Now as we get here into this 43rd chapter of the Book of Genesis at Verse 16, you will recall that last time that the sons of old Jacob, Israel as his name had been changed, they are asked by their father to return to the land of Egypt to buy corn because the famine was even worse now; that is it had been extended out over more time than any of them dreamed that it would be.  And he’s told every definitely by his son Judah there’s no use going down there.  If you go down there, you’ve got to have Benjamin with you.  You wouldn’t send him before; there’s no point in going because the man won’t see us.  And so Jacob had to relinquish the boy and let him go along.  

And now we read in Verse 15 to make the connection today.  

And the men took that present, and they took double money in their hand and Benjamin; and rose up, and went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph.

JOSEPH ENTERTAINS HIS BROTHERS

Now, Friends, this is a dramatic moment.  He looks down, not at ten boys, but eleven of them.  And, frankly, all twelve of them are there together.  Will you notice this?  Verse 16:

And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the ruler of his house, Bring these men home, and slay, and make ready; for these men shall dine with me at noon.  

Now why would he do this?  Well, I think it’s quite obvious the why that he would do this.  Joseph invites these brethren of his home because he did not want to make himself known unto them publicly.  He wanted it to be a private affair.  Now, will you notice they go home.  The man did as Joseph bid, and the man brought the men into Joseph’s house.  

And the man did as Joseph bade; and the man brought the men into Joseph’s house.  And the men were afraid, because they were brought into Joseph’s house; and they said, Because of the money that was returned in our sacks at the first time are we brought in; that he may seek occasion against us, and fall upon us, and take us for bondmen, and our asses.  (Genesis 43:17-18)

Now these men are really panicky now, because they can’t imagine him inviting them to his home for any good, because he’d dealt with them so harshly before and now he’s invited them home for lunch.  

Again, here is something under ordinary circumstances would be something to brag about; as if the President of the United States had invited you to the Blue Room for dinner.  Or the pink room.  Or better still, the dining room, and you were invited there for dinner.  Why you would think it was a wonderful thing, but in this particular instance, it brings no joy to these men whatsoever.  See they have a guilt complex, and it’s a mean one because they’re the ones that sold their brother.  And there is a strange parallel here, and when they finally got there they wondered; they began to speculate was it because our money was put back in the bag and he’s been seeking an occasion to take us and make slaves of us?  Well, they didn’t hesitate to make a slave of him and sell him down into the land of Egypt.

Now will you notice Verse 19:

And they came near to the steward of Joseph’s house, and they communed with him at the door of the house, 

And said, O sir, we came indeed down at the first time to buy food:  And it came to pass, when we came to the inn, that we opened our sacks, and, behold, every man’s money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight: and we have brought it again in our hand…  (Genesis 43:19-21)

Are they beginning to apologize and to plead?  They even tell this man that’s brought there, who evidentially an official.  Listen to them in Verse 22.

And other money have we brought down in our hands to buy food: we cannot tell who put our money in our sacks.  (Genesis 43:22)

And this official had been instructed; Joseph had told him what to say.  He said:

And he said, Peace be to you, fear not: your God, and the God of your father, hath given you treasure in your sacks: I had your money. And he brought Simeon out unto them.  (Genesis 43:23)

Now this man eventually, through the testimony of Joseph, had come to knowledge of the living and true God, and I think Joseph had let him in, at least partially, on what was taking place.  The man said, “Well, I had your money.”  And I think that frightened them all the more.  And Verse 24:

And the man brought the men into Joseph’s house, and gave them water, and they washed their feet  (Here goes that foot washing again; saw it in Abraham you remember and then down in the city of Sodom and they washed their feet.); and he gave their asses provender.  And they made ready the present against Joseph came at noon: for they heard that they should eat bread there.  

They couldn’t imagine being invited to lunch.

And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed themselves to him to the earth.   (Genesis 43:25-26)

And here they go down on their faces before Joseph, and they’re confessing that they brought a present.  You remember that old Jacob said bring a present down to the man.  And they bowed themselves to the earth.  That fulfills the prophecy again.  Now notice Verse 27.

And he asked them of their welfare, and said, Is your father well, the old man of whom ye spake? Is he yet alive?  (Genesis 43:27)

May I say to you that’s a dramatic moment!  Joseph is probably there sitting on some elevation.  Probably not a throne necessarily, but a place of prominence, and these men are bowing down before him.  Now they get up.  Joseph looks at them right in the eye, and they looked at him.  And he says to them, “Is your father, the old man of whom you spoke, is he yet alive?  How is he?”  You see, he’s interested; after all, it’s his father also.  

And they answered, Thy servant our father is in good health, he is yet alive. And they bowed down their heads, and made obeisance.  (Genesis 43:28)

Here they go down on their faces again!  I’d have loved to have a picture of that, wouldn’t you?  These brethren and Benjamin’s with them now.  And he goes down too now because after all of them went down.  Notice what he did.

And he lifted up his eyes, and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, — You see the others were his brothers, but half brothers.  This boy’s his full brother; his mother’s son–and said, Is this your younger brother, of whom ye spake unto me? And I think they nodded.  And he said, God be gracious unto thee, my son.  

His brother!  This is really a dramatic moment.  And Joseph can’t take it any longer.

And Joseph made haste; for his bowels did yearn—oh his heart went out to his brother.  His heart yearned—upon his brother: and he sought where to weep; and he entered into his chamber, and wept there.  

He said, “Excuse me a moment; someone wants me on the telephone,” and he got out of there as quickly as he could.  He went into his own private quarters, and he wept because he never thought maybe he’d ever see his brothers again, and his own brother Benjamin. Maybe the famine was near to an end now.  Add seven more years, he’s forty some-odd years old; that is, Joseph is.  And Benjamin is the youngest one of all, but he’s a young man now.  So Joseph went into his chambers and wept there.

And he washed his face, and went out, and refrained himself, and said, Set on bread.  (Genesis 43:31)

Now here is a marvelous, wonderful picture that is yet to be fulfilled.  And I hope that you’ll see in this something that’s quite wonderful!  Zechariah said that he’s going to make himself known unto his brethren someday.  They’re going to ask him about nail prints in his hands.  And that he’s going to at that time—the Lord Jesus—said I received those in the house of my friends.  Then they’ll know him.  They’ll recognize him.  Then they will weep, but he has provided salvation for them.  He’s provided redemption for them.  Now that’s going to take place when the Lord Jesus comes back to the earth a second time.  He’ll be revealed to his brethren, the nation Israel.  That is, there’ll be that remnant there.  There’ll be many there that they didn’t know him.  They didn’t believe he came the first time.  But then they’re going to know him.  Remember, the brethren of Joseph are the ones who delivered him into slavery.  They sold him.  They got rid of him.  Now he’s going to make himself known to his brethren.  

And may I say to you today, Christian Friends, beware of anti-Semitism.  Some of those people are the brethren of our Lord.  And there’s coming a day when he’s going to make himself known unto them.  It’s a family affair.  You better let his family alone.  No Christian can engage in anti-Semitism.  And I don’t care how blind the nation Israel is, and I don’t care what they engage in today; I’m perfectly aware of what you are aware of; that they are not always as lovely as some of us are; especially those of us that are Scotch…oh, are we lovely people!  Yes, but may I say some of the Scotch have been pretty mean.  

Again, let me repeat, Friends.  This is a wonderful scene here.  It’s a dramatic scene.  Notice he washed his face, went out, refrained himself, and said, “Set on bread.”  “Let’s eat”.  Get it over with.  But this is an amazing meal!

And they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, which did eat with him, by themselves: because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews; for that is an abomination unto the Egyptians.  (Genesis 42:32)

Now there are several things at this meal that these brethren if they hadn’t been so frightened might have noticed.  The first one is this:  That he’s not eating with the Egyptians.  Egyptians ate alone.  Joseph was separate from them, but after all he’s the brass; he’s the head man in this particular place.  

Now will you notice something else:

And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth: and the men marveled one at another.  (Genesis 43:33)

Now when Joseph put the place cards around, Joseph went around and said Reuben,, you sit here.  He put Benjamin way down at the end.  And he put all the brethren in their right order.  And they looked at each other in amazement.  How’d he know all that?  But they’re not suspicious at all of who he is, because naturally they’re blind to who he is.

Now, will you notice?

And he took and sent messes unto them from before him…

He served them; he served their plates.  And I wish we had another word here instead of sent messes to them, because it sounds rather messy, but it was.

…but Benjamin’s mess was five times so much as any of theirs… 

Again, he just couldn’t refrain from showing his affection for his own brother.  So he gave him five times as much.  I bet that boy that had been through that famine, I’ll bet that he had a real meal for the first time.  

And they drank, and were merry with him.  (Genesis 43:34)

What a wonderful day it will be when he reveals himself to his brethren!  

CHAPTER 44

JUDAH VOLUNTEERS TO TAKE BENJAMIN’S PLACE

Now that brings us to the 44th Chapter here.  Again we have a very wonderful chapter before us here.  And we find that Joseph now is going to send his brethren away with corn, but he’s got something else up his sleeve, and it is to test their affection for the youngest brother—for his own brother Benjamin.  You see they sold him, Joseph, into slavery.  Have they changed?  Would they—any one of them be willing to give his life for their brother?  Joseph’s going to really find out something about these, and this brings Judea into marvelous picture here because Judea was willing to take his place.  Now, let me read Verse 1 of Chapter 44.

And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man’s money in his sack’s mouth.  

And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack’s mouth of the youngest, and his corn money. And he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.  

As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their asses. 

And when they were gone out of the city, and not yet far off, Joseph said unto his steward, Up, follow after the men; and when thou dost overtake them, say unto them, Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good?   Is not this it in which my lord drinketh, and whereby indeed he divineth? ye have done evil in so doing.  (Genesis 44:1-5)

Now it was his cup.  And you will notice that he speaks of the fact that he divineth.  I’ll say something about that in a minute because we come to it later.  Verse 6:

And he overtook them, and he spake unto them these same words.

And they said unto him, Wherefore saith my lord these words? God forbid that thy servants should do according to this thing:  (Genesis 44:6-7)

In other words, the brethren start out.  They think everything’s is alright, and when they get out a little ways, they’re overtaken.  Here comes a whole troop after them.  And the accusation is made.  Somebody got Joseph’s cup.  One of you fellows heisted his cup.  He says:

Behold, the money, which we found in our sacks’ mouths, we brought again unto thee out of the land of Canaan: how then should we steal out of thy lord’s house silver or gold?  With whomsoever of thy servants it be found, both let him die, and we also will be my lord’s bondmen.  (Genesis 44:8-9)

They were so sure that none of them had gotten the cup.  

And he said, Now also let it be according unto your words: he with whom it is found shall be my servant; and ye shall be blameless. Then they speedily took down every man his sack to the ground, and opened every man his sack.  And he searched, and began at the eldest, and left at the youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. Then they rent their clothes, and laded every man his ass, and returned to the city. (Genesis 44:10-13)

They went back.  They’re not going back home without Benjamin, you may be sure.  

And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph’s house; for he was yet there: and they fell before him on the ground.  (Genesis 44:14)

Here they go down before him again and this time I tell you it’s in dismay and agony.

And Joseph said unto them, What deed is this that ye have done? wot ye not that such a man as I can certainly divine?

Now Joseph apparently was a prophet.  Apparently, he was able to tell the future.  And we know that’s so because he interpreted the dreams of the baker and the butler and also of Pharaoh himself.  He was a prophet, and he apparently used this cup in it.  This was the gift that God had given him.  You must understand this is before Revelation.  Now don’t you run and get a cup or go to anybody that’s got one and think you can read tea leaves or something like that; that’s all perfect nonsense today, and this business of the horoscope has got so many people involved today, it’s absolute nonsense, and it reveals the sad spiritual condition that people are in when they’ll turn to that sort of thing.  This was a gift God had given this man.

Now Judah comes to the front, and the nobility of this man stands out.  You can see probably why out of the tribe of Judah the Savior’s coming.  Will you note!  Verse 16:

And Judah said, What shall we say unto my lord? 

And I think this again is one of the finest speeches that this man is going make here, and I won’t be able to finish it off today.  It just looks like in this continued story we get to the dramatic point, then have to leave off.  But let me read.

And Judah said, What shall we say unto my lord?  what shall we speak? or how shall we clear ourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants: behold, we are my lord’s servants, both we, and he also with whom the cup is found.  (Genesis 44:16)

He makes full confession that it is because of their sin that this has come upon them.  

And he said, God forbid that I should do so: but the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my servant; and as for you, get you up in peace unto your father.  (Genesis 44:17)

Now he says he’s going to hold Benjamin and he says to these other brethren, “Go on home.  You’re free.”  But Benjamin’s going to stay.  Now listen to Judah.

Then Judah came near unto him, and said, Oh my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord’s ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant: for thou art even as Pharaoh.  (See the position that Joseph occupied.)  My lord asked his servants, saying, Have ye a father, or a brother? 

And we said unto my lord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loveth him.  And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him.  

And we said unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his father: for if he should leave his father, his father would die.  

And thou saidst unto thy servants, Except your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more.  

And it came to pass when we came up unto thy servant my father, we told him the words of my lord.  And our father said, Go again, and buy us a little food.  And we said, We cannot go down: if our youngest brother be with us, then will we go down: for we may not see the man’s face, except our youngest brother be with us.  

And thy servant my father said unto us, Ye know that my wife bare me two sons:  And the one went out from me, and I said, Surely he is torn in pieces; and I saw him not since: And if ye take this also from me, and mischief befall him, ye shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.  (Genesis 44:19-29)

Now very frankly, Friends, I hate to break off there.  This is really a tense moment here with Judah as doing a noble thing here.  He’s doing the thing that Joseph wants to discover.  We’ll have to wait and see that next time.