Preaching the Word

Genesis 43 - Joseph's Brothers Return with Benjamin - The Mysteries of God's Word

• Nathan Dietsche • Season 4 • Episode 67

Share episode

Send us a text

Joseph's brothers return to Egypt with Benjamin as the famine intensifies, facing a series of tests designed by Joseph to see if they have changed. Through moments of fear, vulnerability, and surprising grace, the brothers experience an unexpected welcome at Joseph's table while remaining unaware of his true identity.

• Severe famine forces Jacob to send Benjamin to Egypt despite his fears
• Judah offers himself as security for Benjamin's safe return
• Jacob sends gifts and double money to appease the Egyptian governor
• Brothers panic when invited to Joseph's house, fearing enslavement
• Joseph's steward reassures them with surprising mention of "your God"
• Joseph is overcome with emotion upon seeing Benjamin after 21 years
• Brothers amazed when seated in birth order at the feast
• Benjamin receives five times more food as Joseph tests brothers for jealousy
• Ritual separation between Egyptians and Hebrews
• Despite favoritism shown to Benjamin, brothers enjoy the meal

Join me next week as Joseph continues to test his brothers to determine where their loyalties lie.

Support the show

Email: nathan@nathandietsche.com

Speaker 1:

Grace and peace to you from God, our Father and our Lord and Savior, jesus Christ. Today we're in Genesis, chapter 43, where Joseph's brothers return to Egypt now a second time, beginning in verse 1,. Now the famine was severe in the land, and when they had eaten the grain that they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them Go again and buy us a little food. But Judah said to him the man solemnly warned us, saying you shall not see my face unless your brother is with you. If you will send our brother with us, we'll 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. Here, in our first five verses of chapter 43, we again are reminded the famine is severe. Again, this is an ongoing famine that is affecting the entire land surrounding Egypt, including the land of Canaan, syria and Arabia. This is actually the fourth time the severity of this famine is mentioned. It was previously mentioned three times in chapter 41, and it will be mentioned yet again three more times in chapter 47. And it says that they had eaten all of the grain that they had gotten previously in Egypt. Now we also know from Genesis 45.6 that this had just been about one year. So only one year into the severity of the famine, israel and his family have run out of grain. And with this happening and no sign of the famine slowing down, israel changes his mind about sending his sons back to Egypt. Certainly this could not have been an easy decision for him, because he had lost Simeon the last time he sent the boys. And when he tells his sons to go down and buy a little more food, judah immediately responds with the seriousness that the governor warned them about last time they were there. He lets his father know that the man, that governor, was very strict in what he said and if they don't bring Benjamin with them, they will not see him again. Judah uses an if-then statement telling Jacob that only if Benjamin comes with them will they go, because it was very clear from what the governor said that he would not even see them if Benjamin was not with them.

Speaker 1:

Verse 6,. Israel said why do you treat me so badly as to tell the man that you had another brother? They replied the man questioned us carefully about ourselves and our kindred saying Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother? What we told him was an answer to those questions. Could we in any way know that he would say Bring down your brother. And Judas said to his father Send the boy 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 will be the pledge of his safety. 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. If we had not delayed, we would have returned twice. Back in verse 6, we saw that Israel said why do you treat me so badly?

Speaker 1:

To Judah and to the brothers Jacob was skeptical of his son's behavior because his son's behavior in the past and surely their motives now make him question why the brothers would want to bring Benjamin and put the family further in jeopardy. Why would the brothers even tell this governor they had another brother? And it says that they replied, meaning all of the brothers together coordinated a response to cover up the fact they had freely given Governor Joseph their family information, because when they were accused of being spies, they were quickly giving out all of this family information to try and get out of trouble. So the brothers here misrepresent to their father Israel what actually happened and they tell him instead that the governor was questioning them and asking them specific questions about their family. But that just is not true. This also gives us further insight into how these brothers were not the honest men that they claimed to be, but they would come up with and say whatever they needed to get what they wanted or weasel their way out of being in trouble.

Speaker 1:

Then Judah speaks up and Judah says he will pledge Benjamin's safety. Judah tells Jacob to put Benjamin directly in his care and if anything happens to him, he'll bear the blame forever. Judah is basically offering his life in the place of Benjamin if anything would happen. And then Judah says we could have gone there and back twice by now if we wouldn't have delayed in the first place. Judah uses those words of immediacy to prod Jacob to make a decision, letting Jacob know that his delay in making a decision has placed them in this position where they have no food, because they could have gone down to Egypt and back twice if he would have let them go in the first place.

Speaker 1:

Verse 11. Then their father Israel said to them. If it must be so, then do this. Take some of the choice fruits of the land in your bags and carry a present down to the man a little balm and a little honey, gum, myrrh, pistachio, nuts and almonds. Take double the money with you. Carry back with you the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks Perhaps it was an oversight. Take also your brother and arise and go again to the man. May God Almighty grant you mercy before this man and may he send back your other brother and Benjamin. As for me, if I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.

Speaker 1:

In verse 11, we see that the firmness in which Judah had made the case that Benjamin had to go convinced Jacob. And Jacob here spoken of as Israel tells his sons to put together a gift for this man, this governor of the land who held his son captive. Bringing a present has long been a way of gathering favor with a man of authority or power. Proverbs 18.16 reads A man's gift makes room for him and brings him before the great. So Israel tells his sons to bring some choice fruits, a little bit of the following balm, honey, gum, myrrh, pistachio, nuts and almonds, the mention of most of these items. Being a little of each probably means they only had a little of each at this time, and if this is not successful, they will be without anything. Then Israel tells the boys take double the money. He's instructing them to take twice as much money as they did originally, because perhaps the money in their sacks was just an accident or an oversight. And finally, jacob tells them take Benjamin with you too, as you're going to go and see this man.

Speaker 1:

Then Jacob says a blessing and a prayer with the name of God, el Shaddai, which was the name that God revealed during the covenant of circumcision to Abraham in Genesis 17. This is the name of God the patriarchs continued to use to refer to the Lord, god. At the end of Jacob's blessing and prayer, he says If I'm bereaved of my children, I am bereaved. These sound like words of self-pity and doubt. It certainly isn't consistent with Jacob's faith, as in the past, he's claimed the promises of God and he's led his family to safety. However, it is consistent with how Jacob would often use trickery or manipulation in his relationships. Considering his sons have been so irresponsible in their behavior to protect their brothers, perhaps this was a way for Jacob to impress on them how their behavior is causing him pain Verse 15.

Speaker 1:

So the men took this present and they took double the money with them and Benjamin. They arose and went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph. Here in verse 15, we see the ten brothers of Israel, now including Benjamin, went from the land of Canaan back down to Egypt to meet that man that controlled the grain and held their brother Simeon captive. And when they arrived in Egypt they came to stand once again before the governor of Egypt Verse 16. When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house Bring the men into the house and slaughter an animal and make ready for the men are to dine with me at noon. The man did as Joseph told him and brought the men to Joseph's house. And the men were afraid because they were brought to Joseph's house. They said it is because of the money which was replaced in our sacks the first time that were brought in so that he may assault us and fall upon us to make us servants and seize our donkeys. So they went up to the steward of Joseph's house and spoke with him at the door of the house. They said oh my lord, we came down the first time to buy food, and when we came to the lodging place we opened our sacks and there was each man's money in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight. So we have brought it with us again and we have brought other money down with us to buy food. We do not know who put this money in our sacks Back.

Speaker 1:

In verse 16, joseph sees Benjamin for the first time in 21 years, and Joseph, seeing his only brother from his mother, rachel, was still alive. It set in motion a plan that Joseph had to further protect and provide for his family. The first step in Joseph's plan was to take all of his brothers to his personal home, where they would wait to meet him, and the brothers were escorted by the steward of Joseph's home, and it says that they were afraid, as we saw in the last chapter, when the brothers had first come to Egypt, they were accused of being spies and were thrown into prison by Joseph. Afterward they had talked amongst themselves and believed that God was punishing them for selling Joseph. Now, as they're being taken to the governor's home, the brothers begin to wonder if what happened to Simeon will happen to them all. Would their father Israel's worst nightmares come true. Would the governor of this land bring them to his home only to entrap them? And on their journey to Governor Joseph's home they conclude that it must have been that money that was placed back in their sack the first time. That's the reason why they're being taken to this governor's home and this is very likely all a setup. Then they say he may assault us and fall upon us and make us servants Again. They're wondering if this is an entrapment so that the governor can make all of them slaves, taking their possessions, including their donkeys.

Speaker 1:

So as they approach Joseph's home, they go up to the steward of Joseph's estate who's at the door of the home, and they begin to talk to him about the money, believing that they're going to be accused of theft. They tell Joseph's steward a story that they discovered all of the money in its full weight in their sacks as they were on their journey back to Canaan. This story is actually an interesting change coming from the brothers, as the truth of the matter is, only one of the brothers found a sack of coins at the lodging place on their way back to Canaan. The rest of the brothers found their coins when they were unpacking at home with Jacob. Their change in the narrative here shows again how these brothers will tend to spin anything to tingle the ears of whomever they're talking with. They tell the steward that they have that money that was returned to them last time and they have more so that they can buy food. And they emphasize they have no idea who put that money back in their sacks Verse 23.

Speaker 1:

He replied Peace to you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has put treasure in your sacks for you. I received your money. Then he brought Simeon out to them and when the man had brought the men into Joseph's house and given them water and they had washed their feet, and when he had given their donkeys fodder, they prepared the present for Joseph's coming at noon, for they heard that they should eat bread there.

Speaker 1:

In verse 23, we have the reply of the steward to the brothers and he begins his reply with Peace to you. The word peace here is shalom, it's the common Hebrew greeting, and the steward continues to tell the boys Don't be afraid. After the steward declares peace over the brothers, he mentions the God of Israel, their God, and the God of their father, and that it was the Lord that placed the treasure in their sacks. The fact that the brothers seem to overlook or somehow miss this greeting that's very specific to the line of Abraham, isaac and Jacob shows their lack of faith and how overwhelmed they are that they may become slaves. Then the steward tells the brothers that he's received their money for the grain the first time they came to Egypt again, reassuring them there's no reason for them to be afraid. And after this exchange and seeing the brothers' fear, the steward of Joseph's house goes and gets Simeon and brings him out from being in prison.

Speaker 1:

Then all of the brothers come into Joseph's home and after entering the home the steward serves them with common courtesies, as they were given something to drink, they were given water to wash their feet with, and after all of the courtesies and immediate needs were cared for by the steward, the brothers learned that the governor would be coming to eat with them at noon, so they began to prepare the present that they had brought, verse 26. When Joseph came home, they brought into the house to him the present that they had with them and they bowed down to him to the ground and he inquired about their welfare and said Is your father? Well, the old man of whom you spoke. Is he still alive? They said your servant, our father is well, he is alive. And they bowed their heads and they prostrated themselves and he lifted up his eyes and he saw his brother, benjamin, his mother's son, and said Is this your youngest brother of whom you spoke to me? God, be gracious to you, my son. Then Joseph hurried out for his compassion, grew warm for his brother and he sought a place to weep and he entered his chamber and wept there. Then he washed his face and came out and, controlling himself, he said Serve the food.

Speaker 1:

In verses 26 through 31, we see the initial attitudes and responses from the brothers and from Joseph when Joseph comes home to eat. In verse 26, we read that they brought the present into the house and then they bowed down to the ground. Read that they brought the present into the house and then they bowed down to the ground. This is now the second time his brothers have come and bowed down before Joseph. This time, however, it's all 11 brothers bowing down to the ground, which is a complete fulfillment of Joseph's first dream 21 years ago in Genesis 37.7.

Speaker 1:

After his brothers present the present and bow down before Joseph, he asks Is your father well, joseph begins to investigate about how his family is doing. Although he remains in character as the governor, joseph wants to know how his father, israel, is doing. Is he even still alive? But, staying in character, he refers to him as the old man whom you spoke. The brothers confirmed that Israel was still alive and he was well. After Joseph asks them about their father Israel, they again bow down, this time with their heads to the ground and fully prostrate. And it says Joseph lifted up his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin. It would seem that Joseph was not making eye contact with his brothers or keeping his head down to help conceal his appearance. And he lifted up his eyes and saw Benjamin. When seeing Benjamin again, joseph asked if this was their younger brother. But before they could even answer, joseph said God, be gracious to you, my son. Again, joseph's use of the word God here is Elohim. It means for the God of creation to bless Benjamin, yet his brothers seem deaf to the name of their own God coming out of an Egyptian's lips. After Joseph says this, he quickly leaves the room as his brothers are still prostrate on the floor before him. Because he's overcome with feelings of brotherly love and compassion for Benjamin and Joseph went into his personal chambers, which was a separate room, and he wept. After weeping for Benjamin, joseph cleans himself up, washing his face and bringing himself back under control, and he goes out and again plays the part of the governor. When Joseph enters the room with his brothers where they will eat, he says with authority Serve the food.

Speaker 1:

Verse 32,. They served him by himself and them by themselves and the Egyptians who ate with them by themselves, because the Egyptians could not eat with Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians. I want to tackle this verse by itself. It says that they served him by himself. This is referring to Joseph.

Speaker 1:

The Egyptian culture epitomized the status-driven life, and discrimination was openly displayed and enforced at many levels, both religious and social. Being served alone here by himself was a symbol of his status and his rank. It shows how the Egyptians would discriminate socially based on their ranking. And then we also read them by themselves and the Egyptians who ate with them by themselves. This tells us that there are actually a total of three tables here One for Joseph, one for the Egyptians who are eating with the group of brothers and one for the Hebrew brothers themselves. It says, egyptians could not eat with Hebrews for it was an abomination to the Egyptians. So the reason Egyptians couldn't eat with Hebrews was more of a religious discrimination than social Egyptians believed. If Hebrews ate with them, the Hebrews defiled their food. Egyptians believed that they themselves were closer to the gods than any other race or tribal group. This is why, back in Genesis, chapter 41, joseph couldn't even interact with the Pharaoh until he had been shaven and had Egyptian clothes put on him Genesis 41.14. It's also why, when Joseph became a high-ranking officer of Pharaoh, he had to be fully integrated into the Egyptian culture. He was given an Egyptian name and he married a high-ranking Egyptian woman Genesis 41-45.

Speaker 1:

Picking up 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 at one another in amazement. Portions were taken to them from Joseph's table, but Benjamin's portion was five times as much as any of theirs, and they drank and were merry with him. In the last two verses of 33 and 34, joseph had made arrangements so that the brothers were all sat according to their birthright. This must have been very shocking for the brothers to see, especially at the table of an Egyptian official. The perfect placement of these brothers according to their birthright is yet another test by Joseph for his brothers. Joseph, knowing his brothers, is probably playing into some of their suspicions that God is at work to bring about justice. I mean, how could this Egyptian ruler know about them? Furthermore, why would he seat them in their birth order? While many clues had been given to his brothers about who Joseph was, including the use of God's name, his generosity toward them and his personal knowledge of them, the brothers clearly didn't even consider that this could be Joseph. In fact, we learn that his brothers considered him to be dead. Genesis 44.20.

Speaker 1:

In Egypt, as in many eastern countries, there are traditions where portions are taken from the main table and then served to the guests, and during the meal, the host may choose to honor a guest by ordering choice food for them or giving them additional food. A mark of favor toward a guest is the quantity of food they're getting, and a typical rule of favor would be a double portion. Here we see Benjamin receiving five times the portion. Benjamin is shown great favoritism during this meal. This, too, was likely a test for the brothers. Joseph certainly wanted to know their true attitudes toward Benjamin. Do they have any envy, bitterness or hatred towards him? When such gross favoritism is shown towards Benjamin, it would be hard for the brothers to conceal a bitter attitude. However, we see that everyone enjoyed themselves at this meal. There was no hostility shown, but, to the contrary, they drank and they were merry with Joseph. Thank you for joining me this week. Join me next week as Joseph continues to test his brothers. God bless you this week.