Gen 44:1-45:28

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	Gen 41:54
1878	Brothers’ first visit to Egypt	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: Look up Gen 15:13 and other verses on 400 years


Gen 44:1-13 (ESV) Then he commanded the steward of his house, "Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man's money in the mouth of his sack, 2 and put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, with his money for the grain." And he did as Joseph told him.

3 As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away with their donkeys. 4 They had gone only a short distance from the city. Now Joseph said to his steward, "Up, follow after the men, and when you overtake them, say to them, 'Why have you repaid evil for good?  5 Is it not from this that my lord drinks, and by this that he practices divination? You have done evil in doing this.'"

6 When he overtook them, he spoke to them these words. 7 They said to him, "Why does my lord speak such words as these? Far be it from your servants to do such a thing! 8 Behold, the money that we found in the mouths of our sacks we brought back to you from the land of Canaan. How then could we steal silver or gold from your lord's house? 9  Whichever of your servants is found with it shall die, and we also will be my lord's servants." 10 He said, "Let it be as you say: he who is found with it shall be my servant, and the rest of you shall be innocent." 11 Then each man quickly lowered his sack to the ground, and each man opened his sack. 12 And he searched, beginning with the eldest and ending with the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. 13 Then they tore their clothes, and every man loaded his donkey, and they returned to the city.



• What about the divination, since Joseph makes the same claim in vs15?
• While the idea of an object with special powers for telling the future was common, it is more probable that the divination was a hoax, much like the theft was a hoax.  The divination angle only added importance to the object
• Now how do they feel, especially Judah?
• I'm sure the walk back was difficult
• There was a tremendous amount of pressure
• Why Benjamin?
• He was no one's full brother. He is also, like Joseph, from the "favored mother"
• It was important to know how the half brothers would respond
• Jacob really created this situation by favoritism, but Joseph needed to know there hearts


Gen 44:14-34 (ESV) When Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house, he was still there. They fell before him to the ground. 15 Joseph said to them, "What deed is this that you have done? Do you not know that a man like me can indeed practice divination?" 16 And Judah said, "What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak? Or how can we clear ourselves? God has found out the guilt of your servants; behold, we are my lord's servants, both we and he also in whose hand the cup has been found." 17 But he said, "Far be it from me that I should do so! Only the man in whose hand the cup was found shall be my servant. But as for you, go up in peace to your father."

18 Then Judah went up to him and said, "O my lord, please let your servant speak a word in my lord's ears, and let not your anger burn against your servant, for you are like Pharaoh himself. 19 My lord asked his servants, saying, 'Have you a father, or a brother?' 20 And we said to my lord, 'We have a father, an old man, and a young brother, the child of his old age. His brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother's children, and his father loves him.' 21 Then you said to your servants, 'Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him.' 22 We said to my lord, 'The boy cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.' 23 Then you said to your servants, 'Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall not see my face again.'

24 "When we went back to your servant my father, we told him the words of my lord. 25 And when our father said, 'Go again, buy us a little food,' 26 we said, 'We cannot go down. If our youngest brother goes with us, then we will go down. For we cannot see the man's face unless our youngest brother is with us.' 27 Then your servant my father said to us, 'You know that my wife bore me two sons. 28 One left me, and I said, Surely he has been torn to pieces, and I have never seen him since. 29 If you take this one also from me, and harm happens to him, you will bring down my gray hairs in evil to Sheol.'

30 "Now therefore, as soon as I come to your servant my father, and the boy is not with us, then, as his life is bound up in the boy's life, 31 as soon as he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die, and your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant our father with sorrow to Sheol. 32 For your servant became a pledge of safety for the boy to my father, saying, 'If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame before my father all my life.' 33 Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the boy as a servant to my lord, and let the boy go back with his brothers. 34 For how can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? I fear to see the evil that would find my father."



• Who takes the lead?
• Judah
• What is Judah's argument before Joseph?
• His father's life
• He will take Benjamin's place
• What could have Judah and the brother's done?
• Sold out Benjamin (last time, Judah was the one who suggested slavery, although to save Joseph's life)
• Let their Father die
• Joseph has succeeded in recreating the previous incident, and so therefore their actions now show their repentance
• Maybe Judah had changed the most.  Their Father still played favorites, but they loved their Father and they loved Benjamin
• APPLICATION:  Sometimes a person's needs to see repentance.  A word is not good enough.  We want to see actions that confirm a person's words


Gen 45:1-15 (ESV) Then Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him. He cried, "Make everyone go out from me." So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. 2 And he wept aloud, so that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it. 3 And Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?" But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence.

4 So Joseph said to his brothers, "Come near to me, please." And they came near. And he said, "I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6 For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. 7 And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. 8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. 9 Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, 'Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; do not tarry. 10  You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children's children, and your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. 11  There I will provide for you, for there are yet five years of famine to come, so that you and your household, and all that you have, do not come to poverty.' 12 And now your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see, that it is my mouth that speaks to you. 13 You must tell my father of all my honor in Egypt, and of all that you have seen. Hurry and bring my father down here." 14 Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck and wept, and Benjamin wept upon his neck. 15 And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them. After that his brothers talked with him.



• Why does Joseph give up the charade?
• Because his brothers have proven to him their change
• What does Joseph tell his brothers?
• That God had providentially used their actions for God
• This doesn't dismiss their actions, but it reaffirms Rom 8:28
• What is another theme of Joseph's life that is seen in his actions toward his brothers?
• Joseph is not bitter or vindictive
• APPLICATION:  Real reconciliation is seen in tears.  Real reconciliation requires getting rid of bitterness, anger, and the desire to get revenge. 
• What situation do we need to change our attitude toward? 
• What situation do we routinely think of how we might get back? 
• Thinking about revenge only breeds more bitterness


Gen 45:16-24 (ESV) When the report was heard in Pharaoh's house, "Joseph's brothers have come," it pleased Pharaoh and his servants. 17 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Say to your brothers, 'Do this: load your beasts and go back to the land of Canaan, 18 and take your father and your households, and come to me, and I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you shall eat the fat of the land.' 19 And you, Joseph, are commanded to say, 'Do this: take wagons from the land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives, and bring your father, and come. 20 Have no concern for your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.'"

21 The sons of Israel did so: and Joseph gave them wagons, according to the command of Pharaoh, and gave them provisions for the journey. 22 To each and all of them he gave a change of clothes, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver and five changes of clothes. 23 To his father he sent as follows: ten donkeys loaded with the good things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, bread, and provision for his father on the journey. 24 Then he sent his brothers away, and as they departed, he said to them, "Do not quarrel on the way."



• Pharaoh is pleased (a common theme in Joseph's life)
• What would our supervisor's and boss say of us?
• Would they be pleased?
• Joseph wants the whole family to come to Egypt
• Restoration of the family
• Healing
• Interestingly, Pharaoh is the one who gives instructions and who gives directions
• He takes a personal interest
• He has great respect for Jacob and his family
• Offers the family the best of all Egypt
• Joseph gives his brothers a gift, but he gives a lot more to his full brother Benjamin
• Then gives instructions "not to quarrel with each other"
• Could be another test -- it could also be cultural


Gen 45:25-28 (ESV) So they went up out of Egypt and came to the land of Canaan to their father Jacob. 26 And they told him, "Joseph is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt." And his heart became numb, for he did not believe them. 27 But when they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. 28 And Israel said, "It is enough; Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die."



• What is the effect on Jacob?
• First: Stunned (thought he was dead)
• Second: His spirit is revived
• Jacob had allowed bad news to stunt him for 22 years
• The good news changes his attitude
• The good news revives his walk
• But, what a waste of 22 years (not because of the sin of the brothers, but because of how Jacob chose to respond to the circumstances)
• Joseph, in contrast, grew during the 22 years spiritually
• APPLICATION:  What is stunting our spiritually growth? 
• What do we need to get rid of in order to revive our own walk with God?
• We can't blame others -- we choose our response to life!

Gen 42:29-43:34

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:  Last week, the long term problem with guilt.


Gen 42:29-38 (ESV) When they came to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them, saying, 30 "The man, the lord of the land, spoke roughly to us and took us to be spies of the land. 31 But we said to him, 'We are honest men; we have never been spies. 32 We are twelve brothers, sons of our father. One is no more, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan.' 33 Then the man, the lord of the land, said to us, 'By this I shall know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me, and take grain for the famine of your households, and go your way. 34 Bring your youngest brother to me. Then I shall know that you are not spies but honest men, and I will deliver your brother to you, and you shall trade in the land.'"

35  As they emptied their sacks, behold, every man's bundle of money was in his sack. And when they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were afraid. 36 And Jacob their father said to them, "You have bereaved me of my children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and now you would take Benjamin. All this has come against me." 37 Then Reuben said to his father, "Kill my two sons if I do not bring him back to you. Put him in my hands, and I will bring him back to you." 38 But he said, "My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he is the only one left. If harm should happen to him on the journey that you are to make, you would bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol."



• What does the return of the money do?
• It now makes it appear that they stole the grain
• I wonder how the Father looked at the return of the money
• Did he think that maybe they were dishonest?
• Was he less likely to send Benjamin as a result?
• "Every time they return without a brother, they also return with extra money"
• The return of the money is the emotional breaking point for Jacob
• How is Jacob's statement ( vs 36 "everything is against me (NIV)") ironic?
• During his time with Laban, everything was for him
• So now, life is without any meaning. He might as well die if something happens to Benjamin (he is between 21 and 27 years old)
• What does Jacob's statement reveal about Jacob?
• Very emotional
• All is lost (Eeyore - like) -- "Everything is against me"
• Gen 45:26-27 provides insight in Jacob's life
Gen 45:26-27 (ESV) And they told him, "Joseph is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt." And his heart became numb, for he did not believe them. 27 But when they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived.

• 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 the reality is -- the truths of the situation -- God is doing something very good in Jacob's life
• APPLICATION:  No matter what good has happened in your life previously, when hard times initially hit, for most people, it is forgotten. It was one of the reasons God set up reminders for the people--it is too easy to forget (example: Ebenezer)
• Why does Reuben make his suggestion (occurs during a very emotional moment)?
• He is the oldest
• He is a man and so during an emotional moment offers a solution
• It is a stupid suggestion -- 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


Gen 43:1-10 (ESV) Now the famine was severe in the land. 2 And when they had eaten the grain that they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, "Go again, buy us a little food." 3 But Judah said to him, "The man solemnly warned us, saying, 'You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.' 4 If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food. 5 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.'" 6 Israel said, "Why did you treat me so badly as to tell the man that you had another brother?" 7 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 in answer to these questions. Could we in any way know that he would say, 'Bring your brother down'?" 8 And Judah said to Israel 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. 9 I will be a 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. 10 If we had not delayed, we would now have returned twice."


• Who takes the lead this time in confronting their Father? Judah
• How does Judah initially reply to his father's command to get food?
• He stands up to him and says he will not go without Benjamin
• I think he shows moral integrity. He gives the right answer, not the answer the person wanted to hear
• Jacob's response is very emotional and has nothing to do with the situation.  Asking "why did you" for the umpteenth time does not help things or change the situation
• Isn't that what we do to people when we don't get our way? We blame others for our troubles
• How is Judah's solution different from Reuben?
• Is it not ridiculous, i.e., kill your grandchildren
• It is personal -- he takes responsibility -- which is really all he can do.  Judah is emerging as the leader among his brothers
• Judah also shows some character improvement, which is good considering there was a lack of integrity regarding his daughter-in-law
• APPLICATION: Judah shows both integrity in standing up to his father but also in showing his humanity in his passion-ed response to his father


Gen 43:11-16 (ESV) 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. 12 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. 13 Take also your brother, and arise, go again to the man. 14 May God Almighty  grant you mercy before the man, and may he send back your other brother and Benjamin. And as for me, if I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved."

15 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.

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."


• What does Jacob recommend doing and what does it suggest?
• Is Jacob going back to his old ways (scheming) or is this a rational suggestion in light of the events?
• Also it is a similar thing that the did with Esau
• Eg.  I struggle with pride, and my weakness sometimes handcuffs me, because when it might be appropriate to say something (that hedges on prideful), it also might be the most appropriate thing to say at the time
• APPLICATION:  We do need to be careful with our weaknesses but we shouldn't let them handcuff our actions.  The best action is to pray and ask God to reveal our motive
• Jacob is not completely in a funk (or state of depression), why? He takes two positive steps
• He appeals to God's mercy
• He takes a realistic approach, "if I am bereaved, I am bereaved." Of course, you could also see it as a comment from someone who has ceased to care anymore


Gen 43:17-25 (ESV) The man did as Joseph told him and brought the men to Joseph's house. 18 And the men were afraid because they were brought to Joseph's house, and they said, "It is because of the money, which was replaced in our sacks the first time, that we are brought in, so that he may assault us and fall upon us to make us servants and seize our donkeys." 19 So they went up to the steward of Joseph's house and spoke with him at the door of the house, 20 and said, "Oh, my lord, we came down the first time to buy food. 21 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 again with us, 22 and we have brought other money down with us to buy food. We do not know who put our money in our sacks." 23 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. 24 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, 25 they prepared the present for Joseph's coming at noon, for they heard that they should eat bread there.



• Do you notice how nervous the brothers are -- why?
• Certainly, the situation is unusual
• But, guilt is always in the background
• What are some positive things from the passage?
• They immediately try to resolve the money problem -- shows some courage and integrity (they could have tried to hide the issue) -- I would hope that all of us would give back extra money if we were refunded too much; we certainly say something when we are shorted …
• The servants are aware of "their God and the God of their Father," suggesting that Joseph is having an impact in Egypt, and that the servants are aware of what's going on (which would have to be true since they knew he was an Eber)
• They have brought a gift -- while it could be seen as a bribe, it could also show generosity
• APPLICATION: There are a lot of positive signs suggesting his brothers have changed


------- Extra Passage ---------
Gen 43:26-34 (ESV) When Joseph came home, they brought into the house to him the present that they had with them and bowed down to him to the ground. 27 And he inquired about their welfare and said, "Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?" 28 They said, "Your servant our father is well; he is still alive." And they bowed their heads and prostrated themselves. 29 And he lifted up his eyes and 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!" 30 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. 31 Then he washed his face and came out. And controlling himself he said, "Serve the food." 32 They served him by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because the Egyptians could not eat with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians. 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. 34  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.



• What catches you as unusual in this passage, especially if you were the brothers?
• They are all brought to his home without any explanation [previous passage]
• The leader remembers them, their father, and their brother (very unusual)
• They are seated oldest to youngest
• Benjamin was given a portion designated for only the highest of dignitaries
• Why? possibly looking for jealousy
• What is Joseph doing?
• Some writers suggest he is creating tension and uncertainty in the brothers mind.  In a sense, he is setting the stage
• Why did he have to have dinner with them?
• To give them the opportunity to steal his cup (or rather to set the stage, suggesting the planning of the event)
• APPLICATION: ??


APPLICATION:
1. Good times in the past are most often forgotten during bad times. Remembrances, journals, etc, can be a help
2. Good leadership is standing up for what is wrong but also showing compassion for what is right
3. Be careful not to let your weaknesses handicap your response

Gen 41:53-42:28, Wait on God; do the right thing

Timeline:

1916	Birth of Joseph	Gen 30:23
1899	Selling of Joseph (17 yrs old)	Gen 37:2
1886	Joseph (30 yrs old - out of prison) -- 13 years gone	Gen 41:46
1879	Beginning of famine (37 yrs old) -- 20 years gone	Gen 41:54
1878	Brothers’ first visit to Egypt (38 yrs old)	Gen 42:1-2
1877	Brothers’ second visit to Egypt (39 yrs old)	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 41:53-42:9 (ESV) The seven years of plenty that occurred in the land of Egypt came to an end, 54 and the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph had said. There was famine in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. 55 When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, "Go to Joseph. What he says to you, do."

56 So when the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. 57 Moreover, all the earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth.

42:1 When Jacob learned that there was grain for sale in Egypt, he said to his sons, "Why do you look at one another?" 2 And he said, "Behold, I have heard that there is grain for sale in Egypt. Go down and buy grain for us there, that we may live and not die." 3 So ten of Joseph's brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt. 4 But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph's brother, with his brothers, for he feared that harm might happen to him. 5 Thus the sons of Israel came to buy among the others who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.

6 Now Joseph was governor over the land. He was the one who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph's brothers came and bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground. 7 Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he treated them like strangers and spoke roughly to them. "Where do you come from?" he said. They said, "From the land of Canaan, to buy food." 8 And Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. 9 And Joseph remembered the dreams that he had dreamed of them. And he said to them, "You are spies; you have come to see the nakedness of the land."



• 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


Gen 42:10-20 (ESV) They said to him, "No, my lord, your servants have come to buy food. 11 We are all sons of one man. We are honest men. Your servants have never been spies."

12 He said to them, "No, it is the nakedness of the land that you have come to see." 13 And they said, "We, your servants, are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan, and behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is no more." 14 But Joseph said to them, "It is as I said to you. You are spies. 15 By this you shall be tested: by the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go from this place unless your youngest brother comes here. 16 Send one of you, and let him bring your brother, while you remain confined, that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you. Or else, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies." 17 And he put them all together 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 remain confined where you are in custody, and let the rest go and carry grain for the famine of your households, 20 and bring your youngest brother to me. So your words will be verified, and you shall not die." And they did so.



• 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)
• So they would not have held anything back
• 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 (in terms of the plot, it would make sense)
• 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
• Some suggest that is the time (in years) that Joseph was in prison. We don't know, but I think he probably spent half or more of the 13 years in prison
• APPLICATION: ??
• I wonder if at times 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


Gen 42:21-24 (ESV) Then they said to one another, "In truth we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us and we did not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us." 22 And Reuben answered them, "Did I not tell you not to sin against the boy? But you did not listen. So now there comes a reckoning for his blood." 23 They did not know that Joseph understood them, for there was an interpreter between them. 24 Then he turned away from them and wept. And he returned to them and spoke to them. And he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes.



• 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 did not go right, they were 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
• He loved them
• 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 final possibility is that God is working in Simeon's life and will use the year in prison to teach him a lesson
• APPLICATION: 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


Gen 42:25-28 (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?"



• 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 because they got a lot of money back)
• Once again, sin and guilt cause them to do what?
• Blame God or see God in the act (which is good and bad)
• They are still blaming themselves. They don't see it as good but as a bad omen. They are haunted by their past actions and see God haunting them