Bible Readings

Reading 35: God’s plans unfold for Jacob’s family

Read Genesis 44:1–45:28.

When the brothers left Joseph, they had every reason to celebrate. They hadn’t been arrested for stealing the grain money; Simeon had been released; Benjamin was safely travelling with them; and they were going home with more grain.

But their joy was not a true joy as it was based on lies. True joy must be based on truth. They still hadn’t owned up to what they had done to Joseph. And so, Joseph had set one more test for them.

When Joseph’s household manager caught up to them and found his master’s silver cup that he had planted in Benjamin’s sack, the brothers were in fear once more. (Whether Joseph actually used the silver cup for foretelling the future we don’t know, but he was giving his brothers the impression that he could!) Joseph announced that the penalty would be that Benjamin would become his slave but the other brothers could return home.

But Judah interceded for Benjamin, telling Joseph of his promise to protect his youngest brother. Judah was so different from how he had been in the past when he sold Joseph off and claimed he was dead, or when he cheated Tamar, his daughter-in-law, of an heir and family protection.

Judah told Joseph he would take Benjamin’s place and penalty. He was willing to be Benjamin’s substitute. (This was very interesting because later on in history, the Messiah would come from Judah’s family. The Messiah’s job was to take the believer’s place and suffer the penalty of eternal death on the believer’s behalf. Judah was foreshadowing what his descendant, the Messiah, would later do.)

In this way, Judah and the brothers passed the test. Previously, they had caused Joseph’s suffering and the suffering of Jacob their father. But now, Judah was not only willing to take Benjamin’s punishment, he also expressed deep concern for his father. He worried that his aged father would die of grief if Benjamin did not return. Judah and his brothers had grown mature, caring and compassionate.

Seeing them changed and overcome with grief, Joseph could not contain his own emotions any longer. He revealed who he truly was—their long-lost brother. The brothers were initially terrified by this revelation. They feared Joseph would seek vengeance on them. But Joseph immediately set about calming their fears. And in his words to them, we see the understanding and spiritual maturity of Joseph.

He gave them God’s perspective of the last 20 years. Despite his brothers’ sinful intention of selling him off, Joseph realised that Yahweh was working through their evil decision.

Joseph mentioned once the evil his brothers had done. But he mentioned three times what God had done to send him into Egypt to prepare the way to save his family. All those years of suffering were not without reason or purpose. Understanding that God had never abandoned him but was at work through all those difficult years made all the difference in Joseph’s heart attitude.

This is a key biblical event in understanding how Yahweh’s sovereignty interacts with the free will actions of humans. This is the Creator-creature distinction at work. The brothers were responsible for the evil choice they had made, but God was also acting to save lives at the same time.

Joseph was genuine in his love and care for his brothers. He said he would provide them a place to live in Egypt; he said he would provide all the food they needed to survive the remaining five years of the famine; and he said he wanted his father to be with him. He showed nothing but care for his family. There was no hint of vengeance or bitterness at all because he understood God was involved in everything that had happened.

Hearing the news that Joseph’s brothers had come, Pharaoh graciously told Joseph to invite his entire family to come down to Egypt and stay in the best of the land.

After 20 years of difficulty, things were now moving rapidly for Joseph and his family. Though we’ve been observing the personal hardship, lives and decisions of the sons of Jacob, the bigger perspective was that Yahweh was at work. He had called Abraham and his family for a purpose. When they forgot their purpose, their life meandered. Think of Judah and his actions toward Tamar. When they remembered God had a plan for them, they remained steadfast and loyal to God and could endure hard times. Think of Joseph and the visions God gave him.

We have been told in God’s Word that He has a plan and purpose for our lives. When hard times hit us, we can meander. Or we can seek Him through prayer about what He has in mind. We can trust in His purposes for us and remain steadfast and loyal to Him, knowing He has all the resources and solutions we need.