Brian Somers Torah: Genesis 44:18 – 47:27
Haftarah: Ezekiel 37:15-28
Brit Chadassah/New Testament: Matthew 27:15-46
Last week, we read of the dramatic confrontation between Joseph and his brothers. Joseph had secretly ordered his servants to hide his silver cup in Benjamin’s grain sack. The brothers departed for their home unaware of the “theft”. Then Joseph sent his servants to investigate and discover the “stolen” silver cup, and say in whomever’s grain sack the silver cup was found, that brother would become Joseph’s slave. All of the brothers returned to face Joseph’s accusation.
Joseph had said, “Far be it from me to do this. The man in whose possession the cup has been found, he shall be my slave; but as for you, go up in peace to your father.” These words hung in the air.
Judah had sworn to his father Israel before they came to Egypt that he would personally guarantee that Benjamin would return to Canaan. Would he fulfill his vow?
18 Then Judah approached him and said, “Oh my lord, may your servant please speak a word in my lord’s ears, and do not be angry with your servant; for you are equal to Pharaoh. 19 My lord asked his servants, saying, ‘Have you a father or a brother?’ 20 And we said to my lord, ‘We have an old father and a little boy born in our father’s old age. Now his brother is dead, so he alone is left of his mother, and his father loves him.’ 21 Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me so that I may set my eyes on him.’ 22 But we said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.’ 23 You said to your servants, however, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.’ 24 So it came about when we went up to your servant my father, we told him the words of my lord. 25 And our father said, ‘Go back, buy us a little food.’ 26 But we said, ‘We cannot go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down; for we cannot see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’ 27 Then your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons; 28 and the one left me, and I said, “Surely he is torn to pieces,” and I have not seen him since. 29 If you also take this one from me, and harm happens to him, you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.’ 30 So now, when I come to your servant, my father, and the boy is not with us—since our father’s life is so attached to the boy’s life— 31 when he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die. So your servants will bring the gray hair of your servant, our father, down to Sheol in sorrow. 32 For your servant accepted responsibility for the boy from my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then my father can let me take the blame forever.’ 33 So now, please let your servant remain as a slave to my lord instead of the boy, and let the boy go up with his brothers. 34 For how shall I go up to my father if the boy is not with me? I fear that I may see the evil that would overtake my father.”
Genesis 44:18-34
Judah did indeed rise to the occasion. He very well might have put together the hints that Joseph had been throwing out and come to the conclusion, however improbable, that he was talking to Joseph in the person of the second most powerful man in Egypt. But more than that, Judah was the one who had suggested selling Joseph into slavery. Now, the circle was complete; to honor his vow, he had to “sell himself” into slavery for his youngest brother’s sake.
Just like Jacob deceived his father, Isaac, and was in turn himself deceived over Rachel, so now Judah sold one brother into slavery, and to redeem the other son of Rachel, Judah himself had to offer to become a slave in Benjamin’s place. Judah was willing, but how would this Egyptian ruler judge his offer?
Judah had passed the final test and Joseph could not restrain himself from crying out for joy and revealing his true identity to his brothers.
Then Joseph could not control himself in front of everyone standing before him, and he shouted, “Have everyone leave me!” So there was no one with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. 2 Then he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard about it. 3 And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were terrified in his presence.
4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come closer to me.” And they came closer. And he said, “I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold to Egypt. 5 Now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me ahead of you to save lives.
Genesis 45:1-5
The brothers were shocked and terrified, and rightly so, because Joseph had the power to severely punish them for threatening to kill him, throwing him into the pit, and selling him into slavery. But Joseph was not the same man at 39 that he had been at 17. Joseph was no more a spoiled teenager, but now was a man accustomed to wielding the power of his master Pharaoh to benefit the peoples of Egypt and other nations in the region. His entire adulthood had been spent in the service of others. His mindset was oriented to saving lives, not taking them.
Another point to consider is that when Joseph asked his brothers to draw nearer to him, he might have shown that he himself was circumcised just like his brothers. Circumcision is one of the signs of those who are part of the Abrahamic Covenant.
Let’s step back a bit and assess Judah and Joseph. When Tamar was on trial, Judah demonstrated justice. When Benjamin was on trial, Joseph demonstrated mercy. Both men represented YHVH’s justice and mercy, as well as His loving-kindness. When Judah’s justice met Joseph’s mercy, reconciliation took place.
Now that Joseph and his brothers were reconciled, Joseph summoned his father to emigrate to Egypt where Joseph could directly care for him and his extended family. Pharaoh confirmed this and added other instructions regarding moving Israel and his family to Goshen. Pharaoh seems to have been very impressed with Joseph’s hard work and faithful service for the past nine years to willingly reward Joseph by supporting his family.
When the brothers returned home and shared the exciting news that Joseph was alive and ruler in Egypt, it must have been quite the shock to Israel to realize that his sons had lied to him 22 years previously, and even more shocking to hear that Joseph was now second only to Pharaoh in Egypt. But Israel was finally convinced and gave orders to pack up and move to Egypt.
When the family arrived in Beersheba, YHVH spoke to Israel in his dreams. Israel must have been scared and worried and perhaps needed reassurance that it was ok to leave the land of his fathers.
2 And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here I am.” 3 Then He said, “I am God, the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. 4 I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also assuredly bring you up again; and Joseph will close your eyes.”
Genesis 46:2-4
These three “I will” statements must have surely comforted Israel as did the confirmation that Joseph was indeed in Egypt and would be with Israel when he passed away. This is how YHVH comforted his faithful servant who had suffered and endured a great deal.
In chapter 46, verses 8 through 27 record the count of the descendants of Jacob who went to Egypt, not counting Jacob himself nor the wives of his sons. Yet there is an oddity in the count of Leah’s family, in Genesis 46:15. I would like to refer the interested reader to a fascinating article that discusses this oddity. The title of the article is “Israel’s Secret Descendant” and I think it’s well worth the time to read it, as well as the other articles at randomgroovybiblefacts.com.
Prior to interviewing with Pharaoh, Joseph told his brothers to say that they were shepherds (which was true) when asked what their occupation was. This had the effect of separating them from the Egyptians and securing the best land in Egypt, Goshen, which was ideal for grazing. Five brothers went with Joseph to meet Pharaoh, and the interview went as planned. Pharaoh told Joseph that if any of his brothers were good at shepherding, to put them in charge of Pharaoh’s royal herds. This seems like Joseph served as a reference for his brothers, and another indication of the esteem in which Pharaoh held Joseph.
To close this week’s portion, Jacob blessed Pharaoh. That is one of the duties of fathers, to bless their sons and daughters. Joseph had described himself as a “father” to Pharaoh, and for his father to bless his master, shows who was the most important and the superior from a Hebraic point of view.