Please note that this article is derived from a sermon series on the life of Joseph given in Bermondsey Gospel Hall, the audio of which can be found here.
In the story of Joseph, I have often found Genesis 42-45 to be the least exciting part. After the dramatic opening, with Joseph’s brothers conspiring and selling him into slavery in Genesis 37, Genesis 39-41 described the dramatic rise, fall and rise of Joseph within Egypt. After such a rollercoaster, Genesis 42-45 initially seems a little dull. Four whole chapters are dedicated to painstakingly recording the details of Jacob’s sons journeying to and from Egypt. Given that Genesis has covered the first 37 years of Joseph’s life in four chapters, we are surely left wondering why it would spend the next four chapters covering at most a few years.
This perplexity should make us sit up and see that these chapters are far more important that we may realise at first. Indeed, these chapters form the very heart of the story of Joseph. Joseph himself seems to realise their importance, when at the end of Genesis 45 he tells his brothers three times (Genesis 45:5-8) that everything in his life up to that point was in preparation for this. Joseph was sold into slavery, suffered in prison and was promoted to be Lord of Egypt so that Genesis 42-45 could take place. Everything up to this point has merely been God preparing the way, putting the pieces in place, for what he will accomplish here. Genesis 42-45 record the main event of the life of Joseph. When we read his story, we need to be careful we don’t pay so much attention to the introduction that we miss the main event.
What is it that God accomplishes in Genesis 42-45 that is so important? The four chapters describe two journeys of the sons of Jacob from Canaan to Egypt. We shall think of the first journey today, in Genesis 42, before considering the second journey, in Genesis 43-45, in two weeks’ time. However, these chapters record more than geographical journeys from Canaan to Egypt. At the start of Genesis 42 we are given a picture of the sons of Jacob suffering in Canaan, facing a severe famine that threatens their future. They appear to be helpless, simply sitting around simply staring at each other, with Jacob chiding them ‘Why do you look at one another?...I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down and buy grain for us there, that we may live and not die.’ What a contrast this is with the scene at the end of this section, where we find them embracing and talking with their long lost brother Joseph, their past deeds forgiven and their family reunited. This is a restoration of a ruptured relationship, this is reconciliation. Yes these chapters record a geographical journey from Canaan to Egypt. However, more importantly, they describe the journey from famine to family. You could characterise the first four chapters of the life of Joseph is a story of humiliation and exultation, how Joseph is steadfast in suffering and how God is sovereign over circumstances. These next four chapters are a story of reconciliation, how Joseph is restored to his family and how God rescues his chosen people.
This story of reconciliation is split into two journeys, the first of which has three main scenes: the brothers being rebuked by Jacob, the brothers being recognised by Joseph and the brothers reporting back to Jacob. Let us consider two lessons that can be drawn from this first journey from famine to family, being the Priority of Reconciliation and the Providence of Reconciliation.
1. PRIORITY OF RECONCILIATION – IF WE ARE TO BE SAVED, WE MUST BE RECONCILED
Having stirred his helpless sons to get their act together and provide the food that would allow them to survive the famine, Jacob is left behind in verse 5 as his ten sons head to Egypt and come face to face with Joseph. Genesis specifically records that upon meeting them, Joseph realises exactly who they are. ‘Joseph saw his brothers and recognised them, but he treated them like strangers and spoke roughly to them.’ (Genesis 42:7) Joseph realises who they are, and yet does not reveal himself to them. Instead of embracing them, Joseph treats them like strangers. Instead of telling them who he is, Joseph speaks roughly to them.
Some have interpreted this as Joseph getting his own back on his older brothers, those who had been the source of so much of his suffering. However, if we pay attention to how Genesis portrays Joseph in these verses, we will say that this is incredibly unfair. While Joseph does speak harshly to his brothers, throughout our passage we see an extraordinary amount of generosity being shown by the Lord of Egypt to these strangers. For example, instead of imprisoning nine of them as threatened, Joseph only retains Simeon in Egypt. When he sends them back to Jacob, he also sends food for his family, food for which they did not pay a penny as Joseph ensures that their money is returned to their sacks. While his words are harsh, his actions speak of his love for his brothers. Indeed, on hearing them confess their sin against him, rather than burst with anger, Joseph breaks down in tears. Genesis is clear that he deals with his brothers out of love, not spite.
Why is it then that we have four chapters, rather than four verses, recording the family of Jacob finding salvation in Egypt? Why does Joseph not simply reveal himself to his brothers, restore his relationship with him and give them the food that they need to live? Perhaps one reason is that Joseph not only recognises his brothers, but upon seeing them bow down to him he remembers his dreams. ‘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."’ (Genesis 42:9) Indeed, it is remembering his dreams, rather than remembering his suffering, that provides the background for how Joseph deals with his brothers. His dreams are not yet ready for realisation. While ten brothers have bowed down to him in Egypt, the eleventh still remained in Canaan along with the father that was also to bow down. And yet this doesn’t fully explain his actions. Why does Joseph not simply do now what he will do in Genesis 45, reveal himself to his brothers and instruct them to bring the remainder of his family to Egypt?
Why does Joseph do what he does? What must happen before Joseph provides salvation to his brothers? The story makes clear that before salvation can take place for the sons of Jacob, there must be reconciliation with Joseph. If they are to be saved, they must be reconciled. There is no salvation for them unless they can restore the relationship with their brother. In is only in that new relationship will they be saved.
From his actions, and the love that he displays for his family, it is clear that Joseph longs to be reconciled to them. Joseph wants his family relationships restored. However, what about his brothers? The last time Joseph seen them was as they stared down on him in the pit. The last time he heard them was when they were bartering with his slave drivers twenty years ago to sell him for a good price. How will they react when Joseph is revealed to them? Are they ready to recognise the wrongs they have done? Are they ready to be forgiven? To be reconciled? This is what Joseph had to determine. Which is why he decides to test them.
He explicitly tells us that is what he is doing in verse 15, stating ‘you shall be tested’. We see two main tests that he sets out for them, one in each of their journeys. They assert again and again, upon being accused of being spies, that they ‘are honest men’. Joseph sets about testing whether they are ready to acknowledge that this is not the case, but that they are in fact guilty of conspiring against their own brother.
The test he sets for them in Genesis 42 is whether, having profited from their journey by way of the food they needed and received the repayment of the money, they will leave their brother Simeon to be bound and imprisoned in Egypt. In many ways, Joseph reconstructs exactly what his older brothers did to him and waits to see whether they will react differently this time. Will his brothers treat Simeon in the same way as they treated Joseph? Having profited from his slavery, will they simply abandon him to his fate?
The brothers themselves realise how this situation mirrors so closely that which had taken place previously, for upon hearing of how they were to be tested, they link the distress that has come upon them to the distress of Joseph. They think karma has taken place and they has been a just reckoning for the blood of their brother. They cry out ‘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.’ (Genesis 42:21) They show a clear understanding that this distress is a direct punishment for their treatment of Joseph, for Reuben describes it as ‘a reckoning for his blood’. Rather than seeing this as a reckoning from the Lord of Egypt, they attribute it to God. Upon finding the money in a sack on the way home, they exclaim ‘What is this that God has done to us?’ The brothers come to realisation that they are guilty of sinning against Joseph and deserve to be punished by God for it. What a transformation has taken place in the lives of the sons of Jacob.
This transformation is pictured brilliantly at the end of the chapter. In contrast to the lies they previously told their father the last time they returned to give him news of a lost son, this time when they return to report exactly what has happened. They show their clear desire to save Simeon from his fate and are only prevented by Jacob’s continued favouritism towards the sons of Rachel, this time manifest in his treasuring of Benjamin. Jacob’s refusal to be parted from Benjamin is the setting for Reuben’s extraordinary offer. Reuben publicly declares his desire to protect this son of Rachel and offers something of great cost, the lives of his two sons, as a guarantee. What a transformation has taken place in Reuben’s heart, for back in Genesis 37, while Reuben sought to protect Joseph from death in the pit, he kept his plans private from the other brothers so that they wouldn’t cost him anything. Through all of this, the brothers demonstrate that they are ready to be reconciled to Joseph, having a recognition of their own wrongdoing and guilt before God. In returning to Egypt in the next chapter, they pass the first test that Joseph sets them and move towards the reconciliation that takes place in Genesis 45.
Not only do we see that there can be no salvation without reconciliation, that we cannot benefit from God’s salvation outside of a relationship with him, we also see that reconciliation, the restoration of a broken relationship, is not a light or easy thing to accomplish. True reconciliation can only take place where there is recognition of wrongdoing. In being reconciled, we must recognise our sin. The Bible is clear that sin cannot be swept under the carpet. Wrongs cannot simply be ignored. The brothers of Joseph cannot simply waltz into Egypt and expect to be best buddies with their little brother again. They had greatly wronged him, and needed to be forgiven. If real reconciliation is to take place, if a deep and meaningful relationship is to be restored, wrongdoers must come to a realisation of their guilt. They must acknowledge the reason for the rupture in the relationship. This is true in any human relationship. An adulterous spouse must confess their sin before the marriage can be truly healed. A former friend must acknowledge their betrayal before trust can be fully restored. Reconciliation, the restoration of a broken relationship, only occurs with repentance and forgiveness. Therefore, in order to be reconciled, we must recognise our sin, admitting our wrongdoing and seeking forgiveness for it.
Not just in human relationships, but in our relationship to God as well. The LORD explains this to Moses at Sinai, where he passes before him and declares ‘"The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty..."’ (Exodus 34:6–7) Our God is a God who forgives. However, he will not simply forget. The debt must be paid, it will not just be written off. Sin must be atoned for, it cannot just be ignored. Wrongs must be righted. Having sinned so greatly against God, we cannot simply waltz into his presence and expect for him to be our chum. Reconciliation must take place, the restoration of our ruptured relationship with him.
How is it that we can be reconciled to God? How can our relationship be made right again? The good news of the gospel is that God himself has provided the payment for this debt, the atonement for our sins, the grounds for our forgiveness. He himself sent his son, Jesus Christ, to right our wrongs. As Paul would explain, ‘For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard….’ (Colossians 1:19–23)
We who were alienated, hostile in mind, doing evils deeds, can be reconciled to God through the peace purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross, as he paid the punishment for our sins, righting our wrongs and suffering the wrath of God on our behalf. So that if we recognise our guilt, our wrongdoing, our sins, our ruptured relationship can be restored, we can obtain the forgiveness purchased through the death of Christ. If we recognise our sin, and look to Christ for forgiveness, we can be reconciled. We can be saved.
2. PROVIDENCE OF RECONCILIATION – IN OUR SUFFERING, WE MUST TRUST GOD’S PURPOSES
In focusing on the story line of reconciliation, we need to be careful that we do not neglect what is happening the background. The scene for Genesis 42 is set towards the end of Genesis 41, as Joseph’s seven years of plenty come to an end and a severe famine takes place. Egypt is well prepared due to the preparations made by Joseph. However, this famine spreads not only across the land of Egypt, but across all lands and Genesis tells us that ‘all the earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth.’ (Genesis 41:57)
What is it that God uses to bring about the reconciliation of the family of Jacob? In order to fix this family, God sends a famine. Not just a small, localised famine, but a famine that spreads across the known world. This is not a small thing and we should not shy away from the reality. The Bible is not a book of fairy tales but a record of historical fact. There was a real famine which had real life consequences.
In talking about such events, we refer to God’s providence. That his, God’s ‘providing for, sustaining and governing the universe’ (John Piper). God is not a spectator to natural events such as famines, for in his providence he rules over all things that happen in his world. God governed, or rather summoned, this famine to fix the family of Jacob. That is what the Psalmist tells us happened, when retelling the story he explains that God ‘summoned a famine on the land and broke all supply of bread…’ (Psalm 105:16). In his providence, his governing of this world, God ordained that millions of people across the world would face starvation and death in order to achieve his purposes. This is perhaps hard to get our head around, but we cannot shy away from it.
When you think about the suffering that God saw fit to send in the story of Joseph, you of course can’t stop at the famine. God uses the unfair favouritism of a father, the betrayal of Joseph’s brothers, the unjust accusations of Potiphar’s wife, the years of undeserved imprisonment, the ungratefulness of Pharaoh’s cupbearer, along with a global famine, to bring his purposes to pass. I’m not sure any of us have faced such difficulties in our lives, and yet we all pass through period of trial and suffering and I am sure that many of us will be called to pass through even more of it in the future. Perhaps you are in the midst of difficulties aright now nd are filled with doubt. Why is God bringing all of this about? Why does he see fit to make us pass through such difficulties?
In the midst of suffering, when we do not understand what God is doing, when can react just as Jacob reacts at the end of Genesis 42. This is perhaps his lowest moment in the story for Jacob. Having just been told of the imprisonment of Simeon, he breaks down and thinks over all that has occurred to him. Jacob has passed through so many trials in his life, but most prominent in his mind is the loss of his beloved Joseph, which he is now reminded of again after the loss of the less loved Simeon and the potential parting with Benjamin. In the midst of his suffering he cries out ‘All this has come against me.’ (Genesis 42:36) I’m not sure any of us could argue with Jacob. At this point in the story, after he has suffered so much, it appears that God is against Jacob, battering him with wave after wave of loss. At this stage he has believed his beloved son Joseph to be dead for over twenty years. For twenty years Jacob has had to suffer that loss.
It is only because we know the end of the story that we realise that there is purpose behind his pain, that his son Joseph was taken from him so that he might save him. That God has brought about this suffering to transform his sons from jealous brothers to the tribes of Israel. That God has seen fit to fulfil the prophetic dreams of Joseph through pain. That God is working all of this perceived evil for Jacob’s ultimate good, to bring about exactly what he has promised him in a promised land, a new nation and universal blessing. Because we know the end of the story, we know of the purpose being all the pain.
And yet, in the midst of our difficulties and sufferings, we too can cry out life Jacob, "All of this has come against me!" What is God doing? Why is he letting me go through this? We react like Jacob, but yet because of what we know and what God tells us in his word, we should react like Joseph. For at the end of Genesis, he looks back on all of the personal suffering he has passed through and is able to rejoice and explain to his brothers ‘As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.’ (Genesis 50:20)
What God has revealed to Joseph, he has revealed to us as well. God never brings about anything in our lives that does not achieve his good purposes and plans. Nothing will happen to us that God is not using for our good. God calls us to trust him in the midst of suffering, to believe that what he is working on and bringing about is worth the wait, worth the suffering and pain. We must get comfortable with the fact that God’s purposes are much more important than our comfort, they are even more important than our lives. Sometimes God uses famines to fix things. Sometimes God even uses death to realise his desired result. God’s plans, not ours, are primary. We are called to entrust ourselves to a faithful Creator who will do what is right, who providentially works all things for good, who is a surgeon who may wound us into order to save us.
If we are Christians, in the midst of any suffering that we might face, even in the face of death, we are to take comfort from the knowledge that Paul points to at the end of Romans 8, ‘that for those who love God all things work together for good…Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?...No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.’ (Romans 8:28-37) In our suffering, we must trust God’s purposes. Even in the midst of famine. Even if we are suffering for over twenty years like Jacob we should remember that God is not against us, but for us. Like Joseph, one day we will be able to look back on our sufferings in this life and rejoice that God meant them for good. Like Paul we are able to exclaim, ‘this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison…’ (2 Corinthians 4:17).
ALEXANDER ARRELL