Day 115 Wednesday 8/13/14 Genesis 43:26-34 Merry Making.
I am using the Geneva Bible today.
Gen 43:26 "When Ioseph came home, they brought the present into the house to him, which was in their handes, and bowed downe to the grounde before him."
At last, Joseph is thru with the business of the day and returns home. Immediately, they brought the presents for Joseph out for him, I suppose that according to custom, they bowed down to the ground before Joseph, again bringing to remembrance Joseph's dreams. This won't make sense to the brothers until after they learn that this is indeed Joseph the dreamer.
I can just imagine the fear and amazement of the eleven brothers over the treatment that they were receiving. No arrest, no anger, only favor and grace. They of all people didn't deserve grace, but Joseph made sure that they were well favored.
Gen 43:27 "And he asked them of their prosperitie, and sayd, Is your father the olde man, of whome ye tolde me, in good health? is he yet aliue?"
Joseph asks about their welfare, "how ya doing?" Joseph was keenly interested in his family that he hadn't seen for over twenty years. There must have been that old homesick feeling when he saw again his brothers. Joseph was so very interested in how his father Jacob was doing, was he alive? Is he well? He was like a little boy who wanted his daddy.
Gen 43:28 Who answered, Thy seruant our father is in good health, he is yet aliue: and they bowed downe, and made obeysance.
One of the brothers, maybe Judah, told Joseph that their father was fine, in good health and very much alive. At this information, Joseph must have been overjoyed. At this point, in humility and a show of submission to a superior, they bow down.
Gen 43:29 "And he lifting vp his eyes, beheld his brother Beniamin his mothers sonne, and sayde, Is this your yonger brother, of whome ye tolde me? And he said, God be merciful vnto thee, my sone."
At last, Joseph looked up at the person who had not been there before, he must have thought, "is this my brother Benjamin? Is it really him?" We have to remember that Benjamin was his blood brother, born to Rachel, his mother. The other brothers were half brothers but Benjamin was his only true blood brother. The other brothers must have thought it strange that Joseph would say, "God be merciful to you my son."
Gen 43:30 And Ioseph made haste (for his affection was inflamed towarde his brother, and sought where to weepe) and entred into his chamber, and wept there.
Oh my, have you ever been in a situation when your emotions are at a peak and before you burst out weeping, you need to either turn away from the source or actually walk away? Then you know how Joseph must have felt. He hadn't seen Benjamin since his brothers was just a lad. Now he is a grown man, handsome like Joseph..I can just see Joseph now, entering his private chamber, bursting out in tears as the door closes.
Gen 43:31 Afterward he washed his face, & came out, and refrained himselfe, and sayd, Set on meate.
Who knows how long it took Joseph to compose himself, wash up and return to his brothers. It's a wonder that when he looked again of Benjamin, that he didn't burst out crying. I probably would have given the same circumstances. I remember coming home from work one day after my first wife had died, I walked into my lonely apartment and immediately burst out in tremendous bursts of wailing. To this day, when I visit her grave, I start to cry, I loved her so, so much.
After composing himself and returning to the room that everyone was in, Joseph commanded his servants to bring on the feast.
Gen 43:32 And they prepared for him by himselfe, and for them by themselues, and for the Egyptians, which did eate with him, by themselues, because the Egyptians might not eate bread with the Ebrewes: for that was an abomination vnto the Egyptians.
I find it interesting that each party sat a different tables. Mostly out of custom. The Egyptians looked down on the Hebrew people and it was an abomination to eat a meal with them. I suppose Joseph needed to separate himself from his family as to not break Egyptian customs. Word getting back to Pharaoh that Joseph was eating with Hebrews might not have settled very well with him.
Gen 43:34 "And they tooke meases from before him, and sent to them: but Beniamins mease was fiue times so much as any of theirs: and they drunke, and had of the best drinke with him."
If I hadn't been in the Army, I would never know what mess was, other than my bed room growing up. The Mess hall was where we ate all our meals, even when we were out in the field, I was in the "Berlin Conflict" in Germany looking down the barrel of a Russian rifle or a tank. Even in the field, we ate in the "mess tent." Most of us thought our food was a mess, and that's why it got that name.
It was the custom for the host of the dinner to allot to each guest his portion of food. For Benjamin, Joseph favored him with five time more than the rest. Oh, oh. Now Joseph is taking after his father when he showed more favor for Joseph, with his coat of many colors. He shows the same favoritism to Benjamin. It could be that he wanted his brothers to recall how he was favored, or just that he was so happy to see Benjamin that he wanted to shower him with grace.
After dining, apparently they were able to share a little wine together, just enough to calm the brothers nerves and to enjoy each others company which must have really confused Joseph's Egyptians servants.