The story of Jacob's family and their entanglement with Egypt is a rich tapestry of human fallibility and divine orchestration. Driven by famine, the sons of Jacob find themselves in Egypt, setting in motion a series of events fraught with deception, guilt, and the hidden hand of God.
The Journey to Egypt
When Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, his ten brothers went down to buy grain. Based on Genesis 45:11, there is reason to believe that this happened in the first year of the famine. It didn’t take long for the problems of the larger world to find their way to the home of Jacob.
Jacob noticed a strange expression among the brothers when Egypt was mentioned. Jacob noticed a strange expression among the brothers when Egypt was mentioned, because the brothers knew it was likely Joseph was sold as a slave there. Joseph’s brothers lived with a terrible secret for 20 years. They never talked about it, but it never left them. Any mention of Joseph or Egypt brought back the guilt.
Because he lost Joseph some 20 years before, Jacob lived in constant fear that he would also lose Benjamin - the other son of his favorite wife, Rachel. In keeping with this attitude, he demanded Benjamin be left behind when the brothers went to Egypt.
Famine is not a good thing, but God used it. God can and does use material need and lack in our life to get us to do things we normally would never do. The sons of Israel went to buy grain among those who journeyed, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.
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Joseph's Recognition
Now Joseph was governor over the land; and it was he who sold to all the people of the land. When Joseph’s brothers plotted murder against him and sold him into slavery, they did it with the specific intention to defeat his dreams (Genesis 37:19-20). The great and glorious truth of God’s providence is He can and does use the evil actions of man to further His good plan.
This never excuses man’s sin, but it means God’s wisdom and goodness are greater than man’s evil. Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he acted as a stranger to them. Joseph spoke through an interpreter because he did not yet want to reveal that he spoke Hebrew.
Joseph did this guided by the Holy Spirit. Remember what they said of Joseph in Genesis 41:38: Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God? This wasn’t revenge or twisting the knife against his brothers. In this, Joseph was another picture pointing to Jesus. Jesus saw who we are long before we see who He is.
Joseph in Egypt (Genesis 39-41)
The Test of Honesty
Then Joseph remembered the dreams which he had dreamed about them, and said to them, “You are spies!” And they said to him, “No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food. But Joseph said to them, “It is as I spoke to you, saying, ‘You are spies!’ In this manner you shall be tested: By the life of Pharaoh, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here.
Then Joseph remembered the dreams which he had dreamed about them: Joseph did not prank or trick his brothers. Some commentators believe that if it were up to Joseph, he would have revealed himself to his brothers right then and there. God can, and must, sometimes use ways we think are harsh to direct us where He wants us to be. Believers must never resent this, because it is the hardness of heart that demands it.
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One is no more: This was a lie, and the brothers knew it. They had every reason to believe Joseph was not dead but instead condemned to a life of slavery. Saying Joseph was dead didn’t make him dead. Saying Jesus isn’t alive doesn’t make Him dead.
He put them all together in prison three days: This was rough treatment. When they left Canaan to come to Egypt to buy grain, the brothers never imagined they would all be arrested and put in prison.
Joseph's Demand
Then Joseph said to them the third day, “Do this and live, for I fear God: If you are honest men, let one of your brothers be confined to your prison house; but you, go and carry grain for the famine of your houses. After three days in an Egyptian prison, the brothers were ready to agree to whatever Joseph wanted them to do. They had been humbled and would listen to Joseph’s demands.
Joseph didn’t want his brothers to fear him as much as he wanted his brothers to trust him. Joseph’s demand was clear. They had to prove they were not spies by proving they were honest and that they told the truth about the brother who remained home.
The phasing of Joseph’s statement to his brothers was important. They were not honest men, even if they told the truth about their coming to Egypt for grain. There was a terrible secret, a hidden lie that cast a shadow over the family. These brothers sold Joseph into slavery, and with a lie to their father Joseph was dead.
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Guilty Consciences
And Reuben answered them, saying, “Did I not speak to you, saying, ‘Do not sin against the boy’; and you would not listen? Therefore behold, his blood is now required of us.” But they did not know that Joseph understood them, for he spoke to them through an interpreter. And he turned himself away from them and wept. Then he returned to them again, and talked with them.
We are truly guilty concerning our brother: Their guilty consciences told them this complicated mess was because of the way they treated Joseph before. This was a good sign. Therefore this distress has come upon us: In these words, we hear the conscience of the brothers at work. Some describe the conscience as the sundial of the soul. It tells time well enough when there is light, but in darkness it is of no use. At night, you can shine a flashlight on a sundial and make it read any time you want it to.
Joseph was overcome with emotion as he saw and understood this work of God in the consciences of his brothers. There could be no quick and easy, “We are sorry, Joseph!” in this situation. Yet even before the restoration, Joseph did not allow himself to be bound by bitterness and hatred. He still loved his brothers and wanted to be with them (he returned to them again, and talked with them).
He took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes: In a vivid and memorable scene, Joseph bound Simeon and kept him as a prisoner to guarantee the return of the brothers with Benjamin. Simeon was not mentioned as having a prominent role in the selling of Joseph, as both Reuben and Judah were (Genesis 37:21-28), so we don’t know exactly why Simeon was chosen.
Unexpected Blessings
Then Joseph gave a command to fill their sacks with grain, to restore every man’s money to his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. Thus he did for them. The events that follow were not an accident nor a mistake, but something that Joseph commanded. God was working His plan through Joseph. This wasn’t just as if Joseph was playing practical jokes on his brothers or just trying to make life difficult.
To restore every man’s money to his sack: This was an unexpected and wonderful blessing. Joseph gave them more than their money back; he also gave them what they needed for the journey. The money was hidden and would only be discovered later. We can assume that the provisions were given immediately and openly (otherwise they would not have been of much good).
Joseph did this for his brothers before they were reconciled to him. They had yet to repent or ask forgiveness - yet He loved them and cared for them. In the same way, Jesus gives His people unexpected, undeserved blessings.
The Discovery
But as one of them opened his sack to give his donkey feed at the encampment, he saw his money; and there it was, in the mouth of his sack. This was a tremendous shock to the brothers. We aren’t told which one it was, but it was one of the nine (remember, Simeon was imprisoned). This was a test - not from Joseph - but from God. What would they do with the money? We are tested by what Jesus gives to us - and Jesus tests the heart.
Their hearts failed them and they were afraid: This was strange. It was as if they had just won the lottery, but they weren’t happy at all. Instead, they were afraid. They were afraid, and they only knew part of it. they only discovered the money in one brother’s sack. They were afraid because they were already suspected as spies.
What is this that God has done to us: Their consciences were under such great bondage that they even regarded something good as punishment from God.
The Return to Jacob
Then they went to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan and told him all that had happened to them, saying: “The man who is lord of the land spoke roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country. But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we are not spies. We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is no more, and the youngest is with our father this day in the land of Canaan.’ Then the man, the lord of the country, said to us, ‘By this I will know that you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers here with me, take food for the famine of your households, and be gone. And bring your youngest brother to me; so I shall know that you are not spies, but that you are honest men.
Think of what the rest of that journey was like. When the brothers finally made it home, they told their father Jacob the truth. The last time they came back missing one of the brothers, they told a lie, making up a story about Joseph being attacked by a wild animal. The fact that they told the truth here was a small step but a good step.
They mostly told the truth. They could say, we are honest men in regard to their dealings with the mysterious Egyptian, the man who is the lord of the country. But they were not honest men when they lied about Joseph’s death 20 years before. Joseph knew they were not honest men. He didn’t know the exact lie they told Jacob to explain Joseph’s disappearance, but he knew they must have lied in some way. Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves.
More Than They Knew
Surprisingly each man’s bundle of money was in his sack: They had no idea this would happen. If anything, this surprised them more than when they found the bundle of money in the one sack. Jesus has given His people more than they know, and they will discover it piece by piece.
Each man’s bundle of money was in his sack: Joseph gave them the bread of life, but He absolutely refused any payment. The true bread of life can’t be purchased. Jesus refused any payment. They were afraid of receiving what they did not earn. They were afraid of Joseph - the great man they couldn’t figure out.
Jacob's Grief
And Jacob their father said to them, “You have bereaved me: Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you want to take Benjamin. Jacob spoke more truth than he knew. He said that his sons had bereaved him, that it was their fault that Joseph and Simeon were gone.
This tortured Jacob, yet these statements were not true. We don’t blame Jacob for believing that Joseph was dead; he had been told a cunning lie. When we believe lies - whether it is our fault or not - the lie has power over us. Large in his mind was the fear he would lose more.
All these things are against me: This summarized Jacob’s outlook on life. Everything was against him. He had no happiness in the present and no hope for the future. At the very moment Jacob felt all these things are against me, God was working out His plan. There was a plan in all this, even when Jacob couldn’t see it or feel it.
The plan was not only good for Jacob and his family but would impact all history. In all this, there is a sobering contrast between Jacob and Joseph. The motto of too many Christians is all these things are against me. We note that Romans 8:28 says, God works all things together for good. Any one thing in isolation may not be good.
Reuben's Offer
Then Reuben spoke to his father: This was Reuben, the firstborn. He was the one who disgraced the family with incest (Genesis 35:22). What Reuben did as a dramatic gesture, God did in fact.
Jacob's Refusal
But he said, “My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he is left alone. Apparently, Jacob didn’t think too much of Simeon. Many years before, God wrestled with Jacob and overcame him. Jacob was left with a limp as a reminder of that experience. Still, my son shall not go down with you shows that the wrestling was not yet over.
At this point, Jacob could not bear to trust God again. If any calamity should befall him: At this point, Jacob could not bear to trust God again. He lived protecting himself against future pain.
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