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1 When Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, "Why do you look at one another?" 2 And he said, "Indeed I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down to that place and buy for us there, that we may live and not die." 3 So Joseph’s ten brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt. 4 But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, "Lest some calamity befall him." 5 And the sons of Israel went to buy grain among those who journeyed, for the famine was in the land of Canaan. ~ Genesis 42:1-5
Today, we transition into Genesis 42 where God is yet again showing Himself faithful to His promises. If it were not for the faithfulness of God, no one would have substantive faith. Someone who is unfaithful is unknowable. The unfaithful are deceitful, thus we innately know that we cannot trust them. God's faithfulness makes it possible for us to know and to trust Him. He has opened the door to a personal relationship with Himself through His Son's work on the cross of Calvary. It is and has always been His faithfulness that makes it possible for us to grow in an intimate personal relationship with Him.
In v.1-2 of today's passage we read, "1 When Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, 'Why do you look at one another?' 2 And he said, 'Indeed I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down to that place and buy for us there, that we may live and not die.'"
Back in the promised land Jacob and his family found themselves in great discomfort due to the famine which had swept throughout the entire world. This famine provided a subtle opportunity for all alive on the earth at that time to evaluate what is truly real and substantive. This led to the ultimate point that God makes through the yielded life of Joseph: the need for forgiveness of sin. Jacob saw that there was food in Egypt and so he sent his sons there to provide for the family. What they didn't know was they had to experience the fulfillment of their brother Joseph's dreams to receive the food they desired.
Moses used an unusual word here translated "grain." It comes from a word meaning "to break." Once broken, the kernel of grain was acceptable. The context in today's passage was one of misery caused by famine. The existence of Jacob and his family was a life lacking hope or direction. When Jacob heard there was grain in Egypt, he was given a glimmer of hope and the prospect of eating a full meal again. And so in that hope, he directed his sons to head to Egypt so that they would not die. He was about to learn that the son that he had thought had died was alive and he would become the savior of his family.
In v.3-4 of today's passage we read, "3 So Joseph’s ten brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt. 4 But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, 'Lest some calamity befall him.'"
In v.3 Moses used a different word for "grain" than he did in the previous two verses. The Hebrew word used here comes from a word which means "to purify," "to select," or "to test." This grain was threshed and winnowed grain as opposed to the grain that would have been in the shell. Threshing and winnowing is a process of separating grain from the chaff that surrounds it.
Threshing or winnowing are mentioned in at least forty different Bible passages. In the ancient world, before harvesters and combines and other heavy machinery, farmers cut the fields of grain with sickles. Then, they bound the grain into sheaves for transportation to the threshing floor. A "threshing floor" was a level circular space in the countryside, usually about fifty feet in diameter which had been pounded solid. There, the sheaves of grain were spread out for threshing. A special sled was often used, about three feet wide and six feet long, with rows of stone or metal studding the bottom. Oxen were used to pull the threshing sled over the sheaves, with the driver standing on the sled for additional weight. As the sled was dragged over the sheaves, it separated the grains from the husk.
Once the threshing was complete, there was still the matter of separating the nourishing grains from the worthless chaff. A large "winnowing fork" was used to scoop up a mass of grain from the threshing floor so that it could be tossed it into the air. This was usually done in the evening when there was a substantial and reliable wind. The heavy grains would fall right back down to the ground but the wind would carry the light chaff off to the side. The chaff was then quickly burned.
Since threshing and winnowing is a grinding, pulverizing and separating process, it serves as a picture of the discipline God provides for man. If we allow Him, His threshing removes the needless chaff and reveals His blessing in our lives.
In Matthew 3:11-12 John the Baptist said of the Lord Jesus, "He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove his sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. And his winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."
Jesus Christ is both Savior and Judge of all! He has come to provide salvation for all who would believe on Him. His word divides mankind into two groups, the grain and the chaff. So, here we have a contrast symbolically illustrating the hardness of one man's heart toward God and the softness of another man's heart toward God. All the while, Joseph continued to be a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ who was sold off to the Gentiles. Joseph's brothers pictured Israel and now they were going down to get grain from Egypt where they will meet their brother. There is coming another day when Israel will again meet the Lord Jesus when He returns to the Mount of Olives at the end of the Tribulation.
Many years before today's passage Jacob lost his favorite son Joseph. So, he kept Benjamin the only son left from Rachel back at home. Benjamin also pictures the Lord Jesus Christ in an unique way. His name means, "Son of my Right Hand." You will remember that before Jacob named him Benjamin, Rachel had named him "Ben-Oni" which means "son of my sorrow." Yet again, God provided a clue about the work of redemption that He would provide us of the Messiah long before He came to this earth. The Lord Jesus came into the world to be a man of sorrows, to whom God gave the Name above all names. He is the Son of Authority who is now at the right hand of God on high.
In v.5 of today's passage we read, "And the sons of Israel went to buy grain among those who journeyed, for the famine was in the land of Canaan."
The famine was so widespread other travelers from all over the world headed to Egypt along with Jacob's sons. The famine echoed mankind's need for a Savior for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Unlike other recorded famines which were at times localized, this one covered the whole land.
Just as they had to go to Joseph for physical sustenance, all of mankind must go to the Lord Jesus for spiritual sustenance for He is the only way into heaven. The gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is the winnowing fork of God, separating people into two piles. What we do with the Lord Jesus' invitation to believe on Him will determine our eternity. When we place our trust in Him alone for our salvation we will endure His threshing and winnowing. If we turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to Him we will not endure His threshing and winnowing. The choice is ours.
