Genesis 43:1-34 The Return to Egypt with Benjamin
”Now the famine was still severe in the land. So when Jacob’s sons had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go back and buy us a little more food.”
But Judah replied, “The man solemnly warned us, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’ If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy food for you. But if you will not send him, we will not go; for the man told us, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’”
“Why did you bring this trouble upon me?” Israel asked. “Why did you tell the man you had another brother?”
They replied, “The man questioned us in detail about ourselves and our family: ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ And we answered him accordingly. How could we possibly know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother here’?”
And Judah said to his father Israel, “Send the boy with me, and we will go at once, so that we may live and not die—neither we, nor you, nor our children. I will guarantee his safety. You may hold me personally responsible. If I do not bring him back and set him before you, then may I bear the guilt before you all my life. If we had not delayed, we could have come and gone twice by now.”
Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your packs and carry them down as a gift for the man—a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachios and almonds. Take double the silver with you so that you may return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake. Take your brother as well, and return to the man at once. May God Almighty grant you mercy before the man, that he may release your other brother along with Benjamin. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.” So the men took these gifts, along with double the amount of silver, and Benjamin as well. They made their way down to Egypt and stood before Joseph.
Joseph’s Hospitality to His Brothers
When Joseph saw Benjamin with his brothers, he said to the steward of his house, “Take these men to my house. Slaughter an animal and prepare it, for they shall dine with me at noon.” The man did as Joseph had commanded and took the brothers to Joseph’s house.
But the brothers were frightened that they had been taken to Joseph’s house. “We have been brought here because of the silver that was returned in our bags the first time,” they said. “They intend to overpower us and take us as slaves, along with our donkeys.”
So they approached Joseph’s steward and spoke to him at the entrance to the house. “Please, sir,” they said, “we really did come down here the first time to buy food. But when we came to the place we lodged for the night, we opened our sacks and, behold, each of us found his silver in the mouth of his sack! It was the full amount of our silver, and we have brought it back with us. We have brought additional silver with us to buy food. We do not know who put our silver in our sacks.”
“It is fine,” said the steward. “Do not be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, gave you the treasure that was in your sacks. I received your silver.” Then he brought Simeon out to them. And the steward took the men into Joseph’s house, gave them water to wash their feet, and provided food for their donkeys.
Since the brothers had been told that they were going to eat a meal there, they prepared their gift for Joseph’s arrival at noon. When Joseph came home, they presented him with the gifts they had brought, and they bowed to the ground before him.
He asked if they were well, and then he asked, “How is your elderly father you told me about? Is he still alive?”
“Your servant our father is well,” they answered. “He is still alive.” And they bowed down to honor him.
When Joseph looked up and saw his brother Benjamin, his own mother’s son, he asked, “Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?” Then he declared, “May God be gracious to you, my son.”
Joseph hurried out because he was moved to tears for his brother, and he went to a private room to weep. Then he washed his face and came back out. Regaining his composure, he said, “Serve the meal.”
They served Joseph’s brothers separately from him and the Egyptians who ate with him, because Egyptians would not eat with Hebrews, since that was detestable to them. They were seated before him in order by age, from the firstborn to the youngest, and the men looked at each other in astonishment. When the portions were served to them from Joseph’s table, Benjamin’s portion was five times larger than any of the others. So they feasted and drank freely with Joseph.”
You have to feel sorry for Jacob’s ten older sons. It’s been said that as we age, we become what we always have been, only more so, as if our personalities are becoming more concentrated in the dehydration process of aging. Now it’s becoming unfortunately apparent that Jacob has not valued his older sons, but only his two sons from Rachel, his one true love. Jacob’s sons are middle-aged and old enough to have families and herds of their own; yet, Jacob doesn’t respect them or their opinions. Notice that Judah must argue long and hard before Jacob finally relents, and then it’s only because the entire family will starve if they don’t secure food from Egypt. Notice also Jacob’s self-pitying remark, “If I am bereaved, I am bereaved.” What a send-off for these men facing the arduous journey to Egypt!
By contrast, Joseph receives his brothers royally, assuring them that they do not owe anything, receiving them into the house, giving them water to wash their feet and fodder for their donkeys. Joseph also frees Simeon from prison so he is reunited with his other brothers. Then Joseph arranges a feast for the brothers, although as an upper-class Egyptian, Joseph must eat separately. But the food comes from Joseph’s own table, a singular honor. So far, Joseph is treating his brothers far better than they have previously treated him.
How do we treat people who have seriously offended or hurt us? The thirst for revenge is always strong; however, once we start on the path of vengeance, we may find that a little vengeance isn’t enough and that we want more. We will be drawn further and further into the darkness, never realizing that we are damning our own souls. God is giving Joseph the grace to avoid this pitfall.
The exchange of courtesies between Joseph and the brothers is also significant and a great example of how carefully the writer of Genesis has been to describe the scene accurately. As I am writing this, I have just returned from a sister clinic further north where part of the clinic land is in dispute. For the better part of two days, a delegation from our hospital has been part of the negotiations, including several meetings with chiefs and opinion leaders. It’s striking to realize that protocol in ancient Egypt closely resembles the protocols we have just observed during these meetings. We have had to consider such things as whether or not we need to remove our shoes as a sign of respect (sandals come off, and flip-flops are absolutely forbidden), whether or not my husband needs to remove his Navy Veteran ball cap (no for the ordinary meeting but yes for the meeting with the chief of the town), and when to kneel and clap hands in respect and approval.
Even body language while sitting and the misuse of cell phones can silently offend. One of those claiming the clinic land seriously damaged his standing with local authorities by removing his sandals when he should have left them on, then sitting with one leg crossed over another so that the bare sole of his foot was at knee level, thus silently indicating his contempt for everyone else in the meeting. (Throughout 80% of the world, showing the sole of your foot indicates you think all those around you are under your feet and therefore unworthy of respect.) To make matters worse, this same individual kept fumbling with his cell phone and then rushing out to receive calls, as if he was too important to remain in the meeting and give respect to the rest of the group. The traditional chiefs who were part of the general meetings severely criticized this man for his disrespectful behavior. This man was not a native of the town and had previously built somewhere else and had had the building demolished because he didn’t bother to get proper papers.
Joseph shows us a near-perfect example of forgiveness in the face of previous mistreatment. As we go on, we’ll see that Joseph does succumb to a bit of temptation, but he remains as a great demonstration of faith and forgiveness.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to forgive those who have hurt us, even when we have suffered for years as a result of their sins. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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