Genesis 42

God has made an unconditional covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to give them a land and make them a great nation.  To say that the covenant is unconditional is not the same as saying that God will not work to make His people righteous.  One of the great promises of the Messiah is found in Rom. 11:26-27: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; for this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.”Christ will come to Israel; that is God’s unconditional promise.  But His coming will bring with it the cleansing of Israel.  “Whom He loves He chastens” (Heb. 12:5-6).  We have seen this in the lives of the Patriarchs; we now see it in the lives of the sons of Jacob.  And Joseph, who is in Egypt to save his family from death by famine is also there to cleanse them from sin.

Joseph’s initial attitude towards his brothers is not one of revenge or self-exaltation.  Joseph, ever-mindful of those dreams given him by God, knows he stands for the deliverance of his family (45:5-13; 50:20-21).  God is working through Jospeh.  

The attitude of the brothers is seen in v11, in the words “we are honest men”.  They don’t realize it, but the man they are talking to knows differently.  This indicates that in the approximately 20 years since they sold Joseph into slavery, they have not changed.  They have apparently not come clean about their sin.

In fact, the heart of the brothers is revealed in v21: they have been living with their guilt the entire time, unable or unwilling to find relief through confession.  In some sense their consciences are awakened here, as Joseph deals with them.  They can hardly miss the correlation between the charge that they are spies and the unfair way in which they had treated Joseph.  There is further revidence that they are being awakened to their sin when they open their sacks and find their money.  The response is, “What is this that God has done to us?” (v28)

We have noted before the need to pay attention to Reuben and Judah.  In the case of Reuben, the firstborn who has been rejected as such by his father, we again see his inability to think right about the situation.  While the brothers are in prison his words are, in essence, “I told you so” (v22).  When they return home his words to his answer to his father is to say, “If I don’t return with Benjamin you can kill my 2 sons, your grandsons” (v37).  None of this is helpful.

We must also note the words of Jacob in v36: “All these things are against me.”  This is Jacob’s view, but clearly it is not true.  In fact God is at work, fulfilling His unconditional covenant, and Jacob needs to trust God.

God is at work.  Again, “Whom He loves He chastens.”  God is working on His chosen people.  He has brought about a famine.  Through Joseph He has spoken roughly to the brothers.  Yet He encourages them by grace through it all.  Do you accept God’s chastening?  Or do you despise it?  Our trials are meant for our good, to grow us into the likeness of Christ.  Hear God’s voice and submit yourself to the Savior.