Joseph Brothers Go to Egypt to Buy Grain
May 20, 2024
Commentary
The famine was so great in Canaan that Jacob decided to send his sons (except Benjamin) down to Egypt to buy food (vv. 1-3). Benjamin was the only son by Rachel that he still had, and Jacob did not want something to happen to him (v. 4). Many other people from Canaan went to Egypt to buy grain (v. 5). Joseph was governor of all Egypt, and a part of his work was to sell grain to those who came. One day among the crowd he saw a group of ten men dressed like shepherds from the land of Canaan. Immediately he knew that they were his brothers, even though it had been twenty years since he had seen them (v. 6). He acted like he did not know them (v. 7).
Joseph’s brothers did not recognize him dressed in his royal robes and so they bow before him as the other people are doing (v. 8). Joseph remembers the dream he had dreamed about them and accused them of being spies who had come to find out what made their country weak (v. 9). They denied this and said they were honest men who had come to buy grain (vv. 10-11). Joseph again tests them by accusing them of being spies (v. 12). They explained that they had come from a family of twelve brothers and that one was at home and the other one had died, referring to Joseph (v. 13) Joseph still accused them of being spies and told them they couldn’t leave until the younger brother comes (vv. 14-15). He put them in jail for three days, saying he would send one of them to get the younger brother (vv. 16-17). But after three days Joseph told them he was going to keep one of them in prison and let the others go to carry food to their families (vv. 18-20).
Application
How would I have felt toward my brothers if I had been treated by them as he was? Would I be ready to forget, forgive and help them in a time of need, just as Christ did for me, on the Cross?
Genesis 42:1– 20 (NET)
1 When Jacob heard there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why are you looking at each other?” 2 He then said, “Look, I hear that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy grain for us so that we may live and not die.”
3 So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. 4 But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, “What if some accident happens to him?” 5 So Israel’s sons came to buy grain among the other travelers, for the famine was severe in the land of Canaan.
6 Now Joseph was the ruler of the country, the one who sold grain to all the people of the country. Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the ground. 7 When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger to them and spoke to them harshly. He asked, “Where do you come from?” They answered, “From the land of Canaan, to buy grain for food.”
8 Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. 9 Then Joseph remembered the dreams he had dreamed about them, and he said to them, “You are spies; you have come to see if our land is vulnerable!”
10 But they exclaimed, “No, my lord! Your servants have come to buy grain for food! 11 We are all the sons of one man; we are honest men! Your servants are not spies.”
12 “No,” he insisted, “but you have come to see if our land is vulnerable.” 13 They replied, “Your servants are from a family of twelve brothers. We are the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. The youngest is with our father at this time, and one is no longer alive.”
14 But Joseph told them, “It is just as I said to you: You are spies! 15 You will be tested in this way: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you will not depart from this place unless your youngest brother comes here. 16 One of you must go and get your brother, while the rest of you remain in prison. In this way your words may be tested to see if you are telling the truth. If not, then, as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!” 17 He imprisoned them all for three days. 18 On the third day Joseph said to them, “Do as I say and you will live, for I fear God. 19 If you are honest men, leave one of your brothers confined here in prison while the rest of you go and take grain back for your hungry families. 20 But you must bring your youngest brother to me. Then your words will be verified and you will not die.” They did as he said.
Illustration: Famine Came Because Pelicans Became Fat And Lazy
For many years Monterey California, a coastal town, was a pelican’s paradise. As the fishermen cleaned their fish, they flung the innards to the pelicans. The birds grew fat, lazy, and contented. Eventually, however the innards were utilized, and there were no longer snacks for the pelicans. When the change came the pelicans made no effort to fish for themselves. They waited around and grew gaunt and thin. Many starved to death. They had forgotten how to fish for themselves. I wonder how many of us have grown fat and lazy as believers hoping that someone is going to do everything for the Lord. Someone else will greet in the morning. Someone else will take care of the children’s ministry. Someone else will clean and care for the fellowship. The problem in Monterey was solved by importing new pelicans from the south, birds accustomed to foraging for themselves. They were placed among their starving cousins, and the newcomers immediately started catching fish. Before long, the hungry pelicans followed suit, and the famine was ended. What happened? In the animal kingdom, like in the world we live in, what kind of examples are we? (From a sermon by Ty Tamasaka, Running With a Limp, 9/9/2011)