Chuck Larsen

When Joseph introduces his father, Jacob, to Pharaoh, Pharaoh asks Jacob how old he is. In Genesis 47:9, Jacob answers, “The days of the years of my sojourning are 130 years. Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their sojourning.” I guess it’s not that unusual to compare your life with those who came before you. Jacob made two comparisons. First, he compared the length of his life with his ancestors, and it looks like he also compared the quality of those years.

When I reached 64, I remembered that my Dad died at age 64. In my imagination, I said to him, “I caught up to you, old man!” I wonder if he had similar thoughts when he turned 61, the age at which his father, my grandfather, died. Then I turned 72 and remembered that my mother died at 72. I imagined a similar conversation with her but a lot more respectful. I thought that I didn’t have great genes! Then I remembered that my great grandfather, Louis Larsen, who came from Denmark to America in his teens in 1854, lived into his 90s. Now, I have something else to shoot for! He was a great adventurer even in his old age. When World War I broke out, he was too old to join the Army, so he took a government post in the Philippines to help with the war effort. I haven’t been able to find out what that was yet, but he was most likely in his 60s.

Jacob lived to be about 147 years old. He was blessed with another 17 years with his son Joseph in Egypt. Spence observed, “As Jacob’s life fell short of that of his ancestors in respect of duration (witness the 175 years of Abraham, and the 180 of Isaac), so it greatly surpassed theirs in respect of the miseries that were crowded into it.”¹ I don’t know what Jacob was thinking. Still, you can’t help but observe that in the book of Deuteronomy the one should honor their mother and father should “live long and that it may go well with you in the land.” According to The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, “Jacob, who deceived his father and thereby gained the blessing, must not only die outside the Promised Land, but also we learn here that his years were few and difficult. We can see a final recompense for Jacob’s actions earlier in the book from his own words. Abraham obeyed God and lived long in the land (Gen 26:5), so Jacob’s years were short and difficult. Despite such a final verdict on the life of Jacob, the narrative goes on to show that he lived out his remaining years “in the good [b^emêṭaḇ; New International Version, ‘best part’] of the land” (v.11), though not the Promised Land; and Joseph, his son, provided for him and his household.”² Despite all the trickery, the poor relationship with his in-laws, his dysfunctional home life. He was still blessed in so many ways. God has blessed him repeatedly, and even now, he has received Benjamin back, Simeon was released to him, and lo and behold, he is even reunited with his beloved Joseph.

1. H. D. M. Spence-Jones, ed., Genesis, The Pulpit Commentary (London; New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1909), 508–509.

2 John H. Sailhamer, “Genesis,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 2 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1990), 264.

Have you ever felt pretty good about yourself when you shouldn’t? I have. Back in my early high school days, I had to take extra classes in the summer of 1962 because I didn’t pass all my classes at Holy Name that year. I ended up at Tech High School for the summer with two courses. I was tired of all the study and stuff so along with a friend we sneaked into the school offices and stole the final exam for one of the classes. In and out with no problem. We really thought we had it made. I imagine that’s the way Joseph’s brothers were feeling when they left Egypt in Genesis 44. They had faced the trial of their return. Their worries about their money being returned to them were settled. They had vindicated themselves before the greatest man in Egypt. They had received special treatment from him. They had a meal with him and were honored by him. They were allowed to purchase the grain they needed for their families. Simeon was returned to them and as a whole family, all eleven of them, were on their way home. They had vindicated themselves before Pharaoh’s official and they were about to vindicate themselves before their father as they return with food, Simeon, and Benjamin. All this, and they did it all without being found out with regards to their sin against Joseph 20 years earlier. Yes, I’m sure they felt they had made a great escape and were feeling pretty smug and self-satisfied.

But then, Joseph’s guard catches up with them and accuses them of stealing. You can see the smugness in their reply, “why do you speak such words against us. Far be it from your servants to do such a thing.” Earlier when Joseph had accused them of being spies they assured him that they were “honest” men. Yet, for over 20 years they had lived the lie of Joseph’s death before their Father and other family members. The smugness is soon gone when the guard finds the cup in Benjamin’s bag. Verse 13 tells us that “they tore their clothes.” They had once torn Joseph’s clothes and smeared blood on them to promote their lie. But now they tear their own clothes. As tearing their clothes might expose them physically, it is a visual of the pain of being exposed spiritually. It hurts, humbles, and shames us!

Now, we all know that Benjamin didn’t steal the divining cup from Joseph. They were all innocent of that crime but there was another more important crime that they were all guilty of except for the innocent Benjamin. What Judah, still in the leadership role, says to Joseph is quite revealing. He says, “God has uncovered the iniquity of your servants.” He wasn’t talking about the cup Benjamin was accused of stealing. I think he was publicly acknowledging the family guilt concerning the sins against Joseph – who was standing there listening to it all. The scabs must be pulled off before there can be a true healing.  Joseph wanted true healing. Max Lucado writes, “Confession is telling God you did the thing he saw you do. He doesn’t need to hear it as much as you need to say it. Whether it’s too small to be mentioned or too big to be forgiven isn’t yours to decide. Your task is to be honest.” They say “confession is good for the soul.” James 5:16 tells us to “confess our sins to one another so that we might be healed.” Joseph wanted healing. By the way, someone told on us, and we lost all credit for the classes that summer. It feels good to get that off my chest!

Joseph accuses his brothers of being spies and locks them in the pit of prison for three days. Joseph had spent some years in that prison pit because of these ten brothers, and now they would experience the pit themselves but only for three days. I’m not sure it was vengeance as much as it was putting the brothers in a situation where they had to think about what they had done. That’s precisely what they did. Joseph heard them repenting of what they had done to him, and the text in Genesis 42:24 tells us that he had to turn away and cry. He did not let them see that. Then we read that the Egyptian Ruler, Joseph, “took Simeon and bound him before their eyes.” We don’t know for sure, but Reuben and Judah were mentioned by name in the episode of Joseph’s life being threatened and sold as a slave to Egypt. I’m trying to understand why Joseph chose Simeon to be the one bound, and I can’t come up with a good reason. None of the brothers could be called “innocent,” but the two instigators seem to be Reuben and Judah. Maybe he was less involved than some others.

The fact that Joseph bound him in full view of the others could have been Joseph’s way of showing that what goes around comes around! They all saw Joseph being bound up years earlier, and now they saw another brother being bound up. They did not step up to rescue Joseph at that time. Maybe Joseph wanted to know if they would step up and save Simeon at this time. During this story, the brothers confess their guilt and believe God is punishing them. When they discover their money has been returned in their sacks of grain on their way home, they ask, “What is this that God has done to us.”

Joseph took Simeon as a substitute for the others. By taking Simeon, Joseph declared that the others could go free. They took money from the traders for their brother Joseph and now Joseph makes sure they have money in their bags as they leave Simeon behind. I’m not saying that Simeon was innocent, but he was singled out to pay the penalty for the sins of the whole family. The other brothers could just return home and leave Simeon to rot in the pit, take their money, and go home. So Simeon, in a sense, became the substitute who would pay for the sins of the whole family. This is a “type” of Christ. He died the death that we deserve. The death of Christ as the Substitute for sinners is the great truth from which all other truth flows. Our hope, that of restoration, freedom, forgiveness, and eternal life in paradise rests upon the work that Jesus did, that of giving Himself for our sins. Without that, our faith would be meaningless. We might as well place our hope and trust in a statue of a fish. Salvation comes only through the blood, the blood of Christ.