0224. JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN.

JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN.

Genesis 42.

Why Joseph Dealt so Hardly with his Brethren.

1. To discover welfare of father and family.

2. To produce or reveal genuine repentance (Gen_42:21).

3. As a test of character.

Notes.

Not Toothsome. An old Puritan divine wrote: "Truth is not toothsome, but it is wholesome." The shakings and testings Joseph gave his brethren were not pleasant, but they worked wonders.

"Corn." (Gen_42:1). He would see by the loads of corn carried by passing caravans from Egypt. What a picture of hopelessness and despair we have in, "Why do ye look one upon another?" The fact that there is no mention of servants, and the use of asses and not camels, leads one to wonder if Jacob was now in reduced circumstances owing to the famine. They went to "buy." Joseph gave. You cannot buy the bread of life.

Why was Joseph so Harsh? Not because he knew them not (Gen_42:8), nor because of any lack of love (24), or spirit of revenge. It was to discover news, and whether they were repentant, and to discover any change in their characters.

Binding of Simeon. The Rabbins say that it was Simeon who bound Joseph. He was made to feel what he had inflicted upon others.

Autor: James Smith