesson that come to us is Joseph’s journey. He was asking the question over and over, can I really trust these guys who threw me into the pit and sold me as a slave? That is a question that is not resolved by this passage, and so we have another cliff hanger. Will Joseph reveal himself to his brothers and show them that he still loves them and that he forgives them? Or, will he throw them into a pit like they did to him twenty years ago. We will find the answer to that question next week. But for now let us pray.