55 TRAPPED

When Joseph insists that Benjamin come with them the next time they come to Egypt, the ten brothers realize they are trapped. Their penitent reflection regarding the wrong they had done to Joseph causes them to make an amazing confession recorded in verse 21: “They said to one another, ‘Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that’s why this distress has come on us.’” They talk the matter over between themselves in Hebrew having no idea that Joseph, whom they thought to be a native of Egypt, understands them, much less that he is the person of whom they speak. They seem to be in agreement that they are guilty; they “said to one another. . .” The trap in which they find themselves is of their own making. They are the ones who hated, betrayed and sold Joseph. They themselves are the ones. When  we are caught as a result of our own mistakes, we could wish we had not made the mistake, but having discovered the error let us quickly acknowledge, repent and seek to repair it.

They remembered with regret the barbaric cruelty with which they had persecuted him: We are truly guilty concerning our brother. The text does not say that they said this during their three days’ imprisonment; but now, something reminded them of their bad treatment of Joseph and they saw themselves embarrassed and shamed so they began to relent. Perhaps it was because Joseph in verse 18 had mentioned the fear of God, “On the third day, Joseph said to them, ‘Do this and you will live, for I fear God:’” God has blessed us with a moral compass, which, if it is informed correctly, can keep us from sin and many consequent troubles. We call it the conscience which reminds us or brings to mind things said and/or done, to show us how we have erred, even if it was long ago. The reflection mentioned here was more than twenty years after the sin was committed. As time will not wear out the guilt of sin, so it will not blot out the records of a conscience. When the guilt of this sin of Joseph’s brothers was fresh they made light of it and sat down to eat bread, but now long afterwards, their consciences reminded them of it. Contrary to what one might feel, there is a definite benefit of the affliction of one’s conscience. Some things in our lives need to be reversed and our consciences help make that happen. To reverse their wrong their consciences now afflicted them. Afflictions often awaken our conscience just as the affliction of these ten brothers awakened their consciences. Afflictions often prove the happy and effectual means of awakening conscience, and bringing sin to our remembrance, as Job 13:26 seems to imply. “. . . for you write down bitter things against me and make me reap the sins of my youth.” Of all their sins, it was this sin of their mistreatment of Joseph that their consciences now convicted them of. It might be a beneficial exercise whenever we think we have wrong done to us, to remember the wrong we have done to others as Ecclesiastes 7:21-22 seems to imply, “Do not pay attention to every word people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you—for you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others.”

Only Reuben could remember with some degree of personal satisfaction that he had been an advocate for Joseph and had done what he could to prevent the harm they did him. Verse 22 says, “Reuben replied, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn’t listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood.” It is an automatic intensifying of any sin that it was committed even when there were influences against it, or powers at work to try to stop us from doing the wrong. Aw! If I had only listened! When we come to share with others in the bad consequences of their earlier behavior, it will be a comfort to us if we have the testimony of our consciences defending us because we did not share with them in their sins, but, as well as we could, we opposed their proposed conduct. This might be our rejoicing in the day of evil and will take out the sting. We will be glad we struggled against the tide.

Joseph’s tenderness of heart is revealed in his reaction to what he heard. Verse 24 says, “He turned away from them and began to weep, but then came back and spoke to them again.” Though his reason told him that he should still pretend to be a harsh stranger to them because they were not as yet humbled enough as he might have thought they should be, yet his natural brotherly affection could not but work, for he had a tender spirit. This represents the tender mercies of our God toward repenting sinners. We see in the Bible multiple times that that same emotion worked in human’s favor in the heart of our Father God. Jeremiah 31:20 says as much. “Is not Ephraim my dear son, the child in whom I delight? Though I often speak against him, I still remember him. Therefore my heart yearns for him; I have great compassion for him,” declares the Lord.” And Judges 10:16 says, “Then they got rid of the foreign gods among them and served the Lord. And he could bear Israel’s misery no longer.”

Joseph had Simeon imprisoned, but why would the writer add the phrase that he had him bound “before their eyes”? “He had Simeon taken from them and bound before their eyes.” Possibly he chose him for the hostage because he remembered him to have been his most bitter enemy, or because he observed him now to be least humbled and moved; he bound him before their eyes to influence them all by the severity he displayed. But then later, after they were gone, he removed the fetters. This is a possibility.

Joseph dismissed the rest of them. They came for corn, which they now had; and not only so, but each, though he did not know it, had his money restored in his sack’s mouth. Do we see a parallel between Jesus and Joseph again? Jesus, our Joseph, gives out supplies without money and without price. To use the words of Jesus in Revelation 3:17 & 18, the poor are invited to buy, “You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.” As the nine brothers travel back to their father in Canaan land and find their silver in their bags, according to verse 28, “‘My silver has been returned,’ he said to his brothers. ‘Here it is in my sack.’ Their hearts sank and they turned to each other trembling and said, ‘What is this that God has done to us?’” With quite a different meaning, when we contemplate how God has treated us favorably and returned much good for our very bad, we might also ask, “What is this that God has done to us?”

The return of their money was really a merciful event because there is little chance that they had done anything to earn or deserve it, it was some kind of a test to get their attention perhaps. It was a kindness, yet they were terrified by it. Guilty consciences can take good favors in a bad sense, and to put wrong constructions even on those things that are good for them. They flee when none pursues. Sometimes God leads us to repentance by kindnesses. Romans 2:4 says, “Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?” On the other hand, wealth sometimes produces as many burdens as times of need do. If they had been robbed of their money, they could not have been worse frightened than they were now when they found their money in their sacks. This reminds me of the man in Jesus’ parable whose ground brought forth plentifully recorded in Luke 12:17 who said, “‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’” God knows psychology. He was stirring something in these nine brothers.

In these brothers circumstances the return of the money was very amazing. They knew that the Egyptians abhorred Hebrews and therefore, since they could not expect to receive any kindness from them, they concluded that this was done with a design to pick a quarrel with them, and particularly because the man, the lord of the land, had charged them as spies. Their own consciences also were awakened and their sins set clearly before them. And this put them into confusion. When men’s spirits are sinking anything can serve to sink them more. When God is allowing unusual things to happen that surprise or bewilder us, it is good to ask God what He doing or doing with us so we may cooperate with His program.

Jacob’s returning nine sons give their report to their father of the great distress they had been in in Egypt; how they had been suspected, and threatened, and required to leave Simeon a prisoner there, until they would bring Benjamin with them the next time. Who would have thought of this when they left home? James cautions us in James 4:13-16 this way: “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.' As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil.” When we go out on some project we should consider how many sad accidents we may little suspect may come our way and humble ourselves in prayer for success. 

The report of the nine sons made a deep impression on the good father. The bundles of money which Joseph returned, perhaps in kindness to his father, frightened all of them. “As they were emptying their sacks, there in each man’s sack was his pouch of silver! When they and their father saw the money pouches, they were frightened” (35).  Jacob evidently concluded it was done with some mischievous design, or perhaps suspected his own sons to have committed some offense, and so to have put them all in a bad light in Egypt. Verse 36 seems to have an accusation in it. “You have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more, and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me!” He seems to lay the fault on them; knowing their characters, he feared they had provoked the Egyptians, and perhaps forcibly, or fraudulently, brought home their money.

Bible scholars and believing Christian all over the world have a great respect for Jacob, renamed Israel, yet here, Jacob is totally out of sorts. He has very melancholy thoughts about the present condition of his family. We often perplex ourselves with our own mistakes, even in matters of fact. True griefs may arise from false intelligence and misinformation such as when David heard that all his sons were killed by Absalom, but it was not true.  “The king stood up, tore his clothes and lay down on the ground; and all his attendants stood by with their clothes torn.” (2 Samuel 13:31). Jacob gives up Joseph for gone, and Simeon and Benjamin as being in danger; and he concludes, All these things are against me. It proved otherwise, that all these were for him, were working together for his good and the good of his family: yet here he thinks them all against him. Through our ignorance and mistake, and the weakness of our faith, we often think something to be against us which is really for us. We are afflicted in body, estate, name, and relations; and we think all these things are against us, whereas these are really working for us the weight of glory.

Jacob is at present determined that Benjamin will not go down to Egypt. Here is a foolish proposition as though this could bring any comfort. “Then Reuben said to his father, ‘You may put both of my sons to death if I do not bring him back to you. Entrust him to my care, and I will bring him back’” (37). Reuben will undertake to bring Benjamin back in safety not so much as including the clause, If the Lord wills, or allowing for the common disasters of travelers; but he foolishly tells Jacob to slay his two sons (which he was probably very proud of) if he did not bring him back. This was as if the death of two grandsons could satisfy Jacob for the death of a son. No, Jacob’s firm position is, “My son will not go down there with you.” He plainly states a distrust in them, remembering that he never saw Joseph since he sent Joseph to them at Shechem when they were at Dothan. “Benjamin will not go with you, by the way in which you go, for you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.” It is a sad day in a family when children conduct themselves so poorly that their parents cannot trust them.

Jacob and his family were trapped. We have been trapped and will be trapped again. We must learn to let God deliver us from traps as He did for Jacob.