Magnificent Changes of the Heart
a commentary on Genesis 43
Welcome back to another Biblit! This week in Genesis 43, we continue the story of Joseph. Last week we left on a cliffhanger. Will Jacob ever allow Benjamin, the last son of Rachel, to travel with the other brother’s to Egypt? Will he take the risk to get Simeon back? Let’s jump on in and find out in this commentary of Genesis 43.
Context
We don’t know for sure how long it’s been since the last conversation with Jacob, but we know it’s still in the midst of the 7 year famine. It has been long enough that the family ate all the food they purchased the first time around.
Jacob approaches his sons and asks them to return to Egypt to purchase more food. The sons, once again, plead with Jacob to let them bring Benjamin. They tell him over and over that “the man” (Joseph) told them they were not to return unless they had Benjamin. Judah speaks up, taking the headship responsibility, and tells Jacob that he will take responsibility for Benjamin. He makes it clear to Jacob that if he doesn’t send Benjamin, the famine will kill them all.
Jacob is reluctant but agrees.
He wants to prepare a present to send with the brothers to try and appease Joseph just as he did years earlier with his own brother, Esau. He also tells them to take double the money to pay for the previous food again, and also to pay for food on this second journey.
The last statement Jacob says as the brothers leave was: “May God Almighty grant you mercy before the man, and may he send back your other brother and Benjamin. And as for me, if I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.” (Genesis 43:14 ESV).
So the brothers take off on another 200 mile journey this time with Benjamin. When they arrive, Joseph sees they brought his little brother and is filled with joy. He tells his steward to bring the brothers to his house and prepare a feast.
Joseph is thrilled, but the brothers are filled with fear. When they hear they are being brought to Joseph’s house, they fear he is going to assault them for stealing the money last time.
The second they see the steward of Joseph’s house, they plead with him and tell him that they didn’t steal the money. That it was placed by accident and they had nothing to do with it. Just picture a bunch of terrified men, pleading and making up excuse after excuse.
The steward finally shuts them all up and tells them to calm down. He says:
“Peace to you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has put treasure in your sacks for you.” (Genesis 43:23 ESV).
It is really neat that the Egyptian steward of Joseph’s house recognizes God in this way!
The brothers are appeased for now and the steward brings Simeon out to see them. That’s got to be a little awkward. Was Simeon expecting to be in prison this long? I want to know his thoughts at the moment.
Joseph gets home and the brothers offer him the gift and bow down to him again. The last time they bowed it was out of submission, but this time is in homage and tribute.
Joseph and his brothers chat a bit about their father and then he takes time to say hello to Benjamin specifically. He is overwhelmed again and leaves the room to cry. It is his mother’s youngest son, his little brother he hasn’t seen in over 20 years.
When they returned, they took part in the feast. Joseph ate alone, the brothers ate alone, and the Egyptians ate alone. It is said they did this because “the Egyptians could not eat with teh Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians.” (Genesis 43:32 ESV). They did this because some of the food the Hebrews ate was considered sacred to the Egyptians. It is really neat because later, this is part of the reason the Israelites settle in the land of Goshen, being kept separate from the Egyptians. Being kept separate, they are less tempted to conform and become part of the Egyptian culture, swept away into sin.
The brothers were astounded because they were sat in birth order. Then Joseph does another little jealousy test for the brothers. He gives Benjamin 5 times the portion of food his brothers got. Just to see what they do.
The brothers passed the test as it says: “And they drank and were merry with him.” (Genesis 43:34 ESV). The brothers showed a change of heart from when they mistreated and abused Joseph.
Interpretation
As I said last week, these next few chapters show a really cool heart transformation in Joseph’s brothers. This chapter shows a little more evidence of that. Let’s break it down and see what I mean. First, though, I want to talk about Jacob’s heart:
Jacob still struggles with fear, but has definitely grown. He was led by fear when he sent the gift to appease Esau, and he was struck by fear here again. He was desperate to ensure Benjamin’s safe return. That being said, he ends with that statement, “if I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.” He shows one final trust in the Lord. He knows God’s will is going to happen and whatever His will may be, that’s what will happen. It doesn’t mean he will delight in Benjamin being taken away from him, but he has at least accepted the reality that it is all in the Lord’s hands. This shows a great transformation in Jacob’s heart. He grew up always taking things into his own hands out of fear. Here we see him still afraid, but putting it all in the Lord’s hands.
The steward I think shows Joseph’s heart a little. The steward speaks of God as if he knows him. An Egyptian speaking of the one true God is really neat! I think it shows that Joseph was working on mission. He was second in command of Egypt and still gave glory to God, lived for God, and shared God with everyone, including his steward!
The brothers. We get 2 glimpses of heart change here. The first is in Judah. He offers himself to Jacob if Benjamin does not return. He cares enough for his father to offer his own body, to take Benjamin as his responsibility, and to go to Egypt to bring food back for the family. Just a few chapters ago, we saw Judah run away from his family, join the Canaanite culture, and sleep with a prostitute. These two Judah’s a far apart from each other, and it’s such a cool picture of the heart change God brought Judah through. The second evidence is when Joseph tested his brothers. He gave Benjamin not a double portion, but 5 times that of which his brothers got! First of all, did Benjamin actually eat all that food? I mean how much food we talking here? Anyways, we don’t see the brothers get jealous or show any animosity towards Benjamin as they used to with Joseph. They care for Benjamin, offering their lives up for him. They are not filled with greed or jealousy when he’s given more; they are merry and have a good time! When Joseph was treated that way, they hated him and planned to kill him, and would never offer their own lives up for him!
Application
So how can we apply these heart transformations to our own lives?
Fear. I think one thing that is pretty clear in Jacob’s life is his struggle with fear. I definitely get it; I would say I struggle with fear too! Ever since I was a kid, I would worry or be fearful. As I’ve grown older, I’ve recognized a lot of it is built in either protecting my own pride or not trusting God enough. I believe scholars say the command “fear not” or “do not be afraid” is the most repeated command in the Bible. Some count as high as 365 individual times! God never commands us, “do not fail,” though. He tells us to trust him and do not fear. We finally see Jacob take that seriously and trust God despite his fear. That’s what I think one key point is; not fearing might not mean we don’t feel the feeling of fear anymore, but it means we trust God regardless of our fear.
Share. Now, I get that this was possibly a stretch with the steward. We don’t see the exact interactions between Joseph and the steward. However, we do see that Joseph never feared giving God glory or sharing his name with the prisoners or with Pharaoh himself. I don’t think it’s a far stretch to say he shared God with the people working with him over the past 7+ years. How many times have I shared the gospel with the people I work with? Am I working on mission and sharing the love of God? Or am I just working?
Seek God and Sanctification. This magnificent heart change we see in Joseph’s brothers does not belong to them alone. God worked in their hearts and lives and sanctified them to be more like him! This is not a picture of how great Joseph’s brothers are, but of how great and gracious God is. Despite all their sin, he still changed them. Through Jesus Christ, we too are being sanctified and changed! Jesus changes our hearts to be more like him each and everyday!