- Why does Jacob not send Benjamin?
- Afraid that harm would come him
- Did he not trust the other sons?
- Was Joseph's loss affecting his other decisions?
- Appears to show favoritism
- Why does Joseph recognize his brothers but they do not recognize him?
- They were all older and so would not have changed in appearance as much as a 17 year old
- There were a lot of them (unusual)
- They thought Joseph was dead or gone
- They were dressed in their traditional clothes, Joseph was dressed as an Egyptian
- They spoke Hebrew, but Joseph spoke Egyptian
- Was this planned by Joseph, why or why not?
- The staff knew he was Hebrew (Eber)
- He kept up his Egyptian disguise without fail (he was ready)
- How would the six dreams have influenced Joseph? He has seen four fulfilled but two remain
- What were the two dreams again and how do we see them represented?
- The one dream had the sun and moon and stars bowing down to Joseph?
- Represents his position as authority
- The other dream had the sheaves of grain bowing down to Joseph's sheave?
- Represents his position as provider
- He never visits his family or even sends a message during the 8-9 years he is out of prison (he knew they were coming)
- BOTTOM LINE: we don't know if it was planned or not, but as we look at the totality of Joseph's action, we can determine his intent ...
- Why did Joseph play the game?
- He wanted to be reunited to his family, but wanted to know if his brothers had learned their lesson
- He wanted to know if they were they sorry or not
- APPLICATION: Joseph waited on God for his fulfillment of his plans. Our tendency is to move things along, but Joseph waited
- Why do the brothers respond as they do to the Joseph's charge?
- When accused of being a spy, you do not want to lie (penalty for spying is death)
- Also, why would a nation send ten spies all from the same family?
- Why does Joseph make an issue of the youngest brother?
- Obviously he wants to see Benjamin, the only one not involved in the crime
- Benjamin's existence proves the veracity of the brother's statement
- It puts the focus back on Rachel's children
- The reason Benjamin is so protected is because he is the only remaining son of Rachel
- The reason he is the only remaining son is because of what the brothers did
- Why put them in prison for three days?
- Scripture doesn't say, but it does give them time to think
- APPLICATION: ??
- I wonder if sometimes when we fail, God gives us another test or opportunity to do it right
- The key to passing the second test is recognizing you failed the first test
- That requires thought, prayer, and repentance
- What is the issue that comes to the forefront?
- Joseph. Sin and guilt work this way. It will never go away until it is forgiven
- Just think, for the last 20 years, every time something does not go right, they are probably saying to themselves, it is because of our brother -- how painful and how sad
- Why did Joseph turn to weep?
- He recognized that they were sorry for their sin. It would be possible to reconcile
- His brother's sin had been eating at them for 20 years
- Why not imprison Reuben? Why Simeon?
- In the capture and slavery story, it is Reuben and Judah who act to save the boys life (#1 and #4 oldest). What do we know of Simeon and Levi (#2 and #3)?
- They were violent men (34:25 and 49:5-7)
- The other possibility is that Simeon is a changed man, and offers himself up (it has been 20 years)
- The final possibility is that God is working in Simeon's life and will use the year in prison to teach him a lesson
- APPLCIATION: Even as Christians, we need to deal with sin and guilt. One of the aspects of the blood of Christ is that it has the power to wash away guilt. Guilt destroys a person very slowly. But we can confess our sins and be released from guilt. Sometimes God requires that we go to the person we sinned against in order to be completely free. I can't really offer a formula for when and why that is needed, but as you pray, you will realize what you need to do
- What does the returning of the money do?
- It now makes it appear that they stole the grain
- It is a gracious act done secretly on Joseph's part, but it ups the ante
- Although, it could also make it appear that they sold Simeon to Jacob (doubt it)
- How does Jacob view the circumstances?
- Very emotional
- All is lost (Eeore - like) -- "Everything is against me"
- Gen 45:26-27 provides insight in Jacob's life
- Jacob has allowed a painful situation to take the joy out of life for 20 years
- Yes, it is good to grieve
- Yes, it is good to be honest with our feelings (Example as Elder at Derwood CMA and survey about being angry with God)
- But, at some point, we need to give our disappointments and hurts to God and move on with life
- Yet in reality, God is doing something very good in Jacob's life
- What do you think of Reuben's suggestion (also suggested during a very emotional moment)?
- Pathetic and poor
- Why would Jacob kill his grand-children?
- It does reemphasize the importance of what happened to Joseph, which is the reason Jacob protects Benjamin. As a result, Jacob will not give in for a whole year, and in the meantime, Simeon sits in prison
- APPLICATION: We need to trust God and not trust our circumstances
Timeline:
|
1899
|
Selling of Joseph
(at 17 years old)
|
Gen 37:2
|
|
1886
|
Joseph (30 yrs
old - out of prison)
|
Gen 41:46
|
|
1879
|
Beginning of
famine (37 yrs old)
|
Gen 41:54
|
|
1878
|
Brothers’ first
visit to Egypt (38 yrs old)
|
Gen 42:1-2
|
|
1877
|
Brothers’ second
visit to Egypt
|
Gen 43:1; 45:6,
11
|
|
1876
|
Jacob's descent
to Egypt
|
Gen 46:6; cf.
47:9
|
|
1845
|
Israel is
enslaved
|
|
|
1446
|
Israel leaves
Egypt after 400 years of bondage
|
Gen 15:13,16;Acts
7:6
|
|
1395
|
Conquest of
Canaan complete (essentially)
|
Acts 13:19,20
|
Review:
Gen
42:1-9 (NIV) When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his
sons, "Why do you just keep looking at each other?" 2 He continued,
"I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some
for us, so that we may live and not die."
3 Then
ten of Joseph's brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. 4 But Jacob did
not send Benjamin, Joseph's brother, with the others, because he was afraid
that harm might come to him. 5 So Israel's sons were among those who went to
buy grain, for the famine was in the land of Canaan also.
6 Now
Joseph was the governor of the land, the one who sold grain to all its people.
So when Joseph's brothers arrived, they bowed down to him with their faces to
the ground. 7 As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he
pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them. "Where do you come
from?" he asked.
"From
the land of Canaan," they replied, "to buy food."
8
Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him. 9 Then he
remembered his dreams about them and said to them, "You are spies! You
have come to see where our land is unprotected."
Gen
42:10-20 (NIV) "No, my lord," they answered. "Your servants
have come to buy food. 11 We are all the sons of one man. Your servants are
honest men, not spies."
12
"No!" he said to them. "You have come to see where our land is
unprotected."
13 But
they replied, "Your servants were twelve brothers, the sons of one man,
who lives in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and one
is no more."
14
Joseph said to them, "It is just as I told you: You are spies! 15 And
this is how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you will not leave
this place unless your youngest brother comes here. 16 Send one of your number
to get your brother; the rest of you will be kept in prison, so that your
words may be tested to see if you are telling the truth. If you are not, then
as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!" 17 And he put them all in
custody for three days.
18 On
the third day, Joseph said to them, "Do this and you will live, for I
fear God: 19 If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here in
prison, while the rest of you go and take grain back for your starving
households. 20 But you must bring your youngest brother to me, so that your
words may be verified and that you may not die." This they proceeded to
do.
Gen
42:21-24 (NIV) They said to one another, "Surely we are being punished
because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us
for his life, but we would not listen; that's why this distress has come upon
us."
22
Reuben replied, "Didn't I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you
wouldn't listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood." 23 They
did not realize that Joseph could understand them, since he was using an
interpreter.
24 He
turned away from them and began to weep, but then turned back and spoke to
them again. He had Simeon taken from them and bound before their eyes.
------------ Extra
Passage ----------------
Gen
42:25-38 (NIV) Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to put each
man's silver back in his sack, and to give them provisions for their journey.
After this was done for them, 26 they loaded their grain on their donkeys and
left.
27 At
the place where they stopped for the night one of them opened his sack to get
feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver in the mouth of his sack. 28
"My silver has been returned," he said to his brothers. "Here
it is in my sack."
Their
hearts sank and they turned to each other trembling and said, "What is
this that God has done to us?"
29
When they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him all
that had happened to them. They said, 30 "The man who is lord over the
land spoke harshly to us and treated us as though we were spying on the land.
31 But we said to him, 'We are honest men; we are not spies. 32 We were twelve
brothers, sons of one father. One is no more, and the youngest is now with our
father in Canaan.'
33
"Then the man who is lord over the land said to us, 'This is how I will
know whether you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers here with me, and
take food for your starving households and go. 34 But bring your youngest
brother to me so I will know that you are not spies but honest men. Then I
will give your brother back to you, and you can trade in the land.'"
35 As
they were emptying their sacks, there in each man's sack was his pouch of
silver! When they and their father saw the money pouches, they were
frightened. 36 Their father Jacob said to them, "You have deprived me of
my children. Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more, and now you want to take
Benjamin. Everything is against me!"
37
Then Reuben said to his father, "You may put both of my sons to death if
I do not bring him back to you. Entrust him to my care, and I will bring him
back."
38 But
Jacob said, "My son will not go down there with you; his brother is dead
and he is the only one left. If harm comes to him on the journey you are
taking, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in sorrow."
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