Genesis Chapter 43

¹ And the famine was sore in the land.

The famine was in the second year, there were still 5 more years to go.

² And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the corn which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them, Go again, buy us a little food.

In the last chapter, Jacob refused to allow his other sons to take Benjamin back to Egypt, even though Simeon was imprisoned there and would not be released until they returned with him. Jacob refused to allow it because he didn’t want to lose Benjamin too after having lost Joseph.

³ And Judah spake unto him, saying, The man did solemnly protest unto us, saying, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.

⁴ If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down and buy thee food:

⁵ But if thou wilt not send him, we will not go down: for the man said unto us, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.

⁶ And Israel said, Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me, as to tell the man whether ye had yet a brother?

I think I would have been annoyed by this as well… “Why did you even tell him about Benjamin?”

⁷ And they said, The man asked us straitly of our state, and of our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive? have ye another brother? and we told him according to the tenor of these words: could we certainly know that he would say, Bring your brother down?

And, I would have likely responded like the brother did to being asked why I even mentioned another brother… “He asked us, how were we supposed to know he was going to demand we bring our other brother with us?”

⁸ And Judah said unto Israel his father, Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go; that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, and also our little ones.

⁹ I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt thou require him: if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever:

¹⁰ For except we had lingered, surely now we had returned this second time.

• Genesis 37:26 “ And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?”

It seems to me there is a lot of regret with the brothers who sold Joseph into slavery. All of these years they have had to watch their father grieve the loss of his beloved son, I imagine the guilt and shame was incredible for them. Now they’re faced with the task of preserving the life of Benjamin just so they can go buy food, and it’s clear they learned from their mistakes with Joseph. Judah has gone from “Instead of killing Joseph, we can make a profit and sell him into slavery instead.” to “Trust me with Benjamin and if something happens to him, I’ll take all the blame.”

¹¹ And their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this; take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds:

¹² And take double money in your hand; and the money that was brought again in the mouth of your sacks, carry it again in your hand; peradventure it was an oversight:

¹³ Take also your brother, and arise, go again unto the man:

¹⁴ And God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may send away your other brother, and Benjamin. If I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.

Jacob surrendered the situation to God.

¹⁵ And the men took that present, and they took double money in their hand and Benjamin; and rose up, and went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph.

¹⁶ And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the ruler of his house, Bring these men home, and slay, and make ready; for these men shall dine with me at noon.

¹⁷ And the man did as Joseph bade; and the man brought the men into Joseph’s house.

¹⁸ And the men were afraid, because they were brought into Joseph’s house; and they said, Because of the money that was returned in our sacks at the first time are we brought in; that he may seek occasion against us, and fall upon us, and take us for bondmen, and our asses.

¹⁹ And they came near to the steward of Joseph’s house, and they communed with him at the door of the house,

²⁰ And said, O sir, we came indeed down at the first time to buy food:

²¹ And it came to pass, when we came to the inn, that we opened our sacks, and, behold, every man’s money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight: and we have brought it again in our hand.

²² And other money have we brought down in our hands to buy food: we cannot tell who put our money in our sacks.

²³ And he said, Peace be to you, fear not: your God, and the God of your father, hath given you treasure in your sacks: I had your money. And he brought Simeon out unto them.

²⁴ And the man brought the men into Joseph’s house, and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their asses provender.

²⁵ And they made ready the present against Joseph came at noon: for they heard that they should eat bread there.

²⁶ And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed themselves to him to the earth.

²⁷ And he asked them of their welfare, and said, Is your father well, the old man of whom ye spake? Is he yet alive?

²⁸ And they answered, Thy servant our father is in good health, he is yet alive. And they bowed down their heads, and made obeisance.

The gifts that Jacob sent with his sons… and these verse here are the fulfillment of the dream Joseph had in Genesis 37:9-10 ⁹ And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.¹⁰ And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?

²⁹ And he lifted up his eyes, and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, and said, Is this your younger brother, of whom ye spake unto me? And he said, God be gracious unto thee, my son.

³⁰ And Joseph made haste; for his bowels did yearn upon his brother: and he sought where to weep; and he entered into his chamber, and wept there.

Joseph loved his brothers, but they treated him so horribly. I’m sure he had turned it over to the Lord and forgiven them, but at the same time, I think he had to know these brothers had learned from their mistakes and repented. So, Joseph held himself back… he wanted to embrace them and love them openly.

³¹ And he washed his face, and went out, and refrained himself, and said, Set on bread.

³² And they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, which did eat with him, by themselves: because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews; for that is an abomination unto the Egyptians.

³³ And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth: and the men marvelled one at another.

³⁴ And he took and sent messes unto them from before him: but Benjamin’s mess was five times so much as any of their’s. And they drank, and were merry with him.