(Gen 42:36) And Jacob their father said to them, "You have bereaved me: Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you want to take Benjamin. All these things are against me."

 

 

 (Gen 42:37) Then Reuben spoke to his father, saying, "Kill my two sons if I do not bring him back to you; put him in my hands, and I will bring him back to you."

 

 

(Gen 42:38) But he said, "My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he is left alone. If any calamity should befall him along the way in which you go, then you would bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave."

“For his brother is dead, and he is left alone.”

 

Translation:  Rachel was my life.  She is dead! Joseph is dead!  Benjamin is all I have left-- “and he is left alone.”

 

So ends Genesis 42:  Simeon is left is prison in Egypt—does that matter?

Apparently not much!

The family is running out of food.

Does that matter?

Apparently not until they do run out!

 

(Gen 43 NKJV)  Now the famine was severe in the land. {2} And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the grain which they had brought from Egypt, that their father said to them, "Go back, buy us a little food." {3} But Judah spoke to him, saying, "The man solemnly warned us, saying, 'You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.'" {4} "If you send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food. {5} "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.'"

 

It’s a critical time!

“They had eaten up the grain which they had brought from Egypt,”

Judah takes his stand: "But if you will not send him, we will not go down;”

Jacob complains, but he’s running out of options:

 

(Gen 43:6) And Israel said, "Why did you deal so wrongfully with me as to tell the man whether you had still another brother?"

 

Jacob takes it as a case of his sons doing him wrong:  "Why did you deal so wrongfully with me.” 

But the sons explain that it had nothing to do with their trying to create problems for their father:

 

(Gen 43:7) But they said, "The man asked us pointedly about ourselves and our family, saying, 'Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?' And we told him according to these words. Could we possibly have known that he would say, 'Bring your brother down'?"

Judah makes an offer of surety if Jacob will just let them get going.

 

(Gen 43:8) Then Judah said to Israel his father, "Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, both we and you and also our little ones. {9} "I myself will be surety for him; from my hand you shall require him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever. {10} "For if we had not lingered, surely by now we would have returned this second time."

 

 

(Gen 43:11) And their father Israel said to them, "If it must be so, then do this: Take some of the best fruits of the land in your vessels and carry down a present for the man; a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds. {12} "Take double money in your hand, and take back in your hand the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks; perhaps it was an oversight. {13} "Take your brother also, and arise, go back to the man. {14} "And may God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may release your other brother and Benjamin. If I am bereaved, I am bereaved!"

 

 

(Gen 43:15) So the men took that present and Benjamin, and they took double money in their hand, and arose and went down to Egypt; and they stood before Joseph.

 

 

(Gen 43:16) When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, "Take these men to my home, and slaughter an animal and make ready; for these men will dine with me at noon." {17} Then the man did as Joseph ordered, and the man brought the men into Joseph's house. {18} Now the men were afraid because they were brought into Joseph's house; and they said, "It is because of the money, which was returned in our sacks the first time, that we are brought in, so that he may make a case against us and fall upon us, to take us as slaves with our donkeys."

 

 

(Gen 42:21 NKJV)  Then they said to one another, "We are truly guilty concerning our brother, for we saw the anguish of his soul when he pleaded with us, and we would not hear; therefore this distress has come upon us."

 

 

(Gen 43:19) When they drew near to the steward of Joseph's house, they talked with him at the door of the house, {20} and said, "O sir, we indeed came down the first time to buy food; {21} "but it happened, when we came to the encampment, that we opened our sacks, and there, each man's money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight; so we have brought it back in our hand. {22} "And we have brought down other money in our hands to buy food. We do not know who put our money in our sacks." {23} But he said, "Peace be with you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks; I had your money." Then he brought Simeon out to them. (Gen 43:24) So the man brought the men into Joseph's house and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their donkeys feed. {25} Then they made the present ready for Joseph's coming at noon, for they heard that they would eat bread there. {26} And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed down before him to the earth.

 

 

(Gen 43:27) Then he asked them about their well-being, and said, "Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?" {28} And they answered, "Your servant our father is in good health; he is still alive." And they bowed their heads down and prostrated themselves.

 

-- One more time, they bow.  Totally unaware that they are fulfilling that dream they scoffed at.

 

(Gen 43:29) Then he lifted his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son, and said, "Is this your younger brother of whom you spoke to me?" And he said, "God be gracious to you, my son." {30} Now his heart yearned for his brother; so Joseph made haste and sought somewhere to weep. And he went into his chamber and wept there. {31} Then he washed his face and came out; and he restrained himself, and said, "Serve the bread." {32} So they set him a place by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves; because the Egyptians could not eat food with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians.

 

 

(Gen 43:33) And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth; and the men looked in astonishment at one another.

 

 

(Gen 43:34) Then he took servings to them from before him, but Benjamin's serving was five times as much as any of theirs. So they drank and were merry with him.

 

“Then he took servings to them from before him”

Basically they ate from his table.  That was very generous of him.

 

“Benjamin's serving was five times as much as any of theirs.”  Have they changed?  Are they still envious of Rachel’s sons?

 

“So they drank and were merry with him.”  Things are better for a moment!-- Chapter Break

 

 

Bible Study with Harley  My Sunday Evening Lessons