Genesis 43

While teaching Genesis over the “Back to the Bible” radio network, I received a critical letter from a listener who disagreed with my interpretation of Genesis 42—44. The listener felt that Joseph was wrong and even cruel in the way he dealt with his brothers. Instead of “wasting so much time,” the listener suggested, Joseph should have immediately revealed himself to his brothers and brought about “instant reconciliation.”

True reconciliation, however, requires sincere repentance and humble confession of sin, and often it takes time for a person to get to that place. I believe that Joseph dealt with his brothers in a patient, loving, and wise way, and that’s why his approach succeeded. God had to bring Joseph’s brothers to the place where they admitted the evil things they had done to their brother and their father. Shallow repentance leads to an experience that isn’t reconciliation at all. It’s only a fragile truce.

From a human point of view, Joseph would have been happy for “instant reconciliation,” because then he could have seen his father and his brother Benjamin much sooner. But like a skilled physician, Joseph was patient. He spoke and acted in such a way that the thoughts of his brothers’ hearts were revealed and God finally brought them to true repentance.

When the nine brothers prepared to leave Egypt, Joseph graciously provided food for their journey. It wasn’t easy for them to leave Simeon behind, but they were sure they’d return for more grain and be able to bring Benjamin with them. It seemed that the clouds were starting to lift, but they didn’t realize the tensions that were yet to come in their family in the days ahead.

Fear and perplexity (vv. 25–35). At Joseph’s command, his steward replaced the brothers’ money in their sacks, but later the steward said he had received their silver and he gave credit to the Lord (43:23). Either the steward was lying, which is doubtful, or Joseph paid for the grain himself so that he could care for his father and the relatives he hadn’t seen in over twenty years. The money in the sacks was also part of his plan to test his brothers and prepare them for their next trip to Egypt.

But there are some problems relating to the discovery of the money. When one brother found the silver in his sack (42:27–28), all the men must have searched through their sacks and found the rest of the silver. At least that’s the story they told Joseph’s steward when they arrived in Egypt on their second visit (43:21). But if that’s what happened, why did the brothers act surprised and frightened when they opened their sacks on arriving home? (42:35)

To say that their account to the steward was merely a “condensed report” of what had happened is to accuse them of having very poor memories. They specifically stated that it was at “the lodging place” (“the inn,” kjv), and not at home, that they discovered the money in the sacks. We assume that this statement is correct because they had no reason to lie to Joseph’s steward, the one man whose help they desperately needed. And why lie when they were returning all the money?

What are the possible solutions? Perhaps the steward put some of the money in the provision sacks and some in the grain sacks. The money in the provision sacks was found when they camped for the night, but the rest of the money wasn’t discovered until they emptied the other sacks at home. But the writer clearly stated that each man found all his money at the first stopping place (43:21; “the exact weight,” niv), which means that the nine brothers had done a quick search immediately and found all the silver.

If that’s true, then perhaps the brothers replaced the money in the sacks with the intention of deceiving their father by acting surprised when the money was discovered at home. But 42: is written as though their surprise and fear were genuine responses to finding the money. And why deceive their father about the money? They hadn’t stolen it, and they could take it back on their next trip. Anyway, Jacob didn’t seemed worried about it; his only comment was “Perhaps it was a mistake” (43:12).

Whatever the explanation, the experience put fear and perplexity into the hearts of the brothers. “What is this that God has done to us?” they asked (42: nkjv). They knew that they were innocent concerning the money, but could they convince the Egyptians? Their lives could be in danger (43:18).

Their report to their father only made the old man feel worse, especially when he heard the news about Simeon’s confinement and the future involvement of Benjamin. The whole episode should have led Jacob and his sons to some heart-searching and confessing of sin, but apparently it didn’t. It would have been a good time for them to seek the Lord and pray for His help and direction. However, in spite of their failures, God was still at work and His purposes would be fulfilled.

Despair (vv. 36–38). It was all too much for Jacob. “It is always me that you bereave,” he cried (v. 36), thus hinting that he suspected his sons were behind Joseph’s mysterious disappearance. “All these things are against me!” was a valid statement from a human point of view, but from God’s perspective, everything that was happening was working for Jacob’s good and not for his harm (Rom. 8:28).

It’s sad to see Jacob again expressing his special love for Joseph and Benjamin, something that must have hurt the other sons. Hadn’t the ten boys made the difficult trip to Egypt to help preserve the family? Was it their fault that the Egyptian officer asked too many personal questions, called them spies, and took Simeon as hostage? Were they responsible for the return of the money? Jacob could have been more understanding, but he was still grieving the loss of Joseph (Gen. 37:35); and the loss of Simeon and the possible loss of Benjamin were more than he could bear.

Considering that Reuben was out of favor with his father (35:22), Reuben should have kept quiet, but perhaps he felt obligated to act like a leader since he was Jacob’s firstborn son. His suggestion was ridiculous. What right did he have to offer his sons’ lives as compensation for the loss of Benjamin? Did he discuss this idea with his wife and sons? Furthermore, how would the death of two innocent boys offset the loss of one of Jacob’s two favorite sons? Was Reuben offering to sacrifice one son for Joseph and one for Benjamin? How would this make matters better in the home?

Jacob would have nothing to do with Reuben’s suggestion or with any suggestion that threatened Benjamin’s safety. The statement “he is left alone” (42:38) means “Benjamin alone is left of Rachel’s two sons.” It was another selfish statement from Jacob that made the other sons feel they were second-class members of the family. Benjamin must be protected even if the whole family starves! A crisis doesn’t make a man; it shows what a man is made of. Jacob was revealing his true affections, just as he had done when he had met Esau (33:2).

Delay (43:1–10). Week by week, the family watched their food supply diminish, but knowing their father’s feelings, none of the sons dared to bring up the subject of a second trip to Egypt. The tension in the home must have been unbearable, especially for Benjamin. While Jacob was protecting his preferred son, who was voicing concern for Simeon in Egypt and his family in Canaan? Unwilling to face reality, Jacob was living in a private dream world and making others suffer.

When the supplies were gone, Jacob told his sons to go “buy a little food”; and that was the opportunity for Judah to step forward and take command of a delicate situation. Jacob’s blindness to his unhealthy relationship with Benjamin and his selfish nurturing of grief over Joseph (37:35), plus his hidden suspicions about his sons, all combined to make him a man difficult to deal with.

Judah reminded his father that they couldn’t return to Egypt without taking Benjamin along. Jacob tried to put the blame on the boys for even mentioning their youngest brother, again trying to make them feel guilty because of his sorrows. “Why did you bring this trouble on me?” (43:6)

Judah wisely sidestepped debating with his father concerning issues that had come up before about matters that couldn’t be changed. Judah offered to become surety for Benjamin to guarantee his safe return home. This generous offer indicates that Judah had experienced a change of heart since the sale of Joseph (37:26–27). Perhaps his experience with Tamar had taught him some lessons (chap. 38). Judah made it clear that this was a matter of life and death (43:8, 10) and even reminded Jacob of his own words (42:2).

Unbelief (vv. 11–15). There’s a difference between surrendering to God’s loving providence and bowing to blind fate, and Jacob’s statements show where he stood. “If it must be so. … If I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved” (vv. 11, 14). This kind of response certainly doesn’t sound like the Jacob of Bethel who claimed the promises of God and had angels caring for him! Nor is it the Jacob who led his family back to Bethel for a new beginning with the Lord. His feelings of grief and despair had almost extinguished his faith.

Always the controller, Jacob told his sons exactly what to do. Of course, there had to be a present for the Egyptian ruler who could release Simeon (see 32:13ff.); and they had to take twice the amount of money so they could return the money they found in their sacks as well as purchase more food. It’s interesting that Jacob said, “Take your brother also” (43:13) and not “Take also my son.” Was he emphasizing their personal responsibility to take care of their own flesh and blood?

He sent them off with his blessing (v. 14), asking that El Shaddai (God Almighty, the All-Sufficient One) change the heart of “the man” so he would show mercy by releasing Simeon and not hurting Benjamin. But his final statement didn’t give evidence of much faith or hope: “If I be bereaved of my children [Joseph, Benjamin, and Simeon], I am bereaved.” Perhaps he wanted those pathetic words to echo in his sons’ minds as they journeyed to Egypt.

The nine brothers had enough to think about on their trip without pondering their father’s chronic grief. In fact, they faced three difficult problems for which they had no answers: (1) Explaining to the officials why they had the money; (2) effecting Simeon’s release from confinement; and (3) protecting Benjamin. But by the time they were heading back home, they thought all these problems had been solved.

The problem of the money (vv. 16–23a). It’s likely that some of Joseph’s servants saw the brothers entering the city and quickly informed him of their arrival. He arranged for a banquet at his house, but the brothers concluded that they were going to his house because they were in trouble. Somebody knew about the money, and they would be arrested and punished, perhaps even enslaved or killed.

In a situation like that, you look for the nearest mediator, and they wisely turned to Joseph’s steward. If they could convince him of their innocence, then he could present their case to Joseph, who might excuse them. They were in for another surprise, because the steward knew more about the money than they did, and he assured them that they had nothing to fear (v. 23).

Simeon’s release (v. 23b). The steward then went to get Simeon, and he brought him to his brothers. It must have been a time of great rejoicing, and Simeon was especially grateful that Benjamin had come along to rescue him. How did the steward know that Benjamin was present and that Simeon should be released? Joseph told him. Did Simeon learn anything from his time in confinement? If Jacob’s words on his deathbed are any indication, he probably didn’t (49:5–7). It’s tragic when we waste our suffering and don’t use it as an opportunity to grow.

Benjamin’s protection (vv. 24–34). The last thing the brothers expected was to be entertained at a banquet in the home of the second ruler of the land, the man who had dealt so severely with them during their first visit. When Joseph arrived, the brothers bowed and gave him their gifts, and they bowed again when they replied to his question about their father. Now all eleven brothers bowed before him, and now the dreams were fulfilled.

Seeing his own full brother Benjamin caused Joseph to weep (see 42:24), so he left the room until he could get control of himself. Joseph’s sensitive heart was a miracle of God’s grace. For years dead Egyptian idols and the futile worship given to them had surrounded Joseph, yet he had maintained his faith in God and a heart tender toward his own people. He could have hardened his heart by nursing grudges, but he preferred to forgive and leave the past with God (41:50–52).

The eleven brothers were in for more perplexing surprises. For one thing, they were seated according to their birth order, and there was no way the Egyptians could have acquired this information. Also, Joseph sent special plates of food to his guests, making sure that Benjamin got five times more than the others. Instead of worrying about Benjamin’s safety, the brothers realized that the Egyptian ruler had taken a liking to their youngest brother, and this was a great encouragement to them.

This was a time of transition as the brothers moved from fear to peace, for punishment because of the money was no longer an issue; from bondage to freedom, for Simeon had been released; and from anxiety to joy, for Benjamin was not in danger. So Joseph’s brothers ate and drank as if there were no famine in the land, and they rejoiced at the generosity of the ruler at the head table.

However, this was a false and transient joy, because the brothers had not yet dealt with their sins. It’s one thing to be relieved and quite something else to be forgiven and reconciled. They needed to ask Joseph’s forgiveness for the way they had abused him, and they owed their father an apology for deceiving him and grieving his heart.

To experience false joy and peace is a perilous thing, and to think that we’re right with God because life is easier and problems less threatening is to court disaster. As it was in the days of Noah and the days of Lot, so shall it be in the day when Jesus returns (Luke 17:26–30). People will be self-confident as they carry on their daily activities and cultivate their sins, but judgment will fall, and there will be no escape.

Anything short of humble repentance and confession will not bring about reconciliation with God or with one another. “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death” (Prov. 14:12). Like the wealthy farmer in Christ’s parable, people have false confidence because they think everything is secure for years to come, only to discover that they have left God out of their lives (Luke 12:16–21).

The next act in the drama will bring these matters to a head, and, oddly enough, the activity will center around Benjamin, the young man whom his brothers thought was above suspicion and beyond danger.