Genesis: Lesson 15

Overview

A Family Reunion Begins: Genesis 42–44

Famine drives Jacob's sons to Egypt, where they bow before a governor they do not recognize as their long-lost brother. The very dream that once provoked their hatred—sheaves bowing to Joseph's sheaf Genesis 37:5-8—is fulfilled in the opening verses of Genesis 42. Joseph, still concealed, tests his brothers by demanding that Benjamin be brought to Egypt and detaining Simeon as collateral. What unfolds is not merely political maneuvering but the slow, sovereign unfolding of God's purposes through a fractured family.

Contrition Is Not Yet Repentance

When the brothers find themselves in distress, they confess to one another, "We are paying the penalty for what we did to our brother" Genesis 42:21. This is what Luther called "the terror of the conscience"—a living illustration of Paul's warning: "God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow" Galatians 6:7. Yet their sorrow, while real, stops short of repentance. Contrition is regret over sin and its consequences; repentance is the Spirit-wrought turnaround—stop, turn around, go a different direction. It is worth asking honestly: when we grieve our sin, are we merely pained by its fallout, or are we, by God's grace, turning to walk a new way?

Jacob, meanwhile, displays familiar evasions. He denies the problem, ignores Joseph's stipulation, and blames his sons for revealing too much. We do the same when we pretend a problem will dissolve on its own, shift blame to avoid responsibility, or vent frustration on people unconnected to our trouble. The famine, however, will not let Jacob deny reality forever.

Judah's Substitution and the Gospel Pattern

The heart of these chapters comes in Judah's intercession Genesis 44:18-34—one of the most beautiful pleas in all of Scripture. Having watched his father grieve Joseph for over twenty years, Judah cannot bear to inflict that sorrow again. He offers himself as a slave in Benjamin's place: "Please let your servant remain as a slave to my Lord in place of the boy." Here is real maturity—and here, unmistakably, is a foreshadowing of Christ, who steps into our place when our situation is truly hopeless. Judah's willingness to be substitute points to the Substitute who lays down His life for His brothers.

Looking Backward to Trust Forward

Neither Jacob nor Joseph yet sees the full picture. Jacob still believes Joseph is dead; Joseph has not revealed himself. But God's hand is steadily guiding events toward deliverance. So it is in our lives. Rarely do we perceive God's gracious providence in the middle of crisis; we see it most clearly in the rearview mirror. This is why Scripture's people repeatedly set up memorial stones—tangible reminders of God's faithfulness. Set down such stones in your own memory. When the present is unreadable, look back at how God has acted, and remember that He does not change.

A final word on giving: Jacob sends delicacies to influence "the man," but God sent His Son with no strings attached. Christians, having received that unconditional love, are freed to love and give the same way—an increasingly rare and powerful witness in a transactional world. When someone asks why, we have an answer ready: let me tell you about the One who gave me the greatest gift.

Transcript

Good morning and welcome back to our study on Genesis. 3s

Let's share a prayer together, please. 7s

Gracious Heavenly Father, we give you thanks for your goodness and for your grace. 10s

We give you thanks for your infelible and an errant word. 15s

It is that solid rock upon which we stand. 19s

We thank you for the hope and the joy that is ours in the Lord Jesus Christ. 23s

And we pray now, O Lord, for your rich blessing upon this study time. 28s

In Jesus' name, amen. 33s

Well, last week we took a look at chapters 39 to 41 of Genesis. 36s

And that part of the story we saw where Joseph was sold as a common slave into Egypt. 42s

His brothers had thrown him into the pit and then he was sold as a common slave into Egypt. 51s

He was sold once again in Egypt to the house of Potiphar. 59s

And Potiphar's wife falsely accused him of rape and he was thrown into prison. 65s

He endured injustice for doing that which was right. 73s

In prison, he met the cup bearer and the baker in association with the Pharaoh. 80s

We don't know how they fell out of favor, but they did. 87s

And so they then are in prison. 92s

Joseph interprets dreams for them. 95s

And then that's the connection between Joseph and Pharaoh. 99s

Because Pharaoh has a dream and Pharaoh can't get any kind of interpretation on it. 103s

And so Joseph shows up on the scene here with the link to those that he had met in prison. 110s

He interprets the dream and says there's going to be seven years of abundance and seven years of famine. 117s

Pharaoh is struck by Joseph. 126s

And he puts Joseph right at his side and Joseph becomes the second most powerful person in the most powerful nation at the time in the world. 129s

He has two children. 144s

He names one of them Menasa which means forget and he names the other Ephraim which means fruitful. 146s

Such an important name there. 154s

Because Menasa Joseph had as we studied much to forget by God's grace. 158s

And we also saw how by God's grace his life was incredibly fruitful. 164s

And so interestingly he has led to name his children Menasa and Ephraim. 171s

Well today we're going to continue in chapters 42 and 44. 177s

And we come upon a family reunion. 182s

An ancient day the people would quite often have to suffer through a famine. 186s

We see for example Abram in Genesis 12 going for food. 194s

We see in chapter 42 Jacob sending his sons here to Egypt for grain. 201s

And so let's go to Genesis chapter 42 and we'll pick up in verse 1. 209s

Genesis chapter 42 verse 1. 214s

When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt he said to his sons. 220s

Why do you keep looking at one another? 227s

I have heard he said that there is grain in Egypt go down in by grain for us there that we may live and not die. 230s

So 10 of Joseph's brothers went down to by grain in Egypt. 239s

But Jacob did not send Joseph's brother Benjamin with his brothers for he feared that harm might come to him. 244s

Thus the sons of Israel were among the other people who came to by grain for the famine had reached the land of Canaan. 253s

Jacob is unaware that Joseph is still alive. 264s

Remember his understanding is that his son is dead. 268s

And Jacob wants the only son to Rachel to remain with him. 274s

Verse 6. 281s

Now Joseph was governor over the land. 284s

It was he who sold to all the people of the land. 286s

And Joseph's brothers came and bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground. 290s

Okay, keep your finger here but turn back please to Genesis 37. 300s

Genesis 37 verse 5. 305s

Once Joseph had a dream and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. 312s

He said to them, listen to this dream that I dreamed. 318s

There we were binding sheaves in the field suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright then your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf. 322s

His brother said to him, are you indeed to reign over us? Are you indeed to have dominion over us? 334s

So they hated him even more because of his dreams and his words. 342s

But what happened? 351s

Verse 6 again of chapter 42. 354s

Halfway through and Joseph's brothers came and bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground. 358s

Joseph's dream literally came true. 369s

Well, they described their family to Joseph. 376s

They say that Benjamin is back with Jacob and they tell of one of their brothers who was no more. 381s

Little did they know that the one who they said was no more was the very one that they were standing before. 393s

Joseph puts a plan into place. 404s

He puts a strategy into place demanding here that the story is verified. 407s

Let's go back to chapter 42 verse 14. 413s

42 verse 14. 418s

But Joseph said to them, it is just as I have said to you, you are spies. 420s

Here is how you shall be tested as Pharaoh lives. 426s

You shall not leave this place until your youngest brother comes here. 430s

Let one of you go and bring your brother while the rest of you remain in prison in order that your words may be tested, 437s

whether there is truth in you or else as Pharaoh lives, surely you are spies. 444s

There to go then and to return with Benjamin. 453s

It turns out that not all of them are put into prison, but one is held back as collateral here. 458s

Chapter 42 verse 21. 467s

They said to one another, a last, we are paying the penalty for what we did to our brother. 471s

We saw his anguish when he pleaded with us, but we would not listen. 479s

This is why this anguish has come upon us. 486s

This is an example of what Luther called the terror of the conscience. 492s

Let's look over into Galatians chapter 6, New Testament, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, and Romans. 499s

First and second Corinthians, then Galatians. 507s

Galatians chapter 6 verse 7. 511s

The Apostle Paul here writes, 520s

God is not mocked. 524s

For you reap whatever you sow. 527s

Back then to the words of the brothers there, in verse 21 of chapter 42, 534s

it's really a living out here of the Galatians passage, isn't it? 543s

They said to one another, a last, we are paying the penalty for what we did to our brother. 546s

We saw his anguish when he pleaded with us, but we would not listen. 552s

That is why this anguish has come upon us. 556s

Their guilty conscience, however, brought them to the point of contrition, which is regret over sin. 563s

But they are not at the place of repentance. 574s

That's the turnaround. 578s

That's really an important distinction, because we can be tempted to regret our sin when we see the implications of it. 581s

I wish I hadn't said that. 593s

I wish I hadn't have done that. 596s

But contrition, while important, regret over sin, isn't the same as repentance. 599s

One can feel sorry for their sin, and the implications that it's had, but repentance is that turn around and that going in a different direction. 608s

Remember the midweek service about a week and a half ago when the kids were acting out the sermon there, 623s

and they did repentance, and they had the signs stop, and then what was the other sign? 631s

Turn around, and then the third sign, go a different direction. 637s

That was really good preaching by the kids, wasn't it? It was really good, because it was biblical and it was clear. 642s

So the brothers come to the point where they've got contrition and regret, but they don't have repentance. 649s

That's a question to ask ourselves with regard to our own sin. 658s

Is it simply contrition? 663s

Or do we want repentance in our life? 667s

Are we simply sorry for our sin in the sense of... 671s

Oh, there's been implications on this, or do we want to, by God's grace, turn to the Lord and go a different direction by His strength? 678s

The brother's spiritual immaturity shows up, because the brother's spiritual immaturity is manifest as they shift the responsibility away from them. 690s

Look at verse 22. 707s

Then Ruben answered them. 711s

Did I not tell you not to wrong the boy, but you would not listen, so now there comes a reckoning for his blood. 714s

Jacob resists releasing Benjamin. 729s

Symmians in prison, collateral, Benjamin, he doesn't want to lose anymore of his children, so he resists. 735s

So chapter 42 ends with a note of crisis. Here's the crisis. 749s

Joseph's no more. 755s

Symmian is in prison. 759s

Jacob refuses to send Benjamin and the famine threatens the rest of Jacob's family. 762s

That is an absolute crisis in Jacob's mind. 774s

And once again, the human situation seems impossible. 779s

And when the human situation seems impossible, we know that we can add the words, but God. 788s

But God. 800s

Chapter 43, please. 806s

Verse 1. 809s

Now the famine was severe in the land. 813s

And when they had eaten up the grain that they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, go again by us a little more food. 816s

But you to said to him, the man, that's Joseph, the man solemnly warned us saying, 824s

you shall not see my face unless your brother is with you. 833s

If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food. 840s

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. 844s

Israel. 856s

Remember that's Jacob's new name. 858s

Israel said, why did you treat me so badly as to tell the man that you had another brother? 860s

They replied, the man questioned us carefully about ourselves and our kindred saying, is your father still alive? 869s

Have you another brother? 877s

But we told him was an answer to these questions. 880s

Could we in any way know that he would say, bring your brother down? 883s

Jacob attempts here to overlook the problem. 894s

He ignores the stipulation that Joseph had put on this whole situation. 900s

Joseph wants to see Benjamin. 909s

Jacob ignores the stipulation. 913s

And in verse 6, he blames his sons for telling the man what they did. 916s

It's interesting, isn't it? 925s

Sometimes we can be tempted to deny a problem. 927s

To deny a problem and think it'll just go away. 932s

Well, sometimes we can be tempted to blame others for our problems and avoid 945s

responsibility of how we've contributed to the problem or our contributing to the problem. 953s

Sometimes we can be tempted to just take our frustration and anger out on someone who is totally 962s

uninvolved and unrelated to the problem. 976s

Have you ever been a recipient of that? 980s

Have you ever done that? 984s

We're all of a sudden when the adrenaline goes down and night comes and you realize, 988s

the anger that I expressed to the clerk really was uncalled for. 1000s

But the anger that the clerk got was my anger against this other person. 1007s

You see, we can deflect, right? 1017s

Or we can get into situations where we're talking about one issue, maybe it's a point of disagreement, 1022s

and that all of a sudden the whole wheelbarrow of stuff starts to come out and you start to fragment in the conversations. 1030s

Have you ever done that? 1040s

We're all of a sudden saying, well, let me remind you about this. 1041s

And now all of a sudden we're not talking about the issue. 1047s

Now we're talking about this and that branches off over into this and into this. 1050s

We can be tempted in our lives to ignore problems, to blame others for our problems and to deflect our problems onto others. 1059s

It's exactly what Jacob is doing here. 1072s

Denies the problem, denies the stipulation, and then turns and blames his boys. 1075s

Blames his boys. 1082s

Jacob's determination, however, to keep Benjamin home, he can't hold on to that grasp in light of the famine. 1085s

He can't. 1097s

So chapter 43, verse 10, excuse me, verse 8, 1099s

then Judah said to his father Israel, 1106s

send the boy with me, 1109s

and let us be on our way so that we may live and not die, you and we and also our little ones. 1112s

I myself will be surety for him. 1120s

You can hold me accountable for him. 1124s

If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, let me bear the blame forever. 1127s

If we had not delayed, we would now have returned twice. 1135s

Then their father Israel said to them, 1141s

if it must be so, then do this. 1143s

Take some of the choice fruits of the land in your bags and carry them down as a present to the man. 1146s

A little bomb, a little honey, gum, resin, pistachio nuts and almonds. 1152s

Take double the money with you. 1157s

Carry back with you the money that was returned in the top of your sacks, 1160s

perhaps it was in oversight. 1164s

Take your brother also and be on your way again to the man, 1169s

may God Almighty grant you mercy before the man, 1173s

so that he may send back your other brother and Benjamin. 1177s

As for me, if I'm bereaved of my children, I am bereaved. 1181s

So the men took the present and they took double the money with them as well as Benjamin. 1187s

Then they went on their way down to Egypt and stood before Joseph. 1192s

These products here were delicacies in Egypt. 1200s

Jacob knows what he's doing here. 1205s

These were regarded as delicacies. 1208s

They were not native to Egypt. 1209s

They're valued there. 1213s

And the hope is that these delicacies will influence the man, 1214s

the man again, of course, being Joseph. 1220s

The gifts were given in hope of getting something in return. 1225s

God was completely altruistic 1236s

and unselfish in sending the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. 1243s

We who have experienced the grace of God and the Lord Jesus Christ them. 1252s

We begin to learn by God's grace what it means to give a gift 1258s

where there's no strings attached. 1264s

No strings attached. 1268s

So many interactions. 1273s

So many interactions can be based upon us wanting something or the other person wanting something from us. 1275s

Instead, we as Christians are freed to just love and to give with no strings attached. 1288s

And that can be surprising in relationships. 1300s

Surprising in relationships. 1304s

And sometimes a person will say, well, I want to pay you back here. 1307s

Or why are you doing this for me? 1312s

Are you hardly even even know me? 1315s

Why are you doing this for me? 1318s

Which is a perfect opportunity then to witness. 1322s

Let me tell you about the one who gave me the greatest gift. 1325s

Which is the salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ. 1329s

Let me tell you about God who without any kind of, I want this back now. 1333s

I expect this back. 1340s

Send his son to die for us to restore the relationship. 1342s

And the very one who sends his son births then the faith that grasps that victory as our own. 1346s

God completely altruistic in sending the son. 1355s

That is such a beautiful witness of Christians who we have experienced, 1360s

the unconditional love of God, then to share that love with other people. 1365s

Because so much love is conditionalized in relationship. 1372s

So much love is. 1378s

So much of the world is conditionalized in terms of, you know, if you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours. 1381s

And I want you to scratch my back first. 1393s

Because then I know that maybe then I'll scratch your back. 1398s

We'll see how it works out. 1402s

You see, the world has looked at as the deal instead of relationships with human beings. 1404s

Relationships in which we simply love and give unconditionally. 1415s

It's an incredible witness of a Christian. 1419s

And who better should be people who give without any strings attached than we who have received the incredible love and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ? 1422s

This gift, however, that Jacob is talking about, that's to get something in return, right? 1433s

Trying to influence the man. 1440s

What we see here is we see God's gracious guidance over this whole situation. 1446s

Jacob doesn't fully understand. 1454s

Joseph doesn't fully understand what is happening. 1456s

But both Jacob and Joseph will later recognize the blessing here and benefit of God's presence and his guiding hand in these events. 1461s

Joseph knows, he's my brothers, Joseph hasn't revealed his identity yet, right? 1476s

Jacob still thinks Joseph is dead. 1485s

They fully don't understand Jacob and Joseph yet. 1490s

But in the rearview mirror, when they look back, they will then see God's hand so clearly. 1494s

It's the same thing in our lives, is it not? 1506s

It's the same thing. 1508s

Where we see the graciousness and God's presence in our lives as we look in the rearview mirror. 1511s

It can be hard amidst struggles and difficulties sometimes to say, I see perfectly where your gracious hand is right now, Lord. 1518s

That's why the people of all of what we see in Scripture is they constantly were setting up memorial stones 1529s

for where they saw God's gracious action in their life. 1536s

That's a good thing for us to do, to set up mental memorial stones that we then can keep looking backward when we don't understand the present. 1542s

We look backward and we say, this is how he's acted in the past and God does not change. 1553s

So we then have every expectation of his gracious action. 1559s

It's laying down the memorial stone. 1564s

Joseph and Jacob, they don't get it yet. 1568s

They will get it. 1570s

And then the gracious presence in hand of God will become very, very apparent. 1572s

Well, as the brothers approach, Joseph spots a Benjamin. 1581s

And when Joseph sees Benjamin, his composure melts. 1585s

And he excuses himself and he goes into his chambers and he weeps. 1594s

He weeps when he sees Benjamin. 1604s

Well, what comes then is a lavish banquet. 1610s

Let's go to chapter 44, verse 1. 1614s

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 top of his sack, 1622s

put my cup, the silver cup, in the top of the sack of the youngest with his money for the grain. 1631s

And he did as Joseph told him. 1640s

As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away with their donkeys. 1642s

When they had gone only a short distance from the city, Joseph said to his steward, 1647s

go follow after the men and when you overtake them, say to them, why have you returned evil for good? 1652s

Why have you stolen my silver cup? 1660s

The cup here is planted for the recall of Benjamin. 1667s

And one of the purposes of the banquet was for the cup to be planted. 1676s

Then we move into chapter 44, verses 18 to 34, and in verses 18 to 34, we have one of the most beautiful intercessory prayers of or intercessions in all of Scripture. 1687s

Judah here is willing to be the substitute for his brother, Benjamin. 1706s

We've got enough time. Let me read it. 1716s

Verse 18, 1719s

Let your servant please speak a word in my Lord's ears and do not be angry with your servant. 1723s

For you are like Pharaoh himself. 1731s

My Lord asked His servants, saying, have you a father or a brother? 1735s

And we said to my Lord, we have a father, an old man, and a younger brother, the child of his old age. 1741s

His brother is dead, he alone is left of his mother's children, and his father loves him. 1747s

Then you said to your servants, bring him down to me so that I may set my eyes on him. 1753s

We said to my Lord, the boy cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die. 1759s

Then you said to your servants, unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall see my face no more. 1766s

When we went back to your servant, my father, we told him the words of my Lord, and when our father said, go again, buy us a little food, we said we cannot go down. 1772s

Only if our youngest brother goes with us, will we go down, for we cannot see the man's face, unless our youngest brother is with us. 1781s

Then your servant and father said to us, you know that my wife bore me two sons, one left me, and I said, surely. 1791s

He has been torn to pieces, and I have never seen him since. 1799s

If you take this one also from me, and harm comes to him, you will bring down my gray hairs and sorrow to sheol. 1804s

Now therefore, when I come to your servant, my father and the boy is not with us, then as his life is bound in the boy's life, 1813s

when he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die. 1821s

And your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant, our father, with sorrow to sheol. 1825s

For your servant became surety for the boy to my father, saying, if I do not bring him back to you, then I will bear the blame in the sight of my father all my life. 1831s

Now therefore, please let your servant remain as a slave to my Lord in place of the boy and let the boy go back with his brothers. 1844s

For how can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? 1853s

I fear to see the suffering that would come upon my father. 1858s

Well, there's some maturity here that has happened, right? Some maturity. 1864s

He had watched Jacob endure the grief over the loss of Joseph for over two decades, and he couldn't bear to see his father endure more sorrow over the loss of his son. 1869s

And so he is willing to be the substitute for Benjamin. 1887s

Ah. 1894s

So if you have this text and you see it talking about a substitute for another, where might your sermon go? 1897s

Hmm? 1913s

Because it opens wide the door for the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the substitute for us laying down his life for us. 1915s

We see them in Rubens' action pointing the head to the one who laid down his life for us. 1928s

And God's deliverance comes when it appears as if there's no way out. 1939s

When it appears for us the reality, which is true, not only just appearance, but the reality of it, that there is no way out. 1949s

We should be condemned to hell forever, and the Lord Jesus Christ comes and redeems us. 1958s

So in Jacob's mind, Joseph was no more, simian in prison, Jacob refusing to send Benjamin, the family threatening, being threatened by the famine here. 1968s

And yet God is at work, bringing deliverance. 1988s

God is at work with His grace taking the impossible situation, manifesting His love and His grace. 1994s

Joseph sees Benjamin, but the story, the story isn't over. 2008s

Because what in the end is going to be Joseph's response to his brothers? 2019s

Because remember, he's the second most powerful person on the planet right now. 2028s

And he knows, those are my brothers. 2043s

And now his eyes have seen Benjamin. 2047s

And now he knows his father is still alive. 2053s

And so now what's he going to do? 2061s

Because he has the power to have his brothers all killed. 2065s

Is that what he's going to do? 2074s

I see something if you shake in your head. 2078s

No, you've read ahead, haven't you? 2080s

We're going to explore chapter 45, which is one of the most beautiful chapters of all of Scripture. 2087s

And we're going to see Joseph's God-born response. 2096s

We'll continue next week. 2101s