For the Genesis 43:24-31 PODCAST, Click Here!
24 So the man brought the men into Joseph’s house and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their donkeys feed. 25 Then they made the present ready for Joseph’s coming at noon, for they heard that they would eat bread there. 26 And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed down before him to the earth. 27 Then he asked them about their well-being, and said, "Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?" 28 And they answered, "Your servant our father is in good health; he is still alive." And they bowed their heads down and prostrated themselves. 29 Then he lifted his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, and said, "Is this your younger brother of whom you spoke to me?" And he said, "God be gracious to you, my son." 30 Now his heart yearned for his brother; so Joseph made haste and sought somewhere to weep. And he went into his chamber and wept there. 31 Then he washed his face and came out; and he restrained himself, and said, "Serve the bread." ~ Genesis 43:24-31
Today, we return to our study of Genesis 43 where we find the brothers who had sold Joseph into slavery standing before his servant who did a series of things that put the brother’s minds at ease. Since Joseph was a picture of the Lord Jesus, his steward was a picture of the Holy Spirit. The grace demonstrated here is reminiscent of the grace of God who invites poor, vile and rebellious man into a personal relationship with Himself through the finished work of the Lord Jesus on the cross of Calvary.
In v.24-25 of today's passage we read, "24 So the man brought the men into Joseph’s house and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their donkeys feed. 25 Then they made the present ready for Joseph’s coming at noon, for they heard that they would eat bread there."
With the matter of the money and their brother Simeon resolved, the steward led the brothers of Joseph into the house of Joseph. Once again, Joseph's brothers are referred to as "the men." By doing this, God was continuing to make an impersonal evaluation of the brothers as He desired to reveal the motivation of their heart. What the men had only a moment ago feared and tried to stave off is now a welcomed gesture as they stopped to wash their feet while the steward fed their donkeys. Water was brought to them to prepare them for a relaxing and enjoyable meal in Joseph’s house. The object lessons of bread and water are used throughout the Bible pointing all to the Lord Jesus who remedied man's sin problem and who is our sustenance.
It was at that point that the brothers presented gifts that their father had put together before they left Canaan. This included balm, honey, spices and myrrh, pistachio nuts, and almonds. These six gifts were the best of the fruits of the land and would be a worthy gift even to the king. The only gift that satisfies the righteous demands of our Heavenly Father is His gift given to us from the foundation of the world.
In v.26-28 of today's passage we read, "26 And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed down before him to the earth. 27 Then he asked them about their well-being, and said, 'Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?' 28 And they answered, 'Your servant our father is in good health; he is still alive.' And they bowed their heads down and prostrated themselves."
This was the fulfillment of the dream that Joseph had more than 20 years earlier. In that dream Joseph's brothers knelt before him. When Joseph told them of the dream, his brothers were so angered that they wanted to kill him. But, this wasn’t just a dream fulfilled in Joseph, it is a dream which is fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no knee, Jew or Gentile, that won’t bow before Him at the end of time as the Bible tells us. The story of Joseph and his brothers looks forward to that time when 1/3 of Israel's people will bow their knee before the Lord Jesus in faith. Oh, everyone will bow the knee but only 1/3 of those Jews on the earth at that time will bow the knee in belief. The others sadly will bow the knee in unbelief. Only after they all bow the knee will they understand that the Lord they have bowed to will be the very one they sold off to the gentiles.
According to v.27 of today's passage Joseph inquired about their father Jacob. Jacob was born in the year 2169 BC and today's passage was set in the year 2299 BC, making Jacob right at 130 years old. At such an advanced age, every day is precious and Joseph wondered about Jacob's well being. Jacob delayed in allowing the brothers to return to Egypt and in that amount of time, Joseph was uncertain if his father was still alive.
In v.29 of today's passage we read, "Then he lifted his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, and said, 'Is this your younger brother of whom you spoke to me?' And he said, 'God be gracious to you, my son.'"
To lift one’s eyes from a biblical standpoint didn’t just mean to see something or someone, it meant that Joseph noticed his brother. Joseph had already seen Benjamin with his eyes, but now there was the mental acknowledgement of him. Joseph saw Benjamin in a way that he hadn’t before. He acknowledged who he was and how he was related to him as he then explained by saying "his mother’s son." All eleven of his brother’s were there, but only Benjamin was the son of Joseph's mother. He knew it was Benjamin, but to feign a lack of knowledge, he asked if this was the one they had told him about before. And then, without giving them a chance to answer his question, Joseph said to Benjamin "God be gracious to you, my son." It is only the grace of God that enables Him to have a heart for sinful man.
In v.30-31 of today's passage we read, "30 Now his heart yearned for his brother; so Joseph made haste and sought somewhere to weep. And he went into his chamber and wept there. 31 Then he washed his face and came out; and he restrained himself, and said, 'Serve the bread.'"
After seeing his brother, Joseph was deeply moved. He was so moved that he had to go away from them into his office to weep. This reminds me of the time when the Lord Jesus wept. When He returned to the news that Lazarus was dead and had been in the tomb for 4 days. He was told by both Mary & Martha that if He had been there, Lazarus would not have died. The Lord Jesus knew Lazarus had died and that He would raise him from the dead, but He chose to feel Mary and Martha’s pain with them. The Lord Jesus cried even though He knew Lazarus was dead before He got the news. He cried even though He knew that Lazarus would be alive in just a few moments. He cried even though He knew death would not win forever. The Lord Jesus wept because this world is full of pain, regret, loss, depression, and devastation. He wept because knowing the end of the story doesn’t mean we can’t cry at the sad parts. This allowed Him to enter in that hard place with Mary and Martha. He chose to bear it with them to help them through it.
After weeping a bit, Joseph washed his face and returned to his brothers. Joseph wanted to cry out, "I am your brother" but he knew his time had not yet come. He knew his brothers had to be tested and proven true before He revealed Himself to them. At that point, Joseph ordered the bread to be served. Throughout the Bible "bread" is used to point us yet again to the Lord Jesus Christ. Mentioned some 492 times in the Bible beginning in Genesis and continuing right through Revelation, bread reminds us that our Maker is our sustenance.
The Lord Jesus was born in Bethlehem which means "House of Bread." Alphanumerically, it means nativity. The place of the nativity of the Lord Jesus Christ was in the House of Bread who is the place of life. When we go to the House of Bread to accept God’s forgiveness of our sins, we see again how God feeds our souls with something we must have in order to spiritually survive. His bread is the only kind that leads to eternal life. His bread is His very life which yields the sustenance for us to exist. Without Him we can do nothing of lasting value.
