Have you ever considered what Joseph must have thought about after his brothers sold him into slavery at seventeen? Or what went through his mind during his years in prison, before God ultimately placed him in a position of authority?
How he treated his brothers before their reconciliation might give us a glimpse into his feelings.
Unaware that they were dealing with Joseph, disguised as an Egyptian official, the brothers were accused of being spies and imprisoned. They were only released after Simeon was held as a guarantee.
Now, as they make their way back home, they endure more distress.
They loaded their donkeys with their grain and departed. When one of them opened his sack to give his donkey fodder at the lodging place, he saw his money at the top of the sack.
He said to his brothers, “My money has been put back; here it is in my sack!” At this they lost heart and turned trembling to one another, saying, “What is this that God has done to us?” (Genesis 42:26-28).
Platus wrote, “Nothing is more wretched than the mind of a man conscious of guilt.” Even after 17 years, it appears that the harm Joseph’s brothers brought to him never left their minds.
Joseph wasn’t poor and neither was he afflicted, but the Proverb applies to his situation.
Do not rob the poor because they are poor or crush the afflicted at the gate,
for the Lord pleads their cause and despoils of life those who despoil them. (Proverbs 22:22-23)
God was on Joseph’s side and his brothers knew they were in the wrong.
Meeting Jacob
The brothers arrived in Canaan with very troubled emotions, burdened with the news that Simeon was imprisoned in Egypt. They knew they had to convince their father to let Benjamin go, as the Egyptian governor (their brother) insisted on his presence for any future help.
They told Jacob the story of their encounter with the Egyptian governor who was in charge of selling grain.
In today’s YouTube video, I suggest that we try to hear Jacob’s words through the lens of The Godfather, specifically the scene where the aging Don Corleone, facing death, talks to his sons.
And their father Jacob said to them, “I am the one you have bereaved of children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and now you would take Benjamin. All this has happened to me!” (Genesis 42:36).
Reuben’s actions echo Lot’s offer where he proposed giving his daughters to the mob to protect the angelic visitors (Genesis 19:8).
Similar to Lot, Reuben suggests that Jacob could kill his two sons if Benjamin isn’t returned, a proposition that would only compound Jacob’s grief by losing both grandsons and another son.
Then Reuben said to his father, “You may 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.” (Genesis 42:37).
Again, imagine hearing Don Corleone speak as you read Jacob’s reply.
But he said, “My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he alone is left. If harm should come to him on the journey that you are to make, you would bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.” (Genesis 42:38).
Reflections
While it may seem that God could have chosen more exemplary individuals to establish the Messianic line, He works with the individuals He has, then and now.
God uses imperfect people, not to endorse their flaws, but to facilitate their transformation.
Judah’s journey in Genesis is a powerful example; his character evolves substantially, revealing God’s transforming work in the past and His ongoing desire to do the same in our lives.
God’s invitation to follow and serve Him is not contingent on our perfection. Let us not allow our imperfections and frailties to hold us back.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 