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24 And he turned himself away from them and wept. Then he returned to them again, and talked with them. And he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes. 25 Then Joseph gave a command to fill their sacks with grain, to restore every man’s money to his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. Thus he did for them. 26 So they loaded their donkeys with the grain and departed from there. 27 But as one of them opened his sack to give his donkey feed at the encampment, he saw his money; and there it was, in the mouth of his sack. 28 So he said to his brothers, "My money has been restored, and there it is, in my sack!" Then their hearts failed them and they were afraid, saying to one another, "What is this that God has done to us?" ~ Genesis 42:24-28
Today, we return to our study of Genesis 42 where the brothers of Joseph are standing before him and they did not know even who he is their brother. They just thought he was an Egyptian with whom they must deal to get food for their families back in Canaan. Joseph dealt with his brothers decisively and justly in hopes that God would have His way in their hearts. Joseph had gone through many trials that prepared and equipped him with how to best deal with his brothers. Not lost in Joseph's story is the great principle: The Fear of the Lord is the Beginning of Wisdom.
In v.24 of today's passage we read, "And he turned himself away from them and wept. Then he returned to them again, and talked with them. And he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes."
Despite the fact that Joseph's brothers had treated him so badly some 21 years earlier, Joseph’s heart never hardened toward them. Yet again, Joseph had the wisdom to see the lies behind feeding the flesh which always takes us down the road to our destruction. Now that Joseph had heard the remorseful words of Reuben as well as the other brothers, Joseph could no longer stand the emotions which arose in his soul. And so he had to turn himself away from them so that he could shed some tears. Six times in this story in Genesis, Joseph wept.
We are trichotomous beings having a body, a soul and a spirit. Our emotions reveal the deepest part of who we are at the core of our being. Joseph’s longing for his family never ended and in the moment that God clearly was working in his brothers' hearts, Joseph was moved deeply. In Matthew 5:4 the Lord Jesus said, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." In that passage is described the process involved in the changing of a heart. While it was obvious that Joseph held onto no bitterness toward his brothers, his heart still needed the impact of the Holy Spirit while dealing with them.
Joseph's brother Simeon was the one who was bound and kept behind due to the fact that he was the oldest son of those who had agreed to sell Joseph. Reuben was the oldest, but he didn’t consent to the transaction. And Joseph heard Reuben’s words which had cleared him. I find it most interesting that "Simeon" means "He who hears." This provides for us a picture of the utter necessity of hearing the Lord more deeply than just with our ears. Over and over in the New Testament we hear the words "He who has an ear, let him hear." God always highlights in His word the utter necessity of us hearing His voice. Our ears, unlike our eyes, do not have lids, they weren't made to close. They are intended to remain open! In Romans 10:17 the Lord makes it abundantly clear that our faith grows as a result of hearing His voice. We hear Him best when we hear Him with our hearts.
In v.25 of today's passage we read, "Then Joseph gave a command to fill their sacks with grain, to restore every man’s money to his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. Thus he did for them."
Joseph not only had mercy on his brothers but he lavished grace upon them when he completely supplied their needs for every step of their journey. Even though he had been very harsh toward them, Joseph's care for his brothers was top notch. Joseph pictured the mercy and grace of our God that day. Without the grace of the Lord Jesus we all would have an hopeless end. With the grace of the Lord Jesus we all share an endless hope.
In v.26-28 of today's passage we read, "26 So they loaded their donkeys with the grain and departed from there. 27 But as one of them opened his sack to give his donkey feed at the encampment, he saw his money; and there it was, in the mouth of his sack. 28 So he said to his brothers, 'My money has been restored, and there it is, in my sack!' Then their hearts failed them and they were afraid, saying to one another, 'What is this that God has done to us?'"
In Romans 11 we are commanded to consider the goodness and the severity of God. Joseph was good to his brothers. He gave them grain and he gave them their money back. He was also severe to his brothers when he made them consider the idea that they could be put to death. The result of Joseph's goodness and severity resulted in reconciliation and restoration. We must be quick to remember this the next time God allows something to come in our lives that we particularly don't like. We must be quick to consider the severity and the goodness of the Lord and why He causes or allows such things. His design is always to deepen our walk with Him.
The guilt within the souls of Joseph's brothers turned the blessings from Joseph into distress. They couldn't enjoy the blessings. They were given a blessing by Pharaoh's second-hand man and they could not enjoy it because that's what guilt does to us. Guilt robs us of joy. It turns joy into misery. It was at that point that Joseph's brothers mentioned God. This is, by the way, the very first time in this whole narrative that these brothers are found referencing God. And due to the fact that they had so long been defined by their flesh, their view of God was warped. They saw God like themselves as vengeful and retributive. They viewed God through their view of themselves. That's idolatry. They concocted a god in their own image and they worshipped accordingly. What an unfortunate god they had imagined.
In Jeremiah 29:13, the Lord says, "You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart." One of the greatest gifts that God has granted me was the death of my mom when I was five years old and the death of my dad when I was seventeen. Those two events made me deal with reality. Those two events were necessary for me to turn to God. In Jeremiah 33:3, the Lord says, "Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and wondrous things you do not know." After I cried out to the Lord He welcomed me into a never ending journey whereby He has been revealing His heart to me. And, do you know what I have discovered? That He is totally good!
