Joseph and His Brothers (Genesis 42-45)
The climax of the Joseph story is some of the most exciting of Genesis. The moment we have been waiting for arrives once Joseph is in power and his brothers—the enemies who caused him over a decade of suffering and injustice—are at his mercy. The way he seemingly toys with them is suspenseful and satisfying. But it turns out he isn’t just out for revenge. He tests them and discovers real change of heart. It merits a full reread, but the following sums it up:
Jacob sends his ten older sons to Egypt to buy food, Joseph recognizes them but doesn’t reveal himself. Joseph accuses them of being spies and puts them in jail 3 days. The brothers recognize their guilt against Joseph without realizing with whom they are dealing. Joseph sends them to collect Benjamin, sending the food and their money. The brothers relate their tale to Jacob. Jacob won’t send Benjamin to Egypt. Later, the brothers are forced by famine to return for more. They take Benjamin and twice the amount of money. Joseph invites them to eat with him. Joseph is moved to see his brothers, but maintains his deceit. Joseph plants a cup in one of the bags. Benjamin is seen as a thief. Joseph proposes to keep Benjamin as a slave. Judah begs to be allowed to take his place. Joseph reveals himself to his brothers. Pharaoh asks him to bring his family to Egypt. Jacob agrees to move to Egypt.
One can imagine that Joseph’s initial reaction upon seeing his brothers for the first time since they sold him into slavery is motivated by revenge. But he begins to see that things have changed in his absence when he overhears them recognize their guilt. From that point on, Joseph’s actions are motivated by a desire to see his whole family again and to save them from harm as he understands God’s plan to have been all along. The breaking point for Joseph comes when he sees the extent of character change in Judah.
This is the climax of Genesis as a whole as well. Here we see for the first time, a person being used by God in His plans not merely benefiting from the blessing, but embracing the sacrificial, loving attitude of God Himself. Joseph’s role in God’s plan was to go through hard times and suffering to benefit others. And he is no mere pawn in the plan. He embraces the circumstances God puts him through trusting God every step of the way. This is an important element of salvation history going forward. God wants to use people to reclaim and renew creation with their full trust and cooperation. God doesn’t just bless His people, He uses them to bless others. And the blessings of God are not all nice, pleasant and desirable things; they are frequently the difficult unpleasant things that we (and the bigger picture) need more than we want.
Jacob sends his ten older sons to Egypt to buy food, Joseph recognizes them but doesn’t reveal himself. Joseph accuses them of being spies and puts them in jail 3 days. The brothers recognize their guilt against Joseph without realizing with whom they are dealing. Joseph sends them to collect Benjamin, sending the food and their money. The brothers relate their tale to Jacob. Jacob won’t send Benjamin to Egypt. Later, the brothers are forced by famine to return for more. They take Benjamin and twice the amount of money. Joseph invites them to eat with him. Joseph is moved to see his brothers, but maintains his deceit. Joseph plants a cup in one of the bags. Benjamin is seen as a thief. Joseph proposes to keep Benjamin as a slave. Judah begs to be allowed to take his place. Joseph reveals himself to his brothers. Pharaoh asks him to bring his family to Egypt. Jacob agrees to move to Egypt.
One can imagine that Joseph’s initial reaction upon seeing his brothers for the first time since they sold him into slavery is motivated by revenge. But he begins to see that things have changed in his absence when he overhears them recognize their guilt. From that point on, Joseph’s actions are motivated by a desire to see his whole family again and to save them from harm as he understands God’s plan to have been all along. The breaking point for Joseph comes when he sees the extent of character change in Judah.
This is the climax of Genesis as a whole as well. Here we see for the first time, a person being used by God in His plans not merely benefiting from the blessing, but embracing the sacrificial, loving attitude of God Himself. Joseph’s role in God’s plan was to go through hard times and suffering to benefit others. And he is no mere pawn in the plan. He embraces the circumstances God puts him through trusting God every step of the way. This is an important element of salvation history going forward. God wants to use people to reclaim and renew creation with their full trust and cooperation. God doesn’t just bless His people, He uses them to bless others. And the blessings of God are not all nice, pleasant and desirable things; they are frequently the difficult unpleasant things that we (and the bigger picture) need more than we want.
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