Passage: Genesis 42

The Big Idea

Famine drives Joseph’s brothers to Egypt, where they bow before the brother they sold, without recognizing him. Joseph treats them roughly, not out of revenge, but out of tough love, to free them from the prison of guilt they’ve lived in for twenty years. Meanwhile, back home, Jacob looks at his circumstances and moans, “All these things are against me!” In reality, everything was working for him. Romans 8:28 is something we know: God works all things together for good for those who love Him.

Imprisoned by Guilt (Genesis 42:1-4)

When Jacob heard there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you keep looking at each other? Go down and buy grain so we can live and not die.” So ten of Joseph’s brothers went. But Jacob kept Benjamin home, “in case something happens to him.”

“Why do you look at one another?” Maybe every time Egypt came up, the brothers exchanged guilty glances. They had sold Joseph into slavery, but they were the ones imprisoned, by guilt.
“In case something happens to him.” Twenty years later, Jacob still lived in fear and regret over Joseph. Grief isn’t wrong. But Jacob wasn’t trusting God. Was his son dead? No. The truth was that God was in control, working behind the scenes for blessing.

Believing Romans 8:28 protects us from living in fear and regret, anxiety, worry and despair. So much of that is soothed by a right knowledge of who God is and what He does. Knowing God rightly keeps your mind healthy.

God loved Jacob, and He would use all this to pull out every remaining dependence on the flesh from his heart. God loved Jacob’s sons too, and He would use all this to free them from their prison of guilt.

The Dream Comes True (Genesis 42:5-6)

Joseph was governor over the land and sold grain to all the people. Joseph’s brothers came and bowed before him with their faces to the ground.

This fulfilled Joseph’s boyhood dream exactly.
His brothers had tried to stop that dream by selling him. Instead they became slaves of their sin and the guilt that comes with it, the part Satan always leaves out when he tempts us.
And God used their evil to bring about the deliverance of His people.

Have you ever wondered how God can bring good out of evil? God promises to give beauty for ashes, joy for mourning and praise for despair (Isaiah 61:3). That’s what Jesus does.

Look at His own life: unjustly punished, betrayed, poor, disrespected and killed. Yet His death opened the way for everyone to be forgiven, adopted as God’s children and filled with His Spirit. The greatest good in history came out of the greatest evil in history.

Tough Love (Genesis 42:7-20)

Joseph recognized his brothers, but they didn’t recognize him. He acted like a stranger and spoke harshly: “Where are you from?” “From Canaan, to buy food.” Remembering his dreams, he said, “You’re spies! You’ve come to see where our land is weak.”

“No, my lord! We’re all sons of one man. We’re honest men, not spies.”

“No, you’ve come to spy.”

“We were twelve brothers, sons of one man in Canaan. The youngest is with our father, and one is no more.”

Joseph said, “Here’s how you’ll be tested: you won’t leave unless your youngest brother comes here. Send one of you to get him, and the rest will stay in prison, so we can test whether you’re telling the truth.” He put them all in custody for three days.

Joseph was still serving God, concerned for God’s purposes in his brothers’ lives. He was still in ministry.
He saw they were slaves to guilt. They claimed to be “honest men,” but they’d been anything but. “One is no more” was a lie; they knew they’d sold him.
So Joseph gave them tough love: three days in prison to think about their actions and see if they’d come clean.

The psalmist said that before he was afflicted he went astray, but now he keeps God’s word (Psalm 119:67).

On the third day Joseph said, “Do this and live, for I fear God. If you’re honest, let one brother stay here, and the rest of you take grain home. Then bring your youngest brother to me, so your words can be verified, and you won’t die.”

Joseph wanted to lead them to life, not hurt them. That’s what tough love is: leading someone toward honesty with God, not just being harsh until they change.
He wasn’t reacting in the flesh. He was responding in faith, with God’s wisdom.

Hebrews reminds us not to despise the Lord’s discipline or lose heart when He corrects us, because the Lord disciplines those He loves. Earthly fathers discipline for a little while as they think best, but God disciplines for our good, so we can share His holiness. No discipline feels good at the time, but afterward it produces the peaceful fruit of righteousness (Hebrews 12:5-11).

Oswald Chambers warned that we easily grieve God’s Spirit by despising His discipline or getting discouraged when He corrects us, and when our walk is shallow, we can even mistake God’s warning for something from the devil.

Conscience Awakens (Genesis 42:21-24)

The brothers said to each other, “We really are guilty about our brother. We saw his anguish when he begged us, and we wouldn’t listen. That’s why this trouble has come on us.” Reuben said, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn’t listen. Now we have to answer for his blood.”

They didn’t know Joseph understood them, since he’d been using an interpreter. He turned away and wept. Then he came back, talked with them, and had Simeon bound in front of them.

It was working! Their consciences were doing their job.
(The U.S. Treasury actually has a “Conscience Fund” for people who send money they owe the government. One man supposedly wrote, “I cheated on my taxes and can’t sleep. Here’s a check for $100. If I still can’t sleep, I’ll send the rest.” Our consciences can be pretty weak!)
They’d stopped hiding their guilt from themselves.
Joseph broke down weeping. He could have simply made them like him. But he cared far more about them being right with God. That’s the heart of Jesus.

Then he came back and talked with them. He didn’t withhold fellowship or minister to them out of bitterness. If I have not love, I am nothing (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).

Treasure in the Sacks (Genesis 42:25-28)

Joseph had their sacks filled with grain, secretly returned each man’s money to his sack, and gave them provisions for the road. When one of them opened his sack at their lodging place and found his money, their hearts sank. Trembling, they said, “What is this that God has done to us?”

They assumed God was against them. Was He?
That’s the problem with sin. It tricks us into thinking God is our enemy. We were His enemies, but through the cross, Jesus has made peace (Romans 5:10; Colossians 1:20).
Our sin was great, but His sacrifice is greater.

“All These Things Are Against Me” (Genesis 42:29-36)

Back home, they told Jacob everything (still leaving out their old lie). When they emptied their sacks and each found his money, they and their father were afraid.

Jacob said, “You’ve robbed me of my children! Joseph is gone, Simeon is gone, and now you want to take Benjamin. All these things are against me.“

Really, Jacob? Everything was actually for him! God was working out a huge blessing, salvation and joy.

When I threw a fit as a kid, my mom would sing, “Nobody likes me, everybody hates me, guess I’ll go eat worms…” That sarcasm helped me see I was loved and life wasn’t that bad.

Look at the contrast: Joseph had far worse circumstances, yet never complained or doubted God. Jacob was full of fear, doubt and self-pity.

What We Really Know

We think we know a lot.

Ever been sure your team would lose, and they won?
Many think moths eat clothes. Actually it’s the larvae.
Ostriches don’t really bury their heads in the sand.

So what can we really know? Paul says: “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). You can bank on it and build your life on it.

Jacob was really wrong, but you can see how he got there:

His favorite son was gone, and he probably suspected the others.
A terrible famine meant starvation if they didn’t get help.
Simeon was being held as a suspected spy.
Their returned money made them look like thieves.
And now he had to send his youngest into danger.

We feel that way too. Dumped. Fired. Bad news from the doctor. “Everything’s against me. I’ll go eat worms.” But a miracle is coming! God is doing a good work, and it’s all centered on Jesus, pictured here by Joseph.

Do I Really Love God?

“But that promise is for those who love God. What if I’m not sure I do?” Peter failed Jesus badly, yet Jesus restored him with the question, “Do you love Me?” (John 21:15-17).

How can we know we love God? Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15), and His new commandment was to love one another as He loved us (John 13:34). John says we know we’ve passed from death to life because we love the brothers and sisters (1 John 3:14). If we love one another, God lives in us, and we know we abide in Him because He has given us His Spirit (1 John 4:11-13).

Do you love God’s people? That’s a sign you love God. It’s a clear, simple test.

So is everything working for your good? If you love God, yes. Whatever you’re complaining or frustrated about, change your perspective. Focus on loving God’s people, and trust God to work it all for blessing.

Grace Takeaway

Joseph’s brothers were imprisoned by guilt, and Jacob was imprisoned by fear. But God was working for all of them the whole time. Your circumstances may scream, “Everything is against me!” But if you belong to God, you know better. He is turning even this toward your good. Put down the woolly worms, and trust Him.

For Discussion

Think of Christians imprisoned for their faith in other countries. What attitude do you think many of them have toward their captors? Would you go back to preach where you’d been imprisoned?
What would you have done if you were Joseph when your brothers showed up? What did Joseph do?
Why is revenge so tempting?
Dig deeper: revenge.
– Luke 9:54-55. Why were the disciples so upset? Did their suggestion fit Jesus’ mission?
– Romans 12:17-19. How does the world view someone who lives this way? What character does it take?
– 1 Peter 2:21-23. What example did Jesus leave? Do you ever threaten?
– Romans 12:20; Luke 6:35. How do we overcome a vengeful heart? How does God develop that in us?

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Jacob Eats Woolly Worms