Genesis Part 065

Famines were nothing new. Abraham had gone to Egypt during his lifetime (Gen 12:10), and Isaac had gone to Gerar (Gen 26:1). God could have intervened for Jacob and his family and provided them miraculously with food. Perhaps they wondered why He didn’t! We know it was all a part of God’s plan for them to come down to Joseph in Egypt.  

From an exalted position of power, influence, and control, Joseph oversaw the selling of food in detail. When his brothers show up, they come and not only bow the knee, but also place their faces on the ground. This is an act of submission to Joseph in the humblest of manners, which is God’s fulfillment of Joseph’s dream (Genesis 37:7). 

In Genesis 42:7, even though Joseph recognizes them, he acts as if he does not. His brothers did not recognize Joseph who is now a full-grown man, and they had no reason to even expect that their brother who they sold as a slave could possibly be in such a position of great power.  

In verse 9 Joseph accuses his brothers, “You have come to see the nakedness of the land!" When something is naked, everything can be seen, and nothing is hidden or held back. Joseph pretends that he thinks his brothers are spies looking for how the city might be vulnerable.  

The NKJV of verse 16 says “You shall be kept in prison.” This word for prison ('âsar) means “to tie or bind.” 

Again, the NKJV in verse 17 says, “he put them all in prison three days.”  This word for prison is different from the previous verse, and it is not the word used for the type of prison Potiphar threw Joseph in either. This is the first time this word mishmâr is used in the Bible, and it means “a place of confinement, prison, guard, jail, observance, etc.” It is often used throughout the Bible more in the idea of putting someone in a place where they can be “watched, observed, kept contained” but not in the sense of a “dungeon or pit” like Joseph himself was in. This is important to examine because initially one may think, “did Joseph throw his brothers into the same type of place where he spent so many years?” That would seem a little cruel. With the definitions of these Hebrew words, we could conclude that Joseph simply had them held and contained in a place (a type of prison or confinement) so that they did not run away, and his plan could come about, but not in a way that would treat them cruelly. After three days, Joseph lets all but one of them go (verse 19). 

In verse 21 we see that Joseph’s brothers are feeling immense guilt regarding their treatment of him, and it is now squarely on the forefront of their minds. They believe they are being punished for their cruelty.  At this point, they are unaware that their brother is in front of them, and they feel that the punishment is the result of their behavior.   

In the next Know Your Sword, we will continue the storyline of Joseph and his brothers. 

UYA Team | uya@ucg.org  

United Young Adults (UYA) primarily serves the 18–32-year age group for the United Church of God. There are three main areas of contribution to the lives of the young adults: Promoting Spiritual Growth, Developing Meaningful Relationships, and Making the Most of Your Talents. The Know Your Sword series is a daily expository message introducing God’s Word from a trusted perspective.