These 3 chapters mark a high point in this 4^th and final part of the Genesis story. The severe famine continues throughout the land, and Jacob’s family must return to Egypt to buy food to live. Jacob however is sulking and stalling because he does not want to be parted with his youngest son Benjamin. His favoritism is ongoing as he seems to only consider the 2 sons of his favorite wife Rachel as his children (43:14). But Judah steps to the scene and does what Reuben failed to do. Remember what Reuben had said last chapter: to his brothers, “I told you so,” which always works great. To his father “if I don’t get your son back, kill my 2 sons” (who happen to be Jacob’s grandchildren). Reuben, as a firstborn, was very ineffective[i]. He was in fact a loser. But not Judah who commits to bringing Benjamin back, offering his own life as a pledge of safety. And so the sons of Jacob return to Egypt where Joseph sets up more tests for them to find out if they still harbor jealousy of their brother, if they are truly honest men, and if they have realized the extent of their sin and guilt, and repented.

Joseph subverts expectations: you would expect him to throw his rascals of brothers in jail for how they mistreated him. Instead, he treats them kindly, and through a series of schemes, shows them forgiveness and lavish grace. He devises a wise plan to see if they will leave another brother behind or if they will do what is right. His ultimate test targets Benjamin, threatening his enslavement, and by extension, the demise of Jacob. But Judah takes center stage and offers himself as a substitute for Benjamin. The sons of Jacob have come a long way, showing unity, honesty, responsibility, gratitude and even faith. This moves Joseph to tears as he reveals himself to his brothers who are flummoxed. He shows them grace and proclaims his trust in the sovereignty of God. He calls them to unity and to peace, then urges them to bring Jacob to Egypt so that all can be reunited and so that the remnant of the nation is preserved. The reconciliation is real. There will be a new beginning and the promises of God to Abraham will be fulfilled.

In our study of these 3 chapters, we will focus on the redemption of Judah, the revealing of Joseph, and the revival of Jacob (and by extension – the entire nation).

THE REDEMPTION OF JUDAH

Up to this point in the story, many things can be said of Judah, and most of them not very kind. In ch.37, Judah is the one who convinces his brothers to sell Joseph as a slave (v.26-27), neither caring for his brother, nor considering his father. In ch.38, Judah is promiscuous. This was of such widespread knowledge that his twice-widowed daughter-in-law set him up to spend a night with her after he had not kept his promise to give her in marriage to his third son.

Fast-forward to ch.43, and we see Judah the 4^th born to Jacob and Leah rising up where the firstborn Reuben had failed, where the 2^nd born Simeon and the 3^rd born Levi had also been disqualified after they dishonored their family when they killed the Shechemites (ch.34). Judah takes the lead in convincing Jacob to entrust Benjamin to his care on their way to Egypt. He speaks honestly. He gives himself as a pledge for the safety of his father’s favorite son (43:9), even when his father seems to only regard Benjamin as his remaining child. Surely this was not easy for any son to hear, but Judah seems unfazed by this, and committed to his word.

Skipping forward to 44:14, we find Judah being promoted by the narrator: it was Judah and his brothers who came to Joseph’s house, indicating the preeminent role Judah will take on in this story, and through it, in the future of the nation. Shortly after Joseph questions his brothers, Judah steps up as a leader, and presents his case to Joseph, in what is the longest speech in the entire book of Genesis (v.16, 18-34), which in itself is a strong indicator of the extreme importance of what is happening here.

This is Judah’s moment of faith and maturity. He starts by acknowledging guilt and humbles himself before Joseph. He takes courageous leadership by approaching the Egyptian prince before him who was to him like Pharaoh himself, and narrates the story of Jacob, his love for Benjamin, his likely demise if he were deprived of him, Judah’s role in convincing Jacob to send them all to Egypt with Benjamin, how he made himself a pledge for his brother’s safe return – a promise he keeps by offering himself as a slave to Joseph, begging him to accept him as a ransom for Benjamin – indeed a propitiation of Joseph’s wrath, so that Benjamin can return to Canaan and Jacob can survive. Notice that we are not told what the brothers thought of Benjamin’s innocence or guilt. Maybe they truly believed he was guilty, a spoiled child like Joseph had been considered by them. But that did not matter to Judah: the son who had not cared about his brother or his father in ch.37 is now so caring that he is willing to become enslaved in a foreign land and be deprived of his own family so that his accused brother and his bereaved father can live.

Judah has truly changed: he has repented from his sins; he has left his devious ways; he has foregone his selfishness; and he is willing to give himself as a ransom for those he once never cared about. We truly find in him the qualities of a leader when the firstborn Reuben who would have been expected to lead, failed. We find in him royal qualities of one who leads by example, the courage of a lion who steps forward. All these are signs of what is to come through Judah’s offspring, and a pointer to the ultimate royal Son, the Lion of Judah Jesus Christ who leads by serving and humbling himself, pledging his life as a ransom for many, propitiating the wrath of God against guilty sinners.

Let's notice also in these chapters the transformation of all the children of Israel: they promise to take blame for any catastrophe. They acknowledge their guilt and make restitution of the money. They finally speak honestly: they had claimed in ch.42 that they were honest men, but true honesty without acknowledging guilt and confessing sin is fake. But here they truly become honest. They retrieve their brother Simeon from prison in Egypt. They do not leave Benjamin behind even when all appearances pointed to his guilt. They recognize God's work among them. They rejoice at what they receive. And they show gratitude not jealousy even when one of them was receiving much more than the others.[ii]

True honesty from the children of God requires acknowledgement of guilt and genuine repentance. And these are prerequisite for self-sacrificing love – a love that considers others better than itself – a love that God requires of believers, whose loyalty to him, to the truth, and to one another must be fostered by the uncovering of past sins[iii]. Otherwise, suspicion and isolation will rule the day. That is the change we must strive for, a change that seems to be real in this story, a change that Judah personifies and represents in his pleading with the prince of Egypt before him. The children of Jacob through Judah have passed the test which sets the ground for the plot twist and Joseph’s grand reveal.

THE REVEALING OF JOSEPH

We may be tempted to think of Joseph as a narcissistic brat who took pleasure in torturing his brothers because they had previously done him harm. After all, he played games on them and put them through different tests, some of which clearly caused consternation and distress. In fact, some scholars see his actions as the torturous power play of a maniacal self-absorbed tyrant. Could he be the primeval Count of Monte Cristo, using his newly found fame and power to exact vengeance against those who had wronged him?! Yet as we study his character in this story, we can truly envision him as a man of intelligence and noble character, whose wisdom rivals that of Solomon, if not supersedes it, without Solomon’s later failings. He is a man prudently and patiently pursuing reconciliation with his estranged family[iv].

Joseph had begun his tests in ch.42 by accusing the brothers of being spies, questioning them, and putting Simeon in prison. Now in ch.43, we see more of Joseph’s purposes behind these tests. He first dealt kindly with his brothers, inviting them to dine with him in his own house (v.16). This led them to fear that he would harbor ill motives towards them. So they immediately approach the steward and honestly confess that they had found the money from the previous purchase in their own saddle bags, and they are now returning it twofold. The men had finally showed a level of honesty which they had not up to this point. Even when this was driven by fear, they had finally learned to tell the truth.

Joseph subverts their expectations by preparing a lavish meal for them[v]. He deals with them kindly, asking them about their welfare and that of their father – literally asking about their shalom, their peace. His compassion for his brother Benjamin leads him to weep. Joseph is an emotionally healthy man who is not afraid to show his emotions. He is also shrewd, drawing the truth and the motives of his brothers without yet revealing himself. We see how he played on the minds of his brothers when he sat them according to their birthright, and then set them up to feel jealous of Benjamin with whom he dealt much more graciously by giving him five times more food. He was deliberately favoring Benjamin over his brothers, providing them with reason for jealousy and preparing for the opportunity to rid themselves of Benjamin as they had Joseph[vi]. Will the sons of Jacob once more be given over to jealousy? Will they betray another brother?

Joseph astutely planned the test so carefully that the brothers felt so comfortable that they even apparently got drunk with him (v.34). Then as they left, he continued the test by putting his own goblet in Benjamin’s sack. How will they respond? Will they leave him behind or try to make a buck at his expense? When they are caught up with the next morning, Jacob’s sons are so certain of their innocence that they commit themselves to become servants, and the potential thief to be put to death, if they were found to have stolen. That is serious unity and trust. Joseph’s steward however deals kindly with them once more, telling them that only the one who stole will become a servant. The steward may well have come to know the God of Joseph.

We then see the transformed state of thoughtfulness and emotion of Jacob’s sons when the cup is found in Benjamin’s sack. In 44:13 they tore their clothes, something they had not done when Joseph's robe had been torn, and Jacob had torn his own clothes in mourning for his beloved son. Their distress here shows care for their father for whom they had not cared for before. Joseph had to see if they would abandon Rachel's other son, the favored Benjamin, who was apparently guilty, if it should come to their life or his[vii]. He was testing their loyalty and unity. Will they leave another brother behind?

No: their humility, honesty, and Judah’s discourse lead to Joseph revealing himself to them in ch.45. Joseph like us sees that the brothers had every opportunity to be jealous of Benjamin, but they resisted well. They had every opportunity to let him go, but they all chose to return humbly before Joseph. They had every opportunity to care for their own lives above all, but we see them caring for the life of their father, even when his favoritism was still not easy for them to feel. The sons of Jacob had finally acknowledged their sin, they knew God had found out their guilt, and they realized that what was done cannot be hidden from the eyes of God who sees all. Some may see this as karma, but the believer will see in a few moments that it was God who purposed his plan through these events.

It had been over 20 years since Joseph’s brothers sold him. He was now around 40 years old. His dreams have come true, as his brothers bowed themselves before him 3 times (42:6; 43:28; 44:14). If this were Hollywood, Joseph would have prepared all kinds of vengeful acts and celebrated his revenge. But it’s not. He is not the Count of Monte Cristo. He had always been faithful to the God of his dreams, not to the dreams themselves. As he reveals himself to his brothers who are dismayed, he also reveals the plan of God. He is the brother who reverses the brotherly trickery we have so often seen in the earlier chapters of Genesis, where brother tricked his own brother to kill or to receive something to his own benefit. Here we see Joseph tricking his own brothers in a redeeming way, leading to reconciliation rather than separation, to love rather than hatred, to joy rather than sadness, to hope rather than despair.

In his revelation, Joseph is magnanimous: he first inquires about his father's health. He then calls his brothers to come near to him. He forgives them. He speaks truth. He provides comfort. And he offers grace. Three times he declares “God sent me,” and as is intended in the Hebrew chiastic structure, it was the middle one of these 3 that was the most important: God sent him to preserve life; God sent him to be established in his position of power in Pharaoh’s house and over Egypt; but most of all, God sent him to preserve a remnant for Israel[viii]. The concept of remnant is a recurring theme in the Old Testament, representing the future hope of restoration of God’s people and the fulfillment of his promises.

In the revealing of the son of Jacob we find the revelation of the purposes of God, who often works his plan through people, and sometimes as in this case despite the evil plans of people. Genesis 50:20 summarizes this as Joseph tells his brothers: what you meant for evil, God meant for good, that many people should be kept alive.

The revealing of Joseph the son of Jacob the faithful of God, is the revealing of the hope that all nations receive to be kept alive through the famine, and the hope that the nation chosen by God is kept as a remnant through which all the families of the earth will be blessed. The revealing of the son of Israel brought about forgiveness, truth, comfort, and grace. He kisses his brothers and weeps on their necks, a sign of trust, love and affection (v.15). His revelation brings about hope for life and revival.

You may notice that God has been relatively absent from this part of Genesis. But now we get to the point where we see that God had ordained all things for the purpose of his glory and to preserve a remnant. It was God that ordained Joseph’s dreams; it was God that ordained the selling into slavery and the throwing into a pit; it was God that ordained Joseph to be in Potiphar’s house, to resist temptation, to be throw in an Egyptian jail; it was God that ordained lingering in the jail, the imprisonment of the officers of pharaoh, their dreams, Joseph’s interpretation, the realization of their dreams, and the forgetting of Joseph; it was God that ordained the dreams of pharaoh, the remembrance of Joseph, his elevation from the pit, the interpretation of Pharaoh’s dreams, the bringing of Joseph into power and authority over all the land; it was God that ordained the famine, the descending of Jacob‘s children into Egypt, the meeting with Joseph, the tests of Joseph, and now the revealing of Joseph to his brothers, bringing about reconciliation and a new hope and a new beginning. Yes, it was God who ordained all things, and what people meant for evil, God turned for good for his glory and the good of the nation. Joseph’s suffering was not in vain. Nor is our suffering in vain because God can turn what is evil for his glory and for our good. It was God who ordained the suffering of Jesus Christ and his death and resurrection, so that we may be saved. The most evil act in human history, brought about by the hands of wicked men, was ordained by God before the foundation of the world so that there would be a remnant of believers who will inherit the kingdom of God (Acts 4:28).

THE REVIVAL OF JACOB, AND THROUGH HIM THE NATION AND THE PROMISE

Throughout these chapters, Jacob has been more or less a Debbie Downer. He accuses his children of treating him badly (43:6). He stalls as much as possible, leaving Simeon imprisoned in Egypt. He feels his only option is bereavement (v.14). He continues his favoritism by only considering Joseph and Benjamin as his children, and apparently references to Rachel only as his wife (forgetting the other 3; see 44:27). He would risk the whole family dying from hunger rather than losing Benjamin.

Jacob’s track record of late has not been great. He did not defend the honor of his daughter when she was raped (ch.34). He did not hold his children accountable for their vengeful murders. He truly seems hopeless and depressed, regularly mentioning that he is near death. Jacob represents the whole nation, and the whole nation – Jacob and his children – was practically ineffectual. The whole promise seems to be teetering on a thread. Who will rise to the rescue?

Enter redeemed Judah who leads by offering himself as a pledge of virtue and righteousness (unlike his pledge to Tamar in ch.38). But it is the revealing of Joseph that brings about a new hope of continuity and revival for the whole nation of Israel. Jacob had been afraid, which led him to pray for mercy (43:14); he did not realize that on the other side it was grace that awaits, and with it the fulfilment of the promise. Even though Jacob did not initially believe the report that Joseph was alive (which means the brothers had to come to him and confess their sin and lies and tell him the entire truth), the evidence that Joseph is alive and the gifts he receives revive the spirit of Jacob, whose name is Israel.

When the son of Israel is revealed to be alive, the nation receives a new hope and a new life. The promises to Abraham are being fulfilled in the new beginning that is coming. When the future Son of Israel Jesus Christ is himself revealed, the nation gets a new life! And the revealing of the Son of man who is the Son of God is the only hope of life and assurance of our revival by his Spirit who has been given to us as the seal of our inheritance and the promise of the resurrection that is to come, and the new creation that is already here.

When the son of Jacob was exalted and revealed, his exaltation extended to the whole family, and then the entire nation was honored by Pharaoh king of Egypt. When Jesus the true Son of Israel is exalted and revealed, his exaltation also extends to his whole family, those he calls children, brothers and sisters, and the people of God will be honored before all the kings of the earth.

***

There are many events in this story which are the antithesis to what we had seen so far in Genesis. Adam fell to temptation and disobeyed God; Joseph is a better Adam, resisting the temptation, and remaining faithful to the commands of God. Cain did not keep his brother but murdered him; Josep is the anti-Cain who is truly his brother’s keeper[ix]. Jacob tricked Esau to take his birthright; Joseph tricked his brothers to give them forgiveness. When Jacob and Esau reconciled, theirs was not true reconciliation and did not lead to unity; When the family reconciles here, we see love, unity, and a new beginning[x]. The sons of Jacob are not sure whether the son who is soon to be revealed is going to kill them; they don’t realize that the son who is to be revealed actually loves them. Joseph had been disrobed by his own brothers; his nakedness meant he was disowned and wrongfully treated. But as a sign of forgiveness and a seal of reconciliation, he bestows garments on them (45:22). He who was disrobed by them in shame now clothes them with honor. In the same manner, Jesus Christ who was disrobed by the sons of his own nation – his brothers –, who ached for those he desired to bring to himself, who bore our guilt on the cross, is now robed in majesty and exalted to the highest power, disrobing us from our sin and shame, and bestowing on us garments of purity and righteousness, signs of our forgiveness and seals of our reconciliation.

Joseph the son of Jacob rose to power preserving a remnant for Israel and survivors for the house of Jacob. Christ the Son of Israel rose again preserving a remnant for the household of faith and resurrected sons and daughters for the eternal house of God.

The revelation of Joseph is marked by a command to his brothers to not quarrel (45:24), to be at peace with one another, to love one another. Even more, the revelation of the Son of God is a call to peace for the world, to unity for his people, and to love one for another as he loved us. He has been revealed once, ushering peace with God and unity in the body of believers, having reconciled to himself all things by the blood of his cross, and reconciled us in his body of flesh by his death in order to present us holy and blameless and above reproach before him (Col 1:22). He will be revealed once more ushering the final consummation of peace, of the kingdom, and of our union with Christ, exalted with him, robed by him, dwelling together in peace and unity.

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i] https://www.9marks.org/episode/genesis-42-43-on-josephs-brilliant-premeditated-ish-plan-for-his-bowed-down-brothers-bible-talk-ep-15/

[ii] Allen P. Ross. Creation and Blessing. Ch.61: The Testing for Jealousy. p.662.

[iii] Allen P. Ross. Creation and Blessing. Ch.62: The Testing for Loyalty. p.668.

[iv] Samuel Emadi. From Prisoner to Prince: the Joseph Story in Biblical Theology. P.60.

[v] https://www.9marks.org/episode/genesis-44-45-on-the-shift-from-fratricide-to-forgiveness-famine-to-feast-bible-talk-ep-16/

[vi] Allen P. Ross. Creation and Blessing. Ch.61: The Testing for Jealousy. p.656.

[vii] Allen P. Ross. Creation and Blessing. Ch.62: The Testing for Loyalty. p.663.

[viii] Samuel Emadi. From Prisoner to Prince: The Joseph Story in Biblical Theology. P.85.

[ix] Samuel Emadi. From Prisoner to Prince: The Joseph Story in Biblical Theology. P.97.

[x] Allen P. Ross. Creation and Blessing. Ch.63: The Reconciliation of Brothers. p.674.