Wayfinding Bible - Flipbook - Page 71
Genesis 42
65
PG 66
PG 66
OBSERVATION POINT
Jacob and his family probably heard about Egypt’s
adequate grain supplies from traders who passed
through Canaan on the trade routes connecting Egypt
and the regions to the north and east. Egypt’s northern city of Zoan, where Joseph probably ruled, was
one of Egypt’s cities of administration at this time.
By taking the route along the Mediterranean Sea,
his brothers’ journey to the northern region of Egypt
would take only a few days.
days. 18 On the third day Joseph said to them, “I
am a God-fearing man. If you do as I say, you
will live. 19 If you really are honest men, choose
one of your brothers to remain in prison. The
rest of you may go home with grain for your
starving families. 20 But you must bring your
youngest brother back to me. This will prove
that you are telling the truth, and you will not
die.” To this they agreed.
21
Speaking among themselves, they said,
“Clearly we are being punished because of
what we did to Joseph long ago. We saw his
anguish when he pleaded for his life, but
we wouldn’t listen. That’s why we’re in this
trouble.”
22
“Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the
boy?” Reuben asked. “But you wouldn’t listen.
And now we have to answer for his blood!”
23
Of course, they d
idn’t know that Joseph
understood them, for he had been speaking to them through an interpreter. 24 Now he
turned away from them and began to weep.
When he regained his composure, he spoke
to them again. Then he chose Simeon from
among them and had him tied up right before
their eyes.
25
Joseph then ordered his servants to fill the
men’s sacks with grain, but he also gave secret
instructions to return each brother’s payment
at the top of his sack. He also gave them supplies for their journey home. 26 So the brothers
loaded their donkeys with the grain and headed for home.
27
But when they stopped for the night and
one of them opened his sack to get grain for
his donkey, he found his money in the top of
his sack. 28 “Look!” he exclaimed to his brothers. “My money has been returned; it’s here in
my sack!” Then their hearts sank. Trembling,
EXPLORATION POINT
The people of ancient times faced the threat of
starvation all the time. After two years of drought
and famine, Jacob’s family was desperate, probably
in despair. When we read the biblical account, we
see years of concern resolved quickly. We see how
all things worked together for the good of a whole
nation. But Jacob’s family didn’t know the outcome.
Starvation was a real possibility. They probably
prayed every day for rain, but no rain came. They
had to trust that God was in control and had a plan.
they said to each other, “What has God done
to us?”
29
When the brothers came to their father,
Jacob, in the land of Canaan, they told him
everything that had happened to them. 30 “The
man who is governor of the land spoke very
harshly to us,” they told him. “He accused us
of being spies scouting the land. 31 But we said,
‘We are honest men, not spies. 32 We are twelve
brothers, sons of one father. One brother is no
longer with us, and the youngest is at home
with our father in the land of Canaan.’
33
“Then the man who is governor of the land
told us, ‘This is how I will find out if you are
honest men. Leave one of your brothers here
with me, and take grain for your starving families and go on home. 34 But you must bring your
youngest brother back to me. Then I will know
you are honest men and not spies. Then I will
give you back your brother, and you may trade
freely in the land.’”
35
As they emptied out their sacks, there in
each man’s sack was the bag of money he had
paid for the grain! The brothers and their father were terrified when they saw the bags of
money. 36 Jacob exclaimed, “You are robbing
me of my children! Joseph is gone! Simeon is
gone! And now you want to take Benjamin,
too. Everything is going against me!”
37
Then Reuben said to his father, “You may
kill my two sons if I d
on’t bring Benjamin back
to you. I’ll be responsible for him, and I promise to bring him back.”
38
But Jacob replied, “My son will not go
down with you. His brother Joseph is dead, and
he is all I have left. If anything should happen
to him on your journey, you would send this
grieving, white-haired man to his grave.*”
42:38 Hebrew to Sheol.
