Story 30: Jo'seph Forgives His Brothers ll

   Before going in to the banquet hall, they paused to talk with the steward, and told him the true story of how they had found the money hidden in their sacks of grain after they had made a day's journey on their way home. They also told him that their father had sent the money back, and that they were ready to pay for the grain to be purchased on this visit. The steward declared that they could not possibly be blamed for having the money in their sacks, and said to them, "The LORD God of Heaven, the God of your fathers, brought to you this treasure."
   The sons of Ja'cob were both alarmed and encouraged to hear an E'gyp-tian steward speak so kindly of the God of the He'brews. It was good to hear that the True God was known in the household of an E'gyp-tian ruler, yet they feared that one who knew their God might also know their sins against Him.
   The steward and all the servants who assisted him were very kind to the brothers, washing their feet according to the Oriental custom, and making them feel welcome in every way. Jo'seph had a table prepared for them as the guests of honor, while he sat at his own table, and the E'gyp-tian officials who dined with them were given a place to themselves. because of the different customs and religious beliefs of each race, it was not permissible for E'gyp-tians and He'brews to eat at the same table.
   In arranging his guests about the table, Joseph began with the eldest of the brothers, and placed them all in regular order according to their ages. This act greatly puzzled the sons of Ja'cob, for they could not understand how he knew the order in which they were born. In serving them, he took pains to favor Ben'ja-min, giving him five times as much as any other in each course of the banquet. All these amazed the brothers, who could see no possible reason for such kindness to them.
   The occasion was also a great trial for Jo'seph, and he found it very hard to pretend to be a stranger when his own brothers sat at his table as guests. Wishing to put them at ease, he began to ask questions about the health of their father, and continued to show special kindness to Ben'ja-min. The evening passed cheerfully enough for all, and Jo'seph was still unknown to his brothers.
   When the meal was over, Jo'seph ordered his steward to fill the sacks of his brothers with grain, and to place the money which had been paid in the top of each sack. Jo'seph had failed in his wish to reveal himself to his brothers in the banquet hall. Everything which he had done should have given his brothers a clue to his identity, but it never occurred to them that he was their long lost brother. Jo'seph now resolved to take some other means of letting them know who he was.
  

Story 30: Jo'seph Forgives His Brothers l

   It was not long before the grain which the sons of Ja'cob had purchased in E'gypt was used up. In addition to the sixty-six members of his own household, Ja'cob had to provide food for the families of his many servants. The famine still brought suffering and starvation to the land of Ca'naan, and it was only a matter of time before Ja'cob and his family would have nothing to eat.
   Ja'cob had declared that he would rather die than send his youngest son Ben'ja-min to E'gypt, but now it seemed that death would come to Ja'cob and his sons in the land of Ca'naan unless food could be brought in from E'gypt. For this reason Ja'cob finally decided to risk the life of his favorite son by sending him to E'gypt for the food which was so greatly needed.
   When Ju'dah offered to give his life if Ben'ja-min did not return safely from E'gypt, Ja'cob decided to send his nine remaining elder sons with Ben'ja-min to make a second purchase of grain in E'gypt. He told his sons to take with them twice the sum of money needed to pay for the grain which they sought, as well as the money which had been hidden in their sacks when they made their first purchase. As a special gift for the ruler of the E'gyp-tian supplies, Ja'cob sent balm, honey, spices, and nuts, for the famine had not destroyed these crops.
   The sons of Ja'cob again reached the land of E'gypt in safety, and were brought before Jo'seph for questioning. As they bowed down before him, Jo'seph saw that one of them was a stranger to him; since he was much younger than his brothers, Jo'seph knew that he must be Ben'ja-min. The sight of the brother he had waited so long to see brought tears of joy to the eyes of Jo'seph, and his heart was filled overflowing with happiness. Not wishing the others to see that he was overcome by his feelings, he went to his own room to wash away the tears of joy.
   Jo'seph then told his chief steward to take these He'brews into his own house, and ordered him to prepare a meal at which they were to be his guests of honor. Nor was Sim'e-on forgotten, for Jo'seph ordered him to be released from prison and sent to join his brothers. To be treated with such great honor made the brothers suspicious; they were afraid that they might be accused of stealing the money which had been secretly placed in their sacks of grain when they left E'gypt after their first visit.
   They knew, of course, that the money had come to them without their having done anything wrong, but still they feared that the E'gyp-tian ruler was scheming to do them harm. The real reason for such thoughts was the guilty conscience which they had for the wrong they had done Jo'seph some twenty-three years before. They still did not  know that the E'gyp-tian ruler was their brother, but since they had done a wrong which they could never forget, they looked upon any strange events as a possible means of punishment for their sins.

Story 29: Jo'seph's Brothers Come To E'gypt To Buy Grain lV

   They did not know that their money had been returned until they stopped at an inn to spend the night. One of the sacks was opened to get some grain, and then the brothers were amazed to find money in the mouth of the sack. Instead of being happy to learn that the grain had cost them nothing, they were very much alarmed by the discovery. It had been hard enough to bear the suspicion and rough treatment which they were shown by the E'gyp-tian ruler, but they were even more frightened by his strange act of returning their money. It did not occur to them that he might have meant nothing but kindness in so doing, and they wondered what further punishment the LORD was preparing for them. They dared not return to E'gypt and give back the money, for this time they, too, might be held in prison as spies, so all they could do was to hope for the best, and hasten to the land of their father.
   When they reached the land of Ca'naan, they told Ja'cob of all that had happened to them in E'gypt. Then all the sacks of grain were opened, and in each was found the money which had been paid for the grain. Once again the brothers were frightened, and even Ja'cob could find no way of explaining the strange return of the money; he, too, felt that it was a sign of bad news in the future.
   Ja'cob was overcome by the demand that Ben'ja-min, his beloved youngest son, be taken to E'gypt. He still thought that Jo'seph had been slain by a wild animal twenty-three years before, he knew that Sim'e-on was now in an E'gyp-tian prison, perhaps doomed to die, and now he was called upon to give up the son who had brought him comfort during many trials. The thought was more than he could bear, so he declared that it would be better if they all died of hunger. after the older brothers had failed to overcome the fears of Ja'cob, or to persuade him to let Ben'ja-min go down into E'gypt, it was agreed to do nothing about the matter for the time being. In our next story we shall learn how Ja'cob was forced to send Ben'ja-min to E'gypt, and how wonderfully the LORD blessed Ja'cob and his sons.
  

Story 29: Jo'seph's Brothers Come To E'gypt To Buy Grain lll

   This demand brought both sorrow and fear to the hearts of Jo'seph's brothers. To do what he asked might cause their father's death, for Ja'cob had found comfort for the supposed loss of Jo'seph only in his fondness for Ben'ja-min. They also were unwilling to run the risk of being held in E'gypt while one of their brothers returned to their father's house for the youngest son whom Ja'cob loved so dearly. When they refused to do what Jo'seph had asked, they were put in prison. For three days they remained prisoners, while Jo'seph searched his mind for some way of carrying out the will of God without harm to his brothers.
   On the third day, Jo'seph visited his brothers in prison and offered them an easier way to prove that they were not spies. He said to them: "This do, and live; for I fear God: if ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in the house of my prison: go ye, carry corn for the famine of your houses: But bring your youngest brother to me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die." The fact that an E'gyp-tian officer, as they supposed him to be, believed in the True God filled the brothers with shame for all their evil deeds.
   It was natural for them to use their own language while discussing the offer which Jo'seph had now made them; since he had questioned them with the aid of an interpreter, they took it for granted that he would not know what they were saying. He, therefore, heard them confess to one another that they were now being justly punished for the cruel wrong they had done their brother twenty-three years before. They had paid no attention to Jo'seph's cries of distress when they cast him into the pit, so now they had no right to complain if they were shown no mercy.
   Then Jo'seph bound Sim'e-on as a prisoner before their very eyes. This was to remind them that he would be put to death as a spy if they failed to return from the land of Ca'naan with Ben'ja-min, their youngest brother. The servants of Jo'seph then filled the grain sacks which his brothers had brought to E'gypt, and in the top of each sack placed the money which had been paid for the grain. The brothers went away with mingled feelings. They were happy to have the grain which was so greatly needed in Ca'naan, and thankful that they were now freed from prison, but it was sad to think of Sim'e-on having to remain a prisoner until they returned to E'gypt.
  
  
  

Story 29: Jo'seph's Brothers Come To E'gypt To Buy Grain ll

   Upon reaching the land of E'gypt they were sent to the high officer who had charge of all the grain. Without his permission, no grain could be taken from E'gypt. Little did the brothers think that this mighty ruler was the boy they had sold into slavery! They feared that they might meet him among the slaves of that country, but never dreamed of seeing him as a ruler second only to the king. For this reason it was easy for Jo'seph to keep them from knowing who he was.
   When the brothers were brought before Jo'seph, they bowed so low that their faces almost touched the ground, for this was the manner in which common people showed respect to a great ruler. Jo'seph wore the costly robes of his office, spoke the E'gyp-tian language perfectly, and acted with all the dignity of a nobleman. It is no wonder that even his own brothers did not know him as he stood before them. Jo'seph, however, knew them at once, for they had changed very little since he last had seen them. Because he loved his brothers in spite of what they had done to him, it was hard for Jo'seph to treat them as though they were strangers, but this he did.
   Jo'seph had dreamed of the day when his brothers should bow before him, and they had been very angry when he told them the dream, but now it had come true. They had mocked him, making light of his prophetic dreams, but now they bowed before him in all humility. It was not yet the proper time to tell them who he was, so he patiently continued to let them think he was an E'gyp-tian.
   Speaking roughly to them, Jo'seph forced his brothers to tell him from whence they came. When they said that they had come from the land of Ca'naan to buy food, he pretended not to believe them, and he declared that they were spies who had come to plan an attack upon his country. By these words Jo'seph  hoped to lead his brothers into telling him all about his father without their suspecting that he was their long lost brother.
   The plan of Jo'seph was successful, for the brothers said: "Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Ca'naan; and, behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not." Having learned that his father was living, Jo'seph continued to test his brothers by demanding that all but one of them be left with him in E'gypt while the other went back to Ca'naan to bring their youngest brother before him. Jo'seph then warned them that their only hope of escaping death was for the youngest brother to come back with the one who should go to fetch him.

Story 29: Jo'seph's Brothers Come To E'gypt To Buy Grain l

   The seven years of famine brought suffering to many countries. In E'gypt, the wise plan of Jo'seph had kept the people from starvation, but other lands were not so fortunate. They had not received the warnings given to Pha'roah in his dreams and explained by Jo'seph, so none of them had prepared for the famine. When their supply of food gave out, as it did in a very short time, they were forced to go to E'gypt and purchase grain from the huge storehouses which Jo'seph had built.
   The land of Ca'naan was two hundred miles from E'gypt, and between the two countries there were vast deserts and wilderness, making travel very difficult. In some way, however, Ja'cob and his family learned that there was plenty of food in E'gypt, and that Pha'roah was willing to sell some of it to people of other nations.
   More than twenty years had passed since the brothers of Jo'seph had sold him to the Ish'ma-el-ite slave-dealers, and they had no idea what had become of him. Ja'cob, of course, had lived through all these years thinking that Jo'seph was dead, for the elder brothers had never told him the true story. No news had come to them of Jo'seph's early hardships and suffering in E'gypt, nor of the great honors he had later been given by Pha'roah; as far as they knew, he might well be dead.
   One might think that Jo'seph would have sent a message to let his father know that all was well with him, or would have tried to find out how things were going with his family back in Ca'naan. Jo'seph thought it best, however, to say nothing. For one thing, he did not wish his father to know how cruelly he had been treated by the elder brothers; for another, he had perfect faith that the LORD would permit no harm to come to his father's household.
   No doubt Jo'seph often thought of his father and brothers, but never with hatred toward those who had wronged him. For nearly a quarter of a century the memory of his early dreams lingered in his mind, and he still believed that they would come true. Instead of talking about them, or complaining because they were not as yet fulfilled, he kept them secret in his heart, patiently waiting for the LORD to bless him when the time had come.
   When famine swept over the land of Ca'naan, bringing hunger and starvation to the people, Ja'cob and his family were soon in great danger. All of Ja'cob's wealth was in gold, silver, and live-stock; without food for his household and grain for his cattle, the money would not do any good. He therefore sent his ten sons down into E'gypt to buy corn, so that both the people and animals might have food.
   It was a great blow to the sons of Ja'cob to be sent to E'gypt, where they knew that Jo'seph had been carried to be sold as a slave. Every step of the two hundred mile journey must have been filled with memories of the great wrong which they had done, but they must either go to E'gypt or starve. Of course, they did not know what had happened to Jo'seph there, but a guilty conscience made them dread even the thought of meeting him.

Story 28: Jo'seph Saves E'gypt From Starving ll

   Jo'seph's work during the seven years of famine was even more brilliant than in the time of prosperity. Instead of giving the people food without charge, he kept up their courage and dignity by making it possible for them to pay for what they needed. All the people had been required to save their money when times were good, and when their savings were spent he gave them work to do. In this way even the most needy were able to earn their food, and no one was forced to become a beggar.
   Truly, Jo'seph was the savior of E'gypt and of many surrounding nations. Had he not ruled with such wisdom, E'gypt and its neighbors would have perished during the seven long years of famine. Faith in God was the chief reason for his success in this great undertaking. It is true that Jo'seph was a man of great ability, blessed with a brilliant mind and good judgment, and willing to work long and hard at whatever duties which came his way. All these good qualities, however, would not have been enough to bring him success if he had not been guided by the LORD. Because Jo'seph was a good man, willing always to do what the LORD told him without fear or complaint, his name is truly great.