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32 So they set him a place by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves; because the Egyptians could not eat food with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians. 33 And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth; and the men looked in astonishment at one another. 34 Then he took servings to them from before him, but Benjamin’s serving was five times as much as any of theirs. So they drank and were merry with him. ~ Genesis 43:32-34
Today, we conclude our study of Genesis 43 where Joseph was meeting with his brothers in his house in Egypt. The dream that Joseph had some 20 years before was just coming to fruition. The ultimate reason God gave to Joseph those two dreams was to point everyone to the Lord Jesus Christ before whom all mankind ever created or will be created will one day bow our knees. The end of all of our yearnings and searches is the Lord Jesus. All roads in the Bible lead to the Lord Jesus. From Genesis to Revelation, the Lord Jesus is the story.
In v.32 of today's passage we read, "So they set him a place by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves; because the Egyptians could not eat food with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians."
In the dining area at Joseph's house in Egypt, there were at least three separate tables, or three areas for dining. Joseph was set by himself certainly as a sign of his position and authority. But there was still another separation, that of the Egyptians and the Hebrews. The Egyptians who dined there were high officials. It was wrong for the Egyptians to eat with foreigners because of past foreign invaders.
In v.33 of today's passage we read, "And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth; and the men looked in astonishment at one another."
Without noticing that their brother was the ruler of Egypt, Joseph designated a seat at the table according to the age of his brothers. This was Joseph's way of letting his brothers know that he knew who they were and it was confirmation that he knew that Benjamin was their true brother. When it dawned on them that they are seated in this particular arrangement, their minds were blown. The fact is that they came from four mothers and some were born very close in time because of this. The chances of anyone guessing their age and birth order, particularly 11 of them in sequence, would have been unimaginable. Their seating that day in Joseph's house mirrors the seating of the tribes of the sons of Israel in Revelation 7. Since the destruction of the temple in AD70, the tribe of each individual Jew is actually unknown and yet 12,000 will be sealed from each tribe according to the list given in Revelation 7.
In v.34 of today's passage we read, "Then he took servings to them from before him, but Benjamin’s serving was five times as much as any of theirs. So they drank and were merry with him."
As we have pointed out before, Benjamin, as well as Joseph were types of the Lord Jesus Christ. Joseph was a type of Christ in His first advent, rejection, death, resurrection, and present exaltation among the Gentiles, and not believed on by Israel. Benjamin was a type of Christ in that he was the "son of sorrow," pointing us to the cross the Lord Jesus Christ. Benjamin was also the "son of my right hand" which the Lord Jesus will be in His future millennial Kingdom.
Toward the end of today's passage we read, "Benjamin’s serving was five times as much as any of his brothers." Joseph granted five times as much food to Benjamin to show them that he was the favored brother even though he was the youngest. He was a son of Rachel, who consistently pictured God’s grace. Joseph used an object lesson to instruct his brothers that day. The entire time that Joseph had been removed from his brothers, Benjamin had been there with his brothers. Benjamin was called the "Son of My Suffering" by Rachel and the "Son of My Right Hand" by Jacob.
The Apostle Paul was from the tribe of Benjamin. He was also the Apostle to the Gentiles. And his consistent message was grace. The grace of God in Jesus Christ to the Gentiles. And not only Paul, but all Jews who have received Christ as Lord and Savior. Each is a faithful witness to the righteous remnant preserved by God. This was what Joseph was actually hinting at in this meal: that Christ is Lord of all; Christ is the Son of the Right Hand; and Christ is the Son who suffered, fulfilling the law and granting us grace, pictured by Benjamin.
