Forgiveness Pt. 12: Guess Who’s Comin to Dinner

During yesterday’s blog we learned from Genesis 42 that:

·       Joseph’s extended family from Canaan were affected by the famine and 10 of his brothers came to Egypt to purchase food

·       Joseph recognized them immediately but they had no clue who he was because he was 17 at the time they sold him into slavery and he is now approximately 37-38 years old;

·       Joseph flexes his muscles, takes advantage of their ignorance, speaks to them through an interpreter; accuses them of being spies and throws them in jail for three days;

·       Joseph releases them on the condition that they return with their youngest brother; they freak out and start hurling accusations at each other in their native Hebrew tongue including blaming each other for selling him as a slave and assume this God’s punishment, except Joseph understands every cotton pickin’ word they’re saying;

·       The biggest blow was seeing Joseph have Simeon tied up and returned to jail where he would remain unless they presented the youngest brother to Joseph as proof they weren’t spies.  They agree but they knew this would cause their father to flip out;

·       Joseph sends them on their way with the food they purchased but he instructed his servants to secretly return their money which was packed in their sacks of food

·       They report everything completely as it happened and Jacob flipped out as they predicted. 

We begin Joseph’s journey at Genesis 43.  Several months have passed by and Jacob’s entire clan has come down to the last of the food.  He instructs his sons to acquire more from Egypt, but Judah reminds Jacob (aka Israel) that the “man in charge” told them not to return without the younger brother.  A lightweight argument ensues between Jacob and Judah.  Jacob blames them for telling “the man” they had a younger brother; Judah defends their response as “the man” asked specific questions about their family.  He then bargains with father and says he will be fully responsible for Benjamin if anything happens.  Israel really doesn’t want to hear that as a solution because he favors the children of his favored (and deceased) wife Rachael, primarily Joseph and secondarily Benjamin.  He loves his children but those two are “special” and everyone knows it.  In fact it’s what started this whole mess in the first place.  Judah presses Jacob a bit further and says: I’m the guilty one; I’ll take all the blame. If we had gone ahead in the first place instead of procrastinating like this, we could have been there and back twice over.” Genesis 43:10 (The Message).  The final nail in the coffin is when he tells his father that they have been procrastinating for so long that they could have been to Egypt twice and back by now.

·       What an interesting choice of words by Judah.  He is in fact the guilty one at least as it relates to the plan to sell his younger brother as a slave but now the tables are turned and he is willing to take ownership for his youngest brother, Benjamin, should something happen to him.

Clearly this wasn’t an easy decision for Jacob (Israel) which is why he procrastinated for as long as he did.  Is there really any comfort for Israel that if something happens to Benjamin he can kill Judah?  They are both his sons.   The rubber has met the road and if he doesn’t give in, they will all die of starvation.  As much as he hates to consent, he gives in.  But where is God in all of this?  Hold on, he’s gonna reveal himself directly.

Israel instructs his sons to bring gifts to “the man”: balm, honey, some spices, perfumes, pistachios and almonds.  They weren’t completely out of food but very close to it. 

They arrived in Egypt as planned and went straight to Joseph who finally saw his baby brother (who is now a man himself) after almost 20 years.  Joseph got the attention of his personal assistant and told him to prepare dinner for his guests while he continued to work.  How Joseph completed any work that day is beyond my understanding.  Obviously he was a man of discipline who understood the importance of prioritization but he had to be on pins and needles; just as his brothers but for different reasons.  I can imagine that the temptation for vengeance may have crept up, after all he is a human being, not a god.  However, the peace and love of God overshadowed any ill thoughts that may have tried to overtake the goodness and genuine forgiveness he had for his brothers.  The brothers’ anxiety was justified; they deserved to be afraid based upon their evil behavior and I am sure their thoughts were all over the place like:  “Why in the world would “this man” invite us in his home?”  “Is this a set up?”  “Oh no, he thinks we stole the money from the last time we bought food”.  They assumed that was the reason so they went to Joseph’s personal assistant and explained that they paid for their food but when they checked their sacks they found the money.  The personal assistant said:  “Everything’s in order. Don’t worry. Your God and the God of your father must have given you a bonus. I was paid in full.” Genesis 43:23 (The Message).  He then got Simeon so they could be reunited, he gave them water to wash their feet and made them feel comfortable while he ensured that their donkeys were fed and watered.  The brothers had been told that Joseph would arrive at noon to eat with them so in preparation, they spread out all of the gifts that they brought for “the man”.  When Joseph got home they presented their gifts and bowed low before him.

The second dream Joseph had as a boy came to past:   He had another dream and told this one also to his brothers: “I dreamed another dream—the sun and moon and eleven stars bowed down to me!” Genesis 37:9 (The Message).  Joseph was extremely hospitable which had to be shocking to them based upon their previous experience.  He asked (through an interpreter) about their father, specifically if he was still alive to which they answered yes and then all 11 brothers bowed again.  Joseph then referred to Benjamin and asked if he was the younger brother they referred to on their previous trip and they replied yes.  Joseph was absolutely overcome with emotion to the point that he had to leave the room quickly and he broke down in his private chambers where he released every bit of emotion that had been raging inside him since they arrived.  He was happy, relieved, sad, and thankful in addition to the feeling of being unworthy of God’s generosity all at the same time.  He snotted and cried until he got it all out and once he did, he got himself together and returned to his guests, his big brothers whom he loved far more than they would ever realize. 

When he returned they all ate together, except not really, well they were all in the same room, but the seating

arrangements were let’s just say, different, separate and unequal:  Joseph sat at his private table, the Egyptians sat at second table because they did not eat at the same table as Hebrews because it was repulsive to them; and the brothers sat at third table facing Joseph, but they were seated the eldest, Rueben, to the youngest, Benjamin.  This completely freaked them out and they looked at each other in astonishment.  When the food was served they all received healthy portions, except Benjamin, the servants were instructed to give him five times more than the others.  They ate, drank and enjoyed one another’s company for the rest of the meal and then they were escorted to their sleeping chambers.  Genesis 43:32-34 (The Message)

"Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" was a controversial love story created in the mid 60s, but it pales in comparison to this love story. Listen, in all honesty, I love God with all my heart, but I don’t know that I could prepare a feast, eat, drink and enjoy the company of my haters, family or not.  At least not in and of myself.  I’m just being honest.  I'm not perfect, I'm forgiven.

In closing here are some points we should consider:  1) approximately 20 years had elapsed now since Joseph was ripped from his childhood home because of the envy which turned to hatred of the 10 eldest brothers; 2) he endures what we perceived as unjust treatment, but God’s favor was over Joseph the entire time he was in captivity and I don’t believe anything overwhelmingly dangerous happened to him; 3) he was a spoiled brat and needed to learn what it meant to be an independent man who could stand on his own rather than under the watchful eye of his father; 4) his 13 year training prepared him for the most important job of his life which was to serve his country and save the lives of thousands of people, including his hateful brothers that he made the choice to love even after all he had suffered.  Acts 7:9-10 paraphrased

Being separated from your extended family for a period of time as difficult as it may be is not all bad, sometimes it is absolutely necessary.  Consider: Abraham, Moses, Esther, etc. had they stayed in their comfort zone, God’s plan would have been fulfilled by someone else, but they would have lost out.  

To be continued …

In His Excellent Service

Tania Not Tanya