As Genesis 42 opens, Joseph had been the Prime Minister of Egypt for about eight years. During the seven years of plenty, he had supervised the storage of an abundance of grain in Egypt. Perhaps there were some who called him a fool for storing so much grain when life was so good, but God was using him. He now is married and has two sons.

As the eighth year opened, the famine began. Crops withered and died. Grass for the animals became scarce. The famine was over all the earth (Gen 41:56). Probably late in that eighth year, the need for food in Canaan became desperate.

Transition

As we consider the time when Jacob sent his ten oldest sons to Egypt to buy grain, I want us to note the Trip, the Test, and the Turmoil. In these, we will find principles for our lives today.

The Trip (v.1-8)

1. Jacob’s sons hesitated to go to Egypt (v.1-4)
   1. They acted as if they did not want to go to Egypt. Very likely, their consciences troubled them at the very thought of Egypt because they sent Joseph to Egypt.
   2. Jacob pushed them to preserve life.
   3. Jacob refused to let Benjamin go with his brothers (v.4). He was no little boy. He was a married man with several children.
2. Jacob’s sons arrived in Egypt (v.5-6)
   1. They travelled with others from Canaan (v.5)
   2. They bowed to the ground before Joseph.
      1. Though they did not know it yet, the dream they had hated more than 20 years earlier had come to pass. They were bowing before Joseph.
      2. Joseph saw his brothers and knew them (v.7-8). Because of Joseph’s Egyptian dress, his name, his authority, and because he used an interpreter, he was able to disguise himself from his brothers.
      3. He confirmed their identity by asking them from where they had come (v.7).
         ☆ God is all-knowing and all-powerful. Twenty-one years earlier, God gave Joseph dreams letting him know that his brothers would one day bow to him. They had hated the idea, but now they were on their knees before him. Nothing that we face in life is hid from God or too hard for God to handle.
         ☆ (Psalm 139 1-4) “O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.”
         ☆ (Job 42:2) “I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.”

The Test (v.9-26)

1. Joseph tested his brothers (v.9)
   1. He accused them of being spies. This accusation was perfectly normal since other nations did spy on Egypt. If found guilty, they were in very serious trouble.
   2. The brothers quickly told all about themselves (v.10-13). They called themselves his servants.
   3. They told him that they were 12 brothers; the youngest was yet in Canaan and one was gone (v.13).
   4. Joseph locked them all in prison for three days while he thought on the situation (v.14-17).
2. Joseph sent away nine of his brothers (v.18)
   1. Joseph said that he feared God and had changed his mind (v.18). He would keep one of them in prison and send the others home with grain and to bring back their youngest brother (v.19-20).
   2. The brothers discuss their guilt and God’s judgment on them (v.21-24). Joseph was not bitter. Upon hearing their first regret, Joseph secretly broke down weeping.
   3. Joseph kept Simeon in prison and sent the others home with grain. He also had his servant put all their money back into their bags (v.25-26). Though Reuben was the eldest brother, Joseph probably locked up Simeon, his second oldest brother because Reuben had tried to save him.
      ☆ Why did Joseph test his brother instead of immediately hugging them? I believe he was testing them to see if they had changed. They had been hateful and cruel. He wanted to see if that was still true. He also wanted to see if they were now trustworthy.
      ☆ God also used this test to put fear in their hearts and to humble them. God will sometimes use trials in our lives to get us to humbly repent and turn from sin when we fail.
      ☆ (Psalms 86:5) “For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.”
      ☆ (Proverbs 28:13) “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”

The Turmoil (v.27-38)

1. The strange events troubled the brothers (v.27-35)
   1. One of them found his money in his sack at the inn (v.28)
   2. They told the fearful story to their father Jacob (v.29-34).
   3. They all found their money in their grain sacks (v.35). This caused them to be very afraid.
2. Jacob grieved (v.36-38)
   1. He grieved the loss of his children.
      1. Joseph had been gone for 21 years.
      2. Simeon was in prison in Egypt accused of spying.
      3. Benjamin was ordered to go to Egypt if they wanted any more supplies.
   2. He felt that all this was against him.
   3. Reuben tried to calm his father’s fears (v.37).
   4. Jacob flatly refused to let Benjamin go down (v.38).
      The events of life seemed to have turned against them. Though they did not know it yet, God was at work in their lives for good.
      ☆ Many times as we look at our lives, we cannot see what God is doing. We may be tempted to think that God is against us, but in reality, God wants to work things out for our good and His glory.

Conclusion

Joseph’s brothers were troubled by unconfessed sin. They had sold their brother into slavery. They had lied to their dad. They had not repented and confessed these sins. Now when their families and cattle need food, the Prime Minister of Egypt accused them of being spies, kept Simeon prisoner, and refused to see them without their younger brother. They were worried, afraid, and miserable.

When situations in your life worry you and make you afraid, remember that God knows all about your life’s situation. It is not beyond his control. Sometimes, like Joseph’s brothers, we must repent and confess sin before life will calm. Other times, we must trust in the Lord and wait for him to do what is best.

What are your burdens today? Can you relate to the events of this chapter? If you need God’s forgiveness, humble yourself, repent and confess your sins to Him. He is waiting to forgive. If you have not yet received Christ’s gift of salvation from hell, He desires to give it to you, but you must admit your need and accept it by faith.

Maybe the burdens of life are weighing you down and you feel like Jacob when he said, “all these things are against me.” If so, cast your burden on the Lord. (Philippians 4:6-7) “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Song: Burdens Are Lifted – 218
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Accused
8 February 2015 am – Genesis 42:1-38 – Gen 14 – Scott Childs