BA After this was done for them, 26 they loaded their grain on their donkeys BB and left. BL 32 We were twelve brothers, sons of one father. One is no more, and the youngest is now with our father in Canaan. BN 34 But bring your youngest brother to me so I will know that you are not spies but honest men. BR When they and their father saw the money pouches, they were frightened. Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more, BT and now you want to take Benjamin.
BU Everything is against me! Entrust him to my care, BW and I will bring him back. If harm comes to him BZ on the journey you are taking, you will bring my gray head down to the grave CA in sorrow. All rights reserved worldwide.
The best value in digital Bible study. Seemingly, the promise that God would make them into a large nation hung in the balance. Joseph knew that it was not in his human power to save them, but he took advantage of his God-given authority and wisdom to serve and help.
Two important factors differentiate Joseph in making the decision to use means that otherwise would not be commendable. First, he gained nothing from these machinations for himself.
He had received a blessing from God, and his actions were solely in the service of becoming a blessing to others. Instead, he used knowledge to save them.
Second, his actions were necessary if he was to be able to offer the blessings. If he had dealt with his brothers more openly, he could not have tested their trustworthiness in the matter. Every resource on our site was made possible through the financial support of people like you. Based on a work at www. You are free to share to copy, distribute and transmit the work , and remix to adapt the work for non-commercial use only, under the condition that you must attribute the work to the Theology of Work Project, Inc.
Earlier, he devoted all of his attention to Joseph and now, by default, to Benjamin. This is not a good family situation. By now, back in Egypt, Joseph is the governor of the land, and he is the one people come to when they want to get grain. When his brothers arrive, they bow down and put their faces to the ground because he is the Egyptian steward.
He, on the other hand, looks very different. He pretends to be a stranger and a superior, and he speaks harshly to them. His brothers are quaking in their shoes. Realistically, they are not the first group from Canaan to come to him asking for help. Technically, he has no obligation to feed them; and both parties know it. They are coming from someplace outside of Egypt, asking for food from Egypt so they can live.
They say that they are from the land of Canaan, and they have come to buy food. Again, the text repeats that Joseph recognizes them, but they do not recognize him. And then suddenly, Joseph remembers his dream — the dream in which they all bow down to him.
And here they are with their faces to the ground bowing down to him. The significance of this moment does not escape Joseph. The irony is sharp. One fateful day Jacob sent Joseph to his brothers, and he was at their mercy. Now Jacob has sent the brothers to Joseph, and they are at his mercy. Vindication is sweet, and he decides to press them a bit.
First, he accuses them of being spies, saying they have only come to the city to espy out where the land is unprotected. There are ten of them. How many people does it take to come and get grain? Jacob could have sent one with a couple of donkeys; there are ten.
Although it could be that grain was rationed on the basis of numbers. If only one or two had gone, they might not have been given enough grain to feed everyone.
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