Saturday, Sept. 7
Genesis 43:1 – 44:2 Read it here
The brothers return to Egypt to get more grain, but this time they take Benjamin along because of Joseph’s warning not to return without him. Jacob is fearful to let him go but gives in out of desperation.
To say the brothers find their reception confusing is an understatement.
While they have gone to beg for grain, this mighty governor invites them to his house. This isn’t what they expected, and they reasonably fear that he is going to accuse them of cheating him out of the silver that turned up in their bags on the last visit. The servant’s reassurances may allay their fears, but not their confusion.
When the meal begins, more astonishing things happen.
The governor takes an unexplained interest in their father and in Benjamin, then retires to his own chamber before returning for a feast. Somehow they are seated at the table in order of age, something their host should have no way of knowing. Benjamin, the youngest, is treated as a special guest.
Often when bad things happen we can’t understand why they are happening to us, but sometimes unexpected good fortune can be just as hard to understand. The brothers will find out soon what is happening, but for now they just have to accept it for what it is.
P.S. Notice that the seating at the meal is strictly segregated. While Joseph is both wealthy and powerful, the Egyptians still will not share a meal with him since he is a Hebrew. The reference in verse 34 that the brothers were served food from Joseph’s table should have told them that they had more in common with him than they realized.