Boyd's Commentary. R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation
the wrath of God; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord’ ” (Rom. 12:19, NRSV). Believers who have been offended need to let God exact vengeance on their behalf, for God is God over both the offended and the offender, and only He knows what justice demands.
From Joseph’s perspective, this was easier said than done. At the time of today’s lesson, the famine in the land had become so severe that Jacob, Joseph’s father, instructed all but one of his sons to go to Egypt to buy grain. This meant they would have to unknowingly face their brother and ultimately the shame they had been living with for thirteen years. The dream Joseph dreamed when he was seventeen was finally coming true—his family was coming to bow down to him.
From a position of power, Joseph had a choice to make. He could give into the seductive urge of revenge or choose to forgive. As for the brothers, they too had a choice to make—face their shame or continue to hide from it.
EXPOSITION
I. JOSEPH’S REVENGE (GENESIS 42:6–17)
A few years into the famine, verse 6 opens with the indication Joseph’s position as governor had become the settled norm in Egypt. Second only to Pharaoh, his power was absolute. One of Joseph’s responsibilities was to oversee the allocation of food, especially during the predicted seven-year famine. He sold to all the people in the land who came seeking grain. This was what brought him into contact with his brothers. Being foreigners from Canaan, Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down before him. While it was an act that showed deference to the master of the land and was expected of the brothers, bowing down to Joseph said far more than they realized. As they bowed, Joseph remembered his dreams. After many years, they had come to pass. Joseph recognized his brothers but maintained his anonymity. He acted like a stranger to them. He was able to secure the concealment of his identity easily. In addition to the twenty years that had passed, Joseph appeared and sounded like an Egyptian, and they never would have thought he could have risen to this seat of power. He didn’t disguise his anger from his brothers as he did his identity. Joseph spoke roughly to them as a prelude to the charges against them.
While reunited with his family, the last memory Joseph had of his brothers was of them selling him off to Egypt. His accusation against them in verse 9, calling them “spies . . . come to see the nakedness of the land” (NRSV), was Joseph’s way of testing their character. He wanted to determine what kind of men they turned out to be twenty years later. In protesting their innocence, they disclosed to Joseph details of their family’s current state. They told Joseph they were ten of twelve brothers, the youngest was with their father, and the other was no more, indicating they believed Joseph to be dead. Joseph insisted, despite their denial, that they were spies and rejected the reasoning of their pleas of innocence just as they had once rejected his plea from the pit (42:21).
To examine their claim, Joseph proposed a test to see whether there was any truth to their words. On the surface, this was a test to show if they lied about their family and to confirm to Joseph that they also lied about being spies. Deep down, Joseph knew they were telling the truth. His real intent was to ensure he had an opportunity to see his younger brother Benjamin. He held them all in prison for three days as they decided which one of them would return to Canaan and bring Benjamin, their youngest brother, to Egypt.
Joseph was concerned for his younger brother Benjamin. He most likely wondered if Benjamin was as hated as he was in their household. He may have wanted Benjamin to come to Egypt not simply for emotional reasons, but also to ensure his protection and safety from their older brothers.
II. JOSEPH’S MERCY (GENESIS 42:18–25)
For his fear of God, Joseph had a change of heart. The phrase “I fear God” in verse 18 (NRSV) can be interpreted in a couple of ways. But it literally says, “God, I fear,” meaning Joseph had a moral code to which he adhered. One of the tenets of that code was not to oppress a weaker person. In the moment, the brothers were powerless and hungry. The tables had turned, and they were now the weaker ones. The brothers clearly had not lived by this same code. It was through their actions that this family drama crescendoed in such a sensational fashion. So instead of holding all of his brothers hostage in prison, Joseph decided to hold only one and let the rest return home on the condition that they still come back to Egypt with Benjamin, their youngest brother. Joseph’s new plan was practical in that it ensured more grain could be carried for the family and that he would have an opportunity to see Benjamin, his only full brother.
His scheme also served to put them in a position reminiscent of the one in which they put him. Perhaps this might inspire reflection about what they had done and thought they had gotten away with. After accepting Joseph’s proposal, his brothers said to one another, “We are guilty,” interpreting their ordeal as God’s judgment against them. With deep conviction they believed the distress that had come upon them was the direct result of what they did to Joseph. Reuben was especially outspoken in this regard, believing himself to be more vindicated than the others for the act. He reinforced the shared guilt by reminding his brothers that for what they had done his blood was now required of them.
Unbeknownst to the brothers who were speaking to each other in Hebrew, Joseph understood everything they were saying. He only spoke Egyptian and used an interpreter with them. But overhearing them speak in his native tongue about their remorse, Joseph became emotional and turned away to weep. His emotional turmoil became increasingly evident, despite the façade of his stern demeanor and harsh words. After gathering himself, he returned with greater resolve and took Simeon and bound him before their eyes. K. A. Matthews observes: “Joseph’s gracious action of returning the brothers’ sacks each filled with grain and further provisions for the journey was ambiguous. It can be interpreted in two opposing ways: one, he did it to trump up evidence to sustain the charge that they were dishonest men, or two, he did it for the benefit of his father and family. This ambiguity reflects the internalized tension and conflict Joseph is having to contend with in general. Outwardly he is a hardened interrogator, but inwardly he is a broken-hearted brother whose emotions he hasn’t fully processed and yet must restrain himself” (Matthews, New American Commentary: Genesis 11–50, 781).
Beyond his emotions, Joseph had to determine who these men before him were. Most certainly they were his brothers, but they had thrown him into a pit and sold him into slavery. Were they the cold-hearted men of yesteryear or had they changed? Had they learned about brotherhood? Joseph also may have been deciding whether or not he wanted to be a brother. He had done well without them. He did not need them, but did he want them?
THE LESSON APPLIED
True repentance comes from deep remorse, the kind of remorse Joseph’s brothers demonstrated. Though they wanted him gone, the void left by Joseph’s absence never was filled and was deeply felt. Their quick acceptance of God’s judgment against them gave clear indication of how heavy the twin burdens of guilt and shame had become. But through Joseph, God showed them grace and mercy. Such is the case with us. In exchange for our guilt and shame, through Christ God gives us grace and mercy. This is what true repentance is all about. It begins with the difficult challenge to face the ugliness of our actions, not just what we did but why we did what we did. Through deep self-reflection we are able to examine the darkest flaws of our character in the divine light of God’s grace. As we become more aware of our true selves, we become more aware of God’s abundant love for us despite the truth about ourselves.
LET’S TALK ABOUT IT
How do guilt and shame frame this lesson?
Joseph’s brothers each were bound by their collective guilt and shame for the part they played in the attempt to take their younger brother’s life. Though similar emotions, guilt and shame are not the same. Guilt is the feeling that represents remorse or regret for something done. Shame is the feeling of worthlessness that one internalizes and