LastCall: (Genesis 42:1-38) he turned himself away from them and wept -Bob Caldwell

A Heart That Weeps  “And he turned himself away from them and wept. Then he returned to them again, and talked with them. And he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes.” -Genesis 42:24 Joseph’s brothers are forced to go down to Egypt to buy food for their large families and herdsmen. What a shock it must have been to Joseph to see that God had sovereignly ordered events so that his brothers were there bowing at his feet. God proves over and over again His ability to order events in life that no man could cause or even imagine. Joseph’s response to his brothers may at first seem strange. But even that will be used by God to force these men to search their hearts and go through a process of repentance. The following sequence will also become another spiritual laboratory in Joseph’s life. How will he deal with the open wound that the appearance of his brothers caused? Many of us in Joseph’s situation would find it very difficult to respond as Joseph did. As these events unfold, Joseph will in compassion genuinely seek to remove all guilt from his brothers and to comfort them with kindness (50:15-21). The tears Joseph sheds here in Genesis 42:24 are real. This was a deeply painful time for him. But his pain was turned into compassion for his brothers. Pain will come to all of us, our hearts will all be broken at some point in life. May we therefore have grace to let our own pain create compassion for the pain of others, even those who have caused our pain.
Genesis 42:1-38  Joseph's Brothers Go to Egypt 1 When Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?” 2 And he said, “Indeed I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down to that place and buy for us there, that we may live and not die.” 3 So Joseph’s ten brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt. 4 But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, “Lest some calamity befall him.” 5 And the sons of Israel went to buy grain among those who journeyed, for the famine was in the land of Canaan. 6 Now Joseph was governor over the land; and it was he who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the earth. 7 Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he acted as a stranger to them and spoke roughly to them. Then he said to them, “Where do you come from?” And they said, “From the land of Canaan to buy food.” 8 So Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. 9 Then Joseph remembered the dreams which he had dreamed about them, and said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see the nakedness of the land!” 10 And they said to him, “No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food. 11 We are all one man’s sons; we are honest men; your servants are not spies.” 12 But he said to them, “No, but you have come to see the nakedness of the land.” 13 And they said, “Your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and in fact, the youngest is with our father today, and one is no more.”
Jacob Sends To Egypt For Food (Verses 1-5) v. 1 Jacob Saw – The famine described in chapter 41 extended into Canaan. The livestock owned by Jacob had certainly begun to die due to the loss of grazing. The food supply in Canaan was also deeply affected. Why – When the brothers hear there is food in Egypt they are speechless, since it must have brought upon them the remembrance of what they had done in selling Joseph as a slave to then be sold again in Egypt as a slave. Their strange reaction to this good news is therefore questioned by Jacob. Joseph Sees His Brothers (Verses 6-17) v. 6 He Who Sold – It seems Joseph felt he needed to personally oversee the selling of the grain to major foreign delegations to insure that the reserves would not be too depleted to cover the needs of the Egyptians. These brothers would have represented a major purchase, since they would have been buying for all their extended family members and workers. v. 7 Spoke Roughly – This treatment would have been somewhat expected by a man of Joseph’s position and the caution normally displayed toward foreigners. Joseph is at least in part acting out his position until he determines the heart condition of his brothers. v. 9 Remembered the Dreams – What an amazing moment to see the fulfillment of the prophetic dreams God had given (Gen. 37:5-11) unfolding before his eyes.
14 But Joseph said to them, “It is as I spoke to you, saying, ‘You are spies!’ 15 In this manner you shall be tested: By the life of Pharaoh, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. 16 Send one of you, and let him bring your brother; and you shall be kept in prison, that your words may be tested to see whether there is any truth in you; or else, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies!” 17 So he put them all together in prison three days. 18 Then Joseph said to them the third day, “Do this and live, for I fear God: 19 If you are honest men, let one of your brothers be confined to your prison house; but you, go and carry grain for the famine of your houses. 20 And bring your youngest brother to me; so your words will be verified, and you shall not die.” And they did so. 21 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.” 22 And Reuben answered them, saying, “Did I not speak to you, saying, ‘Do not sin against the boy’; and you would not listen? Therefore behold, his blood is now required of us.” 23 But they did not know that Joseph understood them, for he spoke to them through an interpreter. 24 And he turned himself away from them and wept. Then he returned to them again, and talked with them. And he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes. The Brothers Return to Canaan 25 Then Joseph gave a command to fill their sacks with grain, to restore every man’s money to his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. Thus he did for them. 26 So they loaded their donkeys with the grain and departed from there. 27 But as one of them opened his sack to give his donkey feed at the encampment, he saw his money; and there it was, in the mouth of his sack. 28 So he said to his brothers, “My money has been restored, and there it is, in my sack!” Then their hearts failed them and they were afraid, saying to one another, “What is this that God has done to us?”
Simeon Is Left Hostage (Verses 18-38) v. 18 Do This and Live – Joseph is testing the hearts of his brothers and their attitude to Joseph’s brother, Benjamin. Joseph and Benjamin had the same mother and Joseph knew Benjamin had taken his place before his father. v. 21 Truly Guilty – This process needed to be worked through so these brothers would be forced to see the sin they committed before any real reconciliation could be established. When He Pleaded – This was not brought out in chapter 37. It reveals the pain and confusion Joseph must have felt at being sold as a slave by his brothers, as well as revealing how hard their hearts had been due to envy and jealousy. v. 22 His Blood – They thought that Joseph had died in slavery by now. v. 24 Wept – This reveals the tenderness of Joseph as well as the pain the recounting of these events had surfaced. Simeon – He was the second oldest. It was Reuben, the oldest, who had tried to keep his brothers from killing Joseph and had no part in his sale as a slave. Brothers Return to Canaan v. 25 Restore Every Man’s Money – This along with the provisions for travel seem to have been done simply out of good will from Joseph. v. 28 Their Hearts Failed – They feared they would be accused of theft when they returned to Egypt with Benjamin. God Has Done – They still are growing in the acceptance of the punishment they deserved from God for what they had done to Joseph.
29 Then they went to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan and told him all that had happened to them, saying: 30 “The man who is lord of the land spoke roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country. 31 But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we are not spies. 32 We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is no more, and the youngest is with our father this day in the land of Canaan.’ 33 Then the man, the lord of the country, said to us, ‘By this I will know that you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers here with me, take food for the famine of your households, and be gone. 34 And bring your youngest brother to me; so I shall know that you are not spies, but that you are honest men. I will grant your brother to you, and you may trade in the land.’” 35 Then it happened as they emptied their sacks, that surprisingly each man’s bundle of money was in his sack; and when they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid. 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.” 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.” 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.”
All These Things are Against Me – This is Jacob’s hopeless statement when he sees all his sons could be accused of theft. However, all these things were working for good even though circumstantially it seemed just the opposite.

Devotions with Emotion

Michael James Stone

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