Genesis 42

Jacob sends his sons to Egypt for foodverses 1-2

Now when Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt

Jacob said to his sons – Why do you look one on another?

And he said – BEHOLD – I have heard that there is grain in Egypt

get you down there – and buy for us from there

that we may live – and not DIE

Joseph’s ten brothers in Egyptverses 3-5

And Joseph’s TEN brethrens went down to buy grain in Egypt

BUT Benjamin – Joseph’s brother

Jacob sent not with his brethren

FOR he said

Lest perhaps mischief befall him

And the sons of Israel came to buy grain among those that came

for the FAMINE was in the land of Canaan

Joseph recognizes his brothers right awayverses 6-7

And Joseph was the governor over the land

and he it was that sold to all the people of the land

and Joseph’s brethren came

and bowed down themselves before

him with their faces to the earth

And Joseph saw his brethren – and he knew them

but made himself STRANGE to them

and spoke roughly to them

And he said to them

From where come you?

And they said

From the land of Canaan to buy food

Joseph calls his brothers spiesverses 8-13

And Joseph knew his brethren – BUT they knew not him

and Joseph remembered the dreams

which he dreamed of them

and said to them – You are SPIES

to see the nakedness of the land

you are come

And they said to him

Nay – my lord – but to buy food are your servants come

We are all one man’s sons

We are true men – Your servants are no SPIES

And he said to them

Nay – but to see the nakedness of the land you are come

And they said

Your servants are twelve brethren

the sons of one man in the land of Canaan and BEHOLD

the youngest is this day with our father

and one is not

Joseph wants younger brother to comeverses 14-20

And Joseph said to them

That is it that I spoke to you saying – You are SPIES

hereby you shall be tested

by the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go from here

except your youngest brother come here

Send one of you – and let him fetch your brother

and you shall be kept in PRISON

that your words may be tested

whether there is any TRUTH in you

or else by the life of Pharaoh

surely you are SPIES

And he put them all together into PRISON THREE days

and Joseph said to them the THIRD day

This do and live – FOR I fear God if you be TRUE men

let one of your brethren be bound in the

house of your PRISON – go you

carry grain for the FAMINE of your houses

BUT bring your youngest brother to me

so shall your words be VERIFIED and you shall not DIE

And they did so

Brothers speculate why they are suffering nowverses 21-22

And they said one to another

We are verily GUILTY concerning our brother

in that we saw the ANGUISH of his soul

when he besought us

and we would not hear

THEREFORE is this DISTRESS come upon us

And Reuben answered them – saying

Spoke I not to you saying

Do not sin against this CHILD

and you would not hear?

THEREFORE behold – also his blood is REQUIRED

Joseph understands themverses 23-24

And they knew not that Joseph understood them

for he spoke to them by an INTERPRETER

And he turned himself about from them – and WEPT

and returned to them again – and communed with them

and took from them Simeon

and bound him before their eyes

Brothers head homeverses 25-28

THEN Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with grain

and to RESTORE every man’s MONEY into his sack

and to give them provision for the way

and thus did he to them

And they loaded their asses with the grain – and departed from there

and as one of them opened his sack to give his ass provender

in the inn – he discovered his MONEY

for – behold – it was in his sack’s mouth

And he said to his brethren

My MONEY is RESTORED – and lo it is even in my sack

and their heart failed them – and they were afraid

saying one to another

What is this that God has done unto us?

Jacob receives story of his son’s trip to Egyptverses 29-38

And they came to Jacob their father to the land of Canaan

and told him all that befell to them saying

The man – who is the lord of the land

spoke roughly to us

and took us for SPIES of the country

And we said to him

We are TRUE men – we are no SPIES

we are twelve brethren – sons of our father

one is not – and the youngest is this day with

our father in the land of Canaan

And the man – the lord of the country said to us

Hereby shall I know that you are TRUE men

leave one of your brethren here with me

and take food for the FAMINE of

your households – and be gone

and bring your youngest brother to me

THEN shall I know that you are no SPIES

BUT that you are TRUE men

so will I deliver you your brother

and you shall do business in the land

And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks

that – behold – every man’s bundle of MONEY was in his sack

and when both they and their father saw the

bundles of MONEY – THEY WERE AFRAID

And Jacob their father said to them

Me have you bereaved of my children

Joseph is not – Simeon is not

and you will take Benjamin away

all these things are against me

And Reuben spoke to his father – saying

Slay my two sons – IF I bring him not to you

deliver him into my hand

and I will bring him to thee again

And he said

My son shall not go down with you

for his brother is DEAD – and he is left alone

IF mischief befall him by the way in the which you go

THEN shall you bring down my gray hairs

with SORROW to grave

COMMENTARY:

DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers

: 8-9 And Joseph knew his brethren – BUT they knew not him. And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them and said unto them – Ye are SPIES; to see the nakedness of the land you are come. (7270 “spies” [ragal] means view, backbite, tale-bearer, slander, scout, reconnoiter, explorers, or to go out on foot to get more information.)

DEVOTION: Joseph remembered the past with the dreams the LORD had given him about his brothers bowing down before him and it came to pass just as the LORD had shown him.

Joseph was having a little fun with his brothers. Is turnabout fair play? He had been sold by his brothers and they had told his father that he was dead.

Here they are in front of him asking for grain to feed their families. He was in control of the grain. He didn’t speak to them in Hebrew but in Egyptian. They didn’t know that he understood all that they were saying.

So here he is accusing them of being scouts for a foreign government to see the weakness of the land because of the famine. He did a good job of scaring his brothers.

Have you ever been in a situation where we could get even with someone who had mistreated us in the past? Did you act like Joseph? Did you use it as an opportunity to make them sweat because they didn’t know what you were going to do with them?What would the LORD want us to do in this situation? Be like Joseph or different? Jesus taught that we are to be good to those who mistreat us. HE wanted us to heap coals of fire on their head. HE wanted us to forgive them. HE wanted us to treat them well in spite of their treatment of us.

Here we have an account of Joseph deceiving his brothers at first but in the end treating them well.

CHALLENGE: If we have an opportunity to have the upper hand on someone who has mistreated us – forgive and treat them well is the teaching of the Word of God. Just do it and the LORD will bless you!!

DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers

: 11 We are all one man’s sons; we are true men, your servants are no spies. (3651 “true” [ken] means right, veritable, honest, correct, accurate, righteous, or erect)

DEVOTION: The brothers kept saying that they were honest men. Joseph knew the difference. They were not honest men but he wanted them to turn into honest men. He kept questioning their honesty.

We can claim to be honest men but when we act like his brothers did toward him we could not be considered honest men. They went home and told their father that they had found his multicolored coat and asked Jacob if he recognized it. He did and said it was Joseph’s coat and an animal must have killed Joseph. They didn’t correct their father.

They were jealous of Joseph and used the occasion to get even with him. Does that sound like a person who is honest before the LORD?

Joseph was using this occasion to teach them a lesson. It apparently worked as they realized that God could be judging them for their treatment of Joseph many years earlier.

God does use life to teach us lesson we need to learn. Sometimes they are hard lessons that we need to learn.

CHALLENGE: This is an example of a hard lesson for these brothers who thought they had killed their brother over jealousy.

: 21 And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us. (816 “guilty” [’asham] means in fault, do wrong, commit an offence, to be punished, offend, or trespass)

DEVOTION: The Bible says that “what we sow, we will also reap.” Here we have the brothers of Joseph coming to Egypt for grain. Joseph was now the second in command in the land of Egypt. The brothers came to him and bowed down to him. Joseph remembered his dream of many years ago.

They are confronted by Joseph but think he is just a ruler in Egypt. While they try to tell Joseph that they are honest men, he puts them in jail. While there they speak in Hebrew thinking that Joseph doesn’t understand and yet he does. He had spoken to them through an interpreter to hide the fact that he knew Hebrew.

The brothers knew what they had done to Joseph. They knew that God judged sin. They had never confessed it to God and asked HIS forgiveness. They knew that they deserved to be punished for what they had done to their brother.

Is this Joseph getting even with his brothers for what they had done to him? No!! It was done to stir up their memory. It was done to fulfill God’s plan for the family. This passage tells us that there were tears in his eyes when he heard his brothers talking about their father and brother. He wanted to see his family.

After his father died the brothers thought that he had revenge on his mind but he informs that that God meant what happened to him for good, even though, they meant it for evil.

One time when I visited someone in the hospital, she said that she was there because of sin. She realized that this sickness was because of something she was doing that was wrong. She confessed her sin and came home from the hospital. She stopped that sin.

Remember this doesn’t mean that all sickness is because of sin. Some sickness is though. We need to keep short account with God. Remember HE does forgive sin and restores fellowship to HIS children. Stay in tune with HIM.

Remember that Satan wants to bring up our past to haunt us. Don’t let him!!! Once we are children of God, we can ask for forgiveness and HE gives it. Our fellowship is restored and out relationship has never ended. The day we become a follower of Christ we were sealed by the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption. The sealing never leaves. Fellowship can leave until confession is made.

CHALLENGE: What would we do if we thought we could get even with someone for something they did to us that was mean? Are we a forgiving people?

DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers

:24 And he turned himself about from them, and wept; and returned to them again, and communed with them, and took from them Simeon, and bound him before their eyes. (631 “bound” [ʾacar] means 1 to tie, bind, imprison. 1a (Qal). 1a1 to tie, bind. 1a2 to tie, harness. 1a3 to bind (with cords). 1a4 to gird (rare and late). 1a5 to begin the battle, make the attack. 1a6 of obligation of oath (figurative). 1b (Niphal) to be imprisoned, bound. 1c (Pual) to be taken prisoner. [Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship])

DEVOTION: Can you picture Simeon’s face as they put the chains round him to lead him off to prison? What thoughts flooded his mind at that point? Was he thinking he would never again see his wife and children? Did he wish that he had one last chance to say good bye to them? Did he think about all the times in the past where he had not shown mercy to others (the Shechemites and then his brother)? Did he think that he was going to end up dying in prison? Did he wonder why it was him that went to prison rather than one of his other brothers?

This earthly picture is also a picture of what happens when a man dies and goes to hell. It is the horror of knowing that one has arrived in bondage in one’s eternal destiny, and that there is no way to escape its imprisonment. It is what all of us humans deserve because of our sins, yet the mercy of God spares us when we accept the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. Simeon simply got what he deserved when he went to Joseph in Pharaoh’s court (though not what he wanted).

We too can be bound in this life by our sins and by our unwillingness to forgive others. When we bear a grudge against someone, it is said, we only make ourselves the prisoners of the other person. Every single habit that does not draw us closer to God is one which binds us to the evil one.

Only by experiencing slavery could Simeon appreciate the agony of Joseph’s being sold into slavery. From that day forward, I am sure that Simeon apologized one thousand times to Joseph and they had a closer relationship because of their shared experiences.

CHALLENGE: Have you experienced your liberation from the bondage of sin? If not, pray to God now and ask Him to set you free from your sins. (MW)

: 28 And he said to his brethren, My money is restored; and lo, it is even in my sack: and their heart failed them, and they were afraid, saying oe to another, What is this that God has done to us? (3318 “failed” [yatsa’] means to be or become worried, conceived of as a person’s heart departing, or march out)

DEVOTION: Are there times in your life when you know that God is teaching you a lesson you need to learn? Most of these times are considered hard times because lessons usually take us by surprise.

Here are the brothers of Joseph learning their lesson by just a simple thing as their money being returned to them. It is a lesson in greed that they needed to learn because they thought only of the money when they sold their brother into slavery. They took the twenty pieces of silver and split it between them.

I don’t know what they bought with the money but it must have been something they thought they needed more than a brother. Each time they looked at the item they might have thought about what they had done to their brother.

Sometimes you might think that there is something more important than someone in your family. You might have priorities that take you away from your family. This might be money too. Too often money is placed over relationships.

The brothers knew that the LORD was doing something in their life. They didn’t understand right away but they learned the truth in the future. Some of the things that God puts us through to teach us lessons don’t give us the whole story until later in life. Watch for the lessons the LORD is trying to teach you and wait for complete understanding in the future.

CHALLENGE: Remember some of the lessons the LORD is putting in our life are not pleasant lessons. Joseph didn’t like prison, but was the only place the LORD could teach him the lesson he needed.

DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:

BODY

Chastity (Purity in living)

Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)

Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)

Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)

Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)

SOUL

Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)

Frugality (wise use of resources)

Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)

Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)

Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)

SPIRIT

Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)

Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)

Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)

Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)

Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)

DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:

Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)

God the Father (First person of the Godhead)

God (Elohim) verses 18, 28

God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)

God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)

Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)

Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)

Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)

Egyptverses 1-28

Land of Canaanverses 7, 13, 29, 32

Pharaohverse 15

Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)

Spiesverses 9, 11, 14, 30

Guiltyverse 21

Sin verse 22

Mischiefverse 38

Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)

Truthverse 16

Fear of the LORDverse 18

Israel (Old Testament people of God)

Jacobverses 1, 2, 29

Sends sons to Egypt for corn

Afraid something would happen to Benjamin

Thought Joseph was dead

Worried about trouble on return to Egypt

Joseph’s ten brothersverses 3-36

Sons of Israel

True men (3x)

Stopped in inn

Afraid (2x)

Benjamin stayed homeverse 4

Josephverses 4-34

Brother Benjamin

Governor of Egypt

Knew brothers but they didn’t know him

Remembered the dream

Prison for brothers

Spoke with interpreter

Filled sacks with corn and their money

Called “the man”

Reubenverse 22, 37

Simeon kept in Egyptverse 24

Youngest brother: Benjaminverse 34, 36

Church (New Testament people of God)

Last Things (Future Events)

Dieverse 2, 20

Graveverse 38

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QUOTES regarding passage

When the brothers begin to talk among themselves about the distress they had brought on Joseph, the reader can again catch a glimpse of where Joseph’s plans are leading. Reuben’s words focus our attention on the central point of the narrative: “Now we must give an accounting for his blood” (v.22). At this point we can see that Joseph’s plans were not in revenge for how his brothers once treated him; rather they were to show how, in God’s world, the “guilt” (ʾashemim; NIV, “we are being punished,” v.21) of the brothers came back on them and called for justice. The remarkable message of the narrative, however, is that Joseph had already forgiven his brothers of the evil they had done to him. As v.24 shows, Joseph had to turn away from them to hide his sorrow for the distress his plan now caused. What awaited the brothers was not the “evil” (raʿ) they intended for Joseph but the “good” (ṭôḇ) God intended for them through Joseph (50:20). (Sailhamer, J. H. (1990). Genesis. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers (Vol. 2, p. 246). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)

42:18–24. After a three-day custody of the brothers, Joseph altered his plan and suggested keeping only one … in prison while the other nine returned. He retained Simeon (v. 24) while the others returned home to Canaan with grain. If they would not return with their youngest brother, Simeon would be killed. A taste of retribution began to awaken feelings in the brothers, feelings that Joseph’s cries for mercy (v. 21) and Jacob’s tears (37:34–35) had failed to awaken. They sensed that having to bring Benjamin back to Egypt against the wishes of their father would be punishment for their having sold Joseph. Since Jacob was still distressed, now they were in distress. As they spoke, they were unaware that Joseph understood them for he was using an interpreter. Seeing their sense of remorse touched Joseph and he turned away and wept (cf. 43:30; 45:2, 14; 50:1, 17). (Ross, A. P. (1985). Genesis. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 92). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

Why did Joseph select Simeon to be the hostage when Reuben was the firstborn? Probably because he appreciated Reuben’s attempt to rescue him from his brothers, and Simeon was Jacob’s number two son. Simeon was also known to be a cruel man (34:25; 49:5–7), and perhaps Joseph hoped to teach him a lesson. We don’t know how many family secrets Jacob shared with his favorite son Joseph or what part they played in this decision.

When I think of the way Joseph behaved toward his brothers, the verse that comes to mind is Romans 11:22: “Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God” (kjv; “Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God,” niv). Joseph was certainly kind to his brothers in spite of the severity of his speech and some of his actions, and what he did was for their good. His motivation was love and his purpose was to bring them to repentance and reconciliation. We need to remember this the next time we think God is treating us unjustly. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1997). Be authentic (p. 111). Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor Pub.)

Ver. 22. And Reuben answered them, &c.] Being the eldest, and who had been most concerned for the life of Joseph, and most tender and careful of him: saying, spake I not unto you, saying, do not sin against the child, and ye would not hear? it seems by this that Reuben endeavoured to dissuade his brethren from selling Joseph, when they first proposed it, to which they would not attend; since it is certain they did hearken to him as not to kill him directly, as they first consulted, and they hearkened to him to cast him into a pit, where he did not intend he should continue, but till he had an opportunity of taking him out, and returning him to his father: but it seems probable that Reuben was with them when they first spied the Ishmaelites, and proposed to sell Joseph to them, which he objected to, and entreated they would not do it; and perhaps he went out from them, and took a circuit, with a view to get to the pit and take Joseph out, but before he got thither his brethren had taken him out, and sold him: or this may refer to the general advice he always gave them, to do nothing that might endanger the life of Joseph, or be the means of his death, which selling him for a slave he supposed bad been: therefore, behold, also, his blood is required; the Targum of Jonathan adds, of us; they were accessary to his death, and guilty of it; for Reuben supposed he was dead, and now they must suffer for it, as a just retaliation, being threatened with death unless they could clear themselves. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 1, p. 268). London: Mathews and Leigh.)

Their third acknowledgment of Joseph was in self incrimination (42:18–23). After three days Joseph had his brethren released. “I am going to put you to the test,” he said. “You say you have a younger brother at home? Then go and bring him here! True men are you? We’ll see!” Then he stood back with a look of indifference on his face and listened to their further conversation.

And they, not knowing that he understood their Hebrew tongue, spoke freely. The pointing finger had found them out. They began to accuse themselves and each other for what they had done to Joseph long years before and then, out it came—their confession! “And they said one to another, We are varily guilty concerning our brother [conscience at work], in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear [memory at work]; therefore is this distress come upon us” [reason at work]. Conscience, memory, and reason—God’s three great hounds to bark and bay at the door of the soul. The pointing finger was doing its work. They were still blind as to who Joseph really was, but they were now thoroughly awakened to their appalling guilt concerning him. They would now mention his name, at least among themselves, and admit what they had done. (Phillips, J. (2009). Exploring Genesis: An Expository Commentary (Ge 41:53–42:34). Kregel Publications; WORDsearch Corp.)

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