Genesis 42
Pastor David Groendyk

God has been faithfully present with Joseph for many years now, and all that he has said has come true. The seven years of plenty have come and gone, and now the seven years of famine have begun. The famine hits Canaan, where Jacob and the other eleven sons are still living, which drives them to seek food from the great storehouse of Egypt. This leads to part 1 of God fulfilling the great prophecy to Joseph of his family bowing down to him (see Gen. 37:5–11). The brothers come to Egypt and bow before Joseph, totally at his mercy. What a reversal of fortune! At one time, the brothers were desperately jealous and bitter toward Joseph and acted with utter cruelty, viciousness, and cold-blooded-ness. Now, they’re helplessly begging the Vice President of the world’s greatest superpower to give them bread to eat.

Understandably, Joseph’s reaction to his brothers is mixed. It’s hard to tell what’s going on here. He hides his identity (v. 7), speaks roughly to his brothers (v. 7), accuses them of being spies three times (vv. 9, 12, 14), throws them all in jail (v. 17), and keeps Simeon imprisoned until Benjamin is brought to him (vv. 18–20). He also allows nine brothers to go free (v. 24), weeps as they’re discussing their guilt (v. 24), and returns all their money to them (v. 25). Is Joseph being capricious, unsure of whether he will be loving and forgiving or whether he will be vengeful and vindictive, an epic tug-of-war being waged in his heart? Or is this a more calculated response from Joseph, designed for a specific end? One theologian, Derek Kidner, leans toward the latter. In his words: “Behind the harsh pose there was warm affection, and after the ordeal overwhelming kindness. Even the threats were tempered with mercy… A vindictive Joseph could have dismayed his brothers with worthless sackloads, or tantalized them at his feast as they had tantalized him; his enigmatic gifts were a kinder and more searching test.” In other words, if Joseph truly wanted revenge, it would have been easy to take. Rather, it appears as if Joseph is testing his brothers.

Woven throughout this chapter is a note of guilt and repentance. Jacob is worried for the life of his youngest son Benjamin both before their journey to Egypt (v. 4) and after (v. 36), which surely is meant to be a window into the family’s many years of anguish at Joseph’s loss. Moreover, in the next chapter, it’s explained that Joseph wanted to see Benjamin because of the deep compassion and love he still had for his brother (see Gen. 43:29–30), and that Joseph secretly returned the brothers’ money in their sacks not to trap them but to bless them (see Gen. 43:23). Joseph is acting out of love not revenge. Most importantly, the brothers themselves recognize all these harsh dealings as coming from God’s own hand because of the wickedness they committed against Joseph (vv. 21–22, 28). They are utterly convicted of their sin. All of these events are designed by God (and perhaps also by Joseph) to make the brothers feel the weight of their guilt.

Another theologian, Michael Barrett, compares this whole encounter to Pentecost in Acts 2 in which one of the first things Christ does through his Spirit after his resurrection and ascension into heaven is to cut the hearts of the men and women who crucified him and make them feel the weight of the horrific act that they committed (see Acts 2:37). What were the Jews at Pentecost supposed to do in response to this cutting? Repent and find forgiveness in Christ. The same goes for the ten brothers and for us—repent and find forgiveness when you feel the weight of your sin. God doesn’t convict us merely to make us feel bad, but so that he might lead us to salvation and mercy. God is not capricious, but rather quite purposeful. He’s bringing about salvation for many through his strange providence. Even in the midst of your own personal guilt, there’s a larger plan going on. Go to him with your sin today and find mercy.