THE STORY OF JOSEPH. EPISODE 7. CHAPTER 42: JOSEPH THE RULER

CHAPTER 42: JOSEPH THE RULER

In this chapter we have:

• Ø  Jacob’s family overwhelmed by famine in Canaan
• Ø  Jacob learns about availability of grain for sale in Egypt
• Ø  Jacob sends his 10 sons down to Egypt to buy grain but Benjamin is left behind
• Ø  The 10 sons arrive in Egypt while Joseph was ruling there but did not recognize him
• Ø  Joseph recognizes them and takes them through various tests with the aim of having them avail his younger brother Benjamin
• Ø  Joseph orders that one of them be left behind as surety. The brothers remember their sin in the way they treated Joseph
• Ø  Simeon is left behind and bound while the brothers return to Canaan with grain and their monies secretly restored
• Ø  Upon arriving back at Canaan, the brothers narrate to their father their ordeal back in Egypt and find out that all their money was restored
• Ø  They inform their father that the ruler of Egypt demanded to see their youngest brother in order to release Simeon
• Ø  Jacob is distraught and vows not to release Benjamin, Rueben pleads with him and offers his two sons as ransom in the event anything happens to Benjamin under his watch.

This chapter is the beginning of Joseph’s dreams coming true. This chapter is such a beautiful picture of salvation that comes through and in Jesus Christ as we shall see. It first takes us back to Canaan, Joseph’s native land, where we meet his family once again. We last had them in chapter 37 where there was a broken and distressed father who was mourning and refused to be comforted for the loss of his most beloved son. We also had some young men who were filled with hate against one of their own brothers and who also deceived their own father that a “ferocious” or wild animal had devoured their younger brother.

Twenty or so years have now passed! When we meet the family again here, they are distressed due to famine. They are looking at each other for a solution but which seems to be of no avail until their father ‘heard’ that there is grain in Egypt. I can only imagine what a difficult situation they are in up until this moment. The solution is with a man called Joseph but they are not aware of it and so they are faced with death, until someone brings the good news to them. It reminds me of the unevangelized of the world, they do not know about Jesus who is the truth the way and the life and if no one tells them about Jesus they face eternal death. Paul writes in Romans 10:14, ¹⁴ But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? (NLT)

This is a call to evangelism, that we reach the people of the world with the Gospel of Christ (the good news of salvation). We note here that, hope is restored for the children of Jacob/Israel when the father ‘heard’ of the availability of grain in Egypt. But still, they have to take a step of faith and go down to Egypt to buy the grain lest they die of hunger as their father puts it. Here again is a lesson that once the Gospel has reached people, it is their responsibility to take a step of faith and turn to Jesus. And there are many today, even in church who hear of the Gospel, day after day, week after week but refuse to turn to the Lord for salvation. I believe that salvation is available for all but only those who choose to turn to the savior will receive the free gift of salvation.

So, the sons of Jacob go down to Egypt to buy grain except that Benjamin did not go down with them as the father would not allow it. It seems here that the father clearly did not trust the brothers anymore. It does not however seem to me that Jacob did not care if anything happened to any of the other sons save for Benjamin. But rather that Jacob could not entrust them with Benjamin. This could point to the possibility that Jacob was not fully convinced that it was a wild animal that devoured his beloved son Joseph or that the sons knew nothing about what happened to him. He might have, over time, observed how they behaved regarding the disappearance of their younger brother and even how they treated and felt about him prior to his disappearance. Jacob has lost trust in his sons, which is a very bad place to be in for both parties; having sons who cannot be trusted and not being trustworthy in the eyes of one’s own father. Trust is such a precious, yet an extremely rare commodity, especially in our world today!

Upon reaching Egypt, the brothers were immediately subjected to the rulership, lordship if you like, of Joseph. They bow before him just as Joseph had seen in the dreams although not all of them are present at this point but soon all of them will be under Joseph’s rule. But they do not realize that the person they now bow before is their own blood brother who they hated and despised to the point of wanting to kill him but eventually selling him off as a slave. We must be careful how we treat other people for whatever reason that may cause us to be uncomfortable with them. We must treat everyone with justice and fairness as well as with mercy and kindness, more so when it is within our power to decide their fate. You never know where next you will meet that junior employee or workmate, that fellow servant in the ministry, or that student in your class as teacher or lecturer and so forth.

The brothers were totally unable to recognize Joseph. “He has the appearance of an Egyptian royal, perhaps with a dramatically shaved head (Genesis 41:14), gold collar, and linen robes (Genesis 41:42). He bears an Egyptian name (Genesis 41:45). He would also have matured greatly since they last saw him as a seventeen–year-old (Genesis 37:2)”. (https://www.bibleref.com/Genesis/42/Genesis-42-6.html). Joseph, however, is well able to recognize them, but he will act as if not, for a while longer. He will use this current situation, of their lack of recognition, to his advantage as we shall discuss here shortly.

The bible says that at this point, Joseph  remembered his dreams about the brothers from many years back. The brothers may have long forgotten the dreamer and his nagging dreams but not so for Joseph; he remembers the dreams vividly. Joseph knows that the dreams are from God and though their fulfillment may tarry, but they will surely come to pass. And so for us, we must not lose focus on what the Lord has promised us. The writer of Hebrews says  Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. ³⁶ For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. (Hebrews 10:35-36, ESV)

Another thing to note is the way the brothers address Joseph when they encounter him in his rulership position. In verse 10, they address him as “my lord”. This is an indication of the highest degree of submission to a human authority. The brothers understand that that for them to get the help they desperately need, they have to submit themselves to the lordship of the prince of Egypt. And so too it is for anyone who is desirous of eternal life; they must submit themselves and confess to the Lordship of God’s Prince and Son, Jesus Christ. The Bible says that, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.(Romans 10:9, ESV) 

The problem we  have is that most people want a Jesus who is a savior but not one who is Lord. It doesn’t work that way. Anyone who desires of salvation must be ready to follow the commands of Jesus, just like Joseph tells the brothers “If you do as I say, you will live.” (Verse 8b, NLT). In the previous chapter we learnt that it is in acting on the words of Jesus that we find true life.

Joseph has an advantaged position over his brothers now and in his quest for truth, he  first accuses them of being spies, to which they reply by vehemently denying it, and even claiming to be “honest men.” Now, anybody who knows these brothers well knows that they are anything but honest. They are lying to Joseph when they claim to be honest. We know that they lied to their father that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal and that they only salvaged his ornate coat. Even when his father mourned uncontrollably, they would not tell him the truth of what happened to their brother; they let him languish in distress thinking that his most beloved son was dead and gone. And here they are claiming to be honest men. They might not be spies but they are not honest men, either. So, their statement in verse eleven is a half-truth which makes it of no benefit to Joseph and his interaction with them.

If they had been honest and told the whole truth, including what happened to their own brother,  probably Joseph would have been moved by their honesty and brokenness and helped them sooner. But they choose to cover their backs and tell half-truths and white lies, so Joseph incarcerates/puts them in custody for three good days. After those three days they remember of the evil they committed to their brother and suspect that they are paying the price of their wicked act of not listening to the pleadings of their brother when he begged them for mercy.

And how close to the truth that thought was! It is actually the whole reason they are in custody for three days; they are getting “punished” for their evil deeds. But, see, even when they are reminded of their evil, they don’t repent or come out to be honest with Joseph. May we be those that quickly repent of our sins and transgressions as soon as we take note of them or as we are reminded of it.  We however need to note here how mild their punishment is compared to what they deserved. If Joseph was to punish them according to their wrongdoing, they would probably spend the rest of their lives in prison.

We need to note here that all these tests and more that Joseph takes his brothers are worthwhile and necessary under the circumstances. They do not in any way prove Joseph to be deceptive or vengeful for they are not self-seeking or ill intended. Allow me, at this point, to quote from the site, Theologyofwork.org.

“Joseph's behavior in this situation became quite shrewd….. In short, Joseph took advantage of his power to deal with a group he knew could be untrustworthy because of their earlier treatment of him. His motive was to discern the present character of the people he was dealing with. He had suffered greatly at their hands over twenty years prior, and had every reason to distrust their words, actions, and commitment to the family….

He withheld critical information and manipulated events in various ways. Joseph acted in the role of a detective conducting a tough interrogation. He could not proceed with full transparency and expect to get reliable information from them. The biblical concept for this tactic is shrewdness. Shrewdness may be exercised for good or for ill…..The Hebrew word for shrewdness (ormah and cognates) is also translated as “good judgment,” “prudence,” and “clever”….. Jesus himself counseled his disciples to be “as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16 NLT). The Bible often commends shrewdness in the pursuit of noble purposes (Proverbs 1:4; 8:5, 12).”

Joseph tells them that he is God-fearing and therefore he releases them from custody after three days and they appear before him. Matthew Henry comments, ‘the fear of God will be a check upon those that are in power, to restrain them from abusing their power to oppression and tyranny.’

From their conversation before him, we also learn a little bit more about the events that took place from more than 20 years before in the land of Canaan. In Verse 21, the brothers remember, “….We saw his anguish when he pleaded for his life, but we wouldn’t listen….”(NLT) This particular detail about Joseph pleading with his brothers is not captured in chapter 37 where the story of how they dealt with him is recorded. Consider this detail together with what is recorded in chapter 37 verses 24-25. In those verses it is recorded that when they had bound Joseph and threw him in the dry pit, they sat down to eat the meal that Joseph had brought them. This  paints a very bad picture of the brothers and shows how horrific their treatment to Joseph was; they feasted without a care as Joseph pleaded with them from the pit.

Joseph will however not revenge any of that and he will only demand to see their youngest brother, his only full brother. He requires  that one of the elder brothers, Simeon, be left behind as surety that the rest of the brothers will make haste to bring him along on their next trip down to Egypt. So, he releases the rest of them with food supplies to take to their kin back in Canaan. Along the way, they discover that the money for one of them had been fully restored in his sack. This discovery brought fear among them possibly because they knew that this would cause them more trouble when they return to Egypt as they would be accused of carrying away grain without paying for it, which is basically stealing it.

Upon arriving back home in Canaan, they narrate in detail to their father, all that had happened to them while in Egypt and how the ruler of Egypt had treated them harshly accusing them of being spies. They informed him that the ruler of Egypt has ordered them to bring along with them their youngest brother in order to verify their story and release Simeon. And some more shock awaits them; as they empty their sacks, they find out that their monies was intact therein in each of the sacks!

Jacob is shaken even more now understanding what this means, and considering that Benjamin is required to go down to Egypt along with the brothers on the next trip. He cannot come to terms with what now confronts him; Joseph is no more, Simeon has been taken captive and now Benjamin is at stake! Rueben tries to give his father an offer and surety that he will personally be responsible for the safe return of Benjamin.

But what a horrible offer that Rueben makes; he offers his father that Jacob may kill both of his sons in the event that Rueben does not return with Benjamin. This is a horrible offer as it only brings more loss in the family if Benjamin does not return home safely. It is an unwise offer and Jacob knows it and therefore does not agree to it. There is another man in the bible who made a foolish and tragic vow before God and regretted about it later. His name is Jephthah, a judge in Israel as recorded in Judges 11:30-39

Jephthah foolishly vowed to God that he would offer as a burnt offering whatever/whoever would be the first to come out and meet him from his house, if God delivered victory to him against the Ammonites. Unfortunately, his daughter was the one who came out first to meet him when he came from the war with the Ammonites. This was his only child but he had to keep his vow.

While discussions abound on whether Jephthah actually offered his daughter as burnt sacrifice to God, we know that his vow was unwise because first and foremost, the God of Israel, Yahweh, categorically prohibited any human sacrifices whatsoever. Several bible verses can be offered to demonstrate this but we can just highlight two of them here. Deuteronomy 12:31 says You must not worship the Lord your God in their way, because in worshiping their gods, they do all kinds of detestable things the Lord hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods. (NIV)

Another verse is Leviticus 20:1-2 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ² “Say to the people of Israel, Any one of the people of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech shall surely be put to death. The people of the land shall stone him with stones. (ESV)

The bible warns us against making such unwise vows as Jephthah and Rueben make in the passages highlighted above. Jesus taught the following about vows/oaths: “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ ³⁴ But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; ³⁵ nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. ³⁶ Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. ³⁷ But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one. (Matthew 5:33-37, NKJV)

Jacob is wise enough to know that the surety offered by Rueben is unhelpful at the best and sinful at the worst. But Jacob’s worry is partly founded on incomplete intelligence/ disinformation. He is worried because he does not know the full facts of the situation at hand. Matthew Henry comments, ‘Jacob gives up Joseph for gone, and Simeon and Benjamin as being in danger; and he concludes, “All these things are against me.” It proved otherwise, that all these were for him, were working together for his good and the good of his family: yet here he thinks them all against him. Note, through our ignorance and mistake, and the weakness of our faith, we often apprehend that to be against us which is really for us. We are afflicted in body, estate, name, and relations; and we think all these things are against us, whereas these are really working for us the weight of glory.’

One final note about Jacob and his family and their reaction upon discovery that their monies had been returned; they were all horrified by this discovery. The brothers because they thought it was a set up and the father possibly out of distrust for his sons, thought they could have likely hidden the money and ran way with it. It is interesting that the very thing that was meant to be to their relief caused them grief. For the brothers it is their guilt conscience that is pricking them, just as the Bible teaches that the wicked people run even when no one is pursuing them.

It might also be to them, that ‘the deal is too good to be true’ and as they say, ‘when the deal is too good, you think twice.’ But I usually say that with God, nothing is too good to be true. Consider that His salvation is a free gift of God to us. It seems to some people that it is incomprehensible that God sacrificed his only Son for us; that the sinless Son of God died in the place of us who had transgressed against God.

But there is a glorious truth to be learnt from this act of kindness by Joseph, when you think about it more as a message or a signal he is giving to his kinsmen. Joseph is sort making an open invitation to his kinsmen to go and receive  grain free of charge, without pay, just as it will be revealed plainly to the family in the next several chapters.  And that should point us to the glorious invitation to the abundant life of salvation by our greater than Joseph, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible says “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. ² Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. (Isaiah 55:1-2).

The above quotation is from an Old Testament Prophet of Yahweh but we can say for sure that it was pointing us to the days of the Messiah, who was promised upon the nation of Israel and indeed upon all the nations of the world. We know this because when the Messiah came, he made the same invitation: this is recorded in John 7:37-38: On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. ³⁸ He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” (NKJV). Jesus also says in John 6:35  “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. (ESV)