A Journey Through The Old Testament - Elmer Towns

plenty, God continued to bless Joseph. Two sons were born during those years and were named
Manasseh meaning “forgetting” and Ephraim meaning “fruitful.” As abundant harvests were
realized in Egypt, Joseph built storehouses and filled them with the excess.
Just as Joseph had said, the seven years of plenty were followed by seven years of
famine. An Egyptian hieroglyphic records a seven-year famine about that time but attributes the
cause of the famine to the failure of the Nile to rise and overflow its banks in the spring. This
may have been a local factor in the severity of the famine in Egypt, but the famine reached far
beyond the banks of the Nile and the boundaries of Egypt. When people of other lands began
feeling the effects of the famine and heard there was grain in Egypt, Joseph began receiving
requests to purchase Egyptian grain. One of the most influential men in Egypt was rapidly
becoming one of the most influential men in the world.
Among those desiring to purchase grain from Egypt was the family of his father Jacob.
Joseph’s ten older brothers were sent to Egypt with money to purchase the needed grains. What
they did not realize as they bowed before a high Egyptian official to buy grain was that they were
addressing their own brother.
Some people have objected to the historicity of the Joseph story, arguing brothers would
certainly have recognized their own brother when they first met or before Joseph is said to have
revealed himself. This presupposition overlooks several key factors. First, if Joseph resembled
his mother as has already been suggested, and his mother was long dead by this time, it is not
likely the brothers would notice any “family resemblance” when they met Joseph. Also, more
than thirteen years had passed since they had sold their teenage brother to slave traders, and even
if they had assumed he was still alive and in Egypt, they would certainly not have expected him
to be such a prominent leader in the land. In addition to the change in his appearance due to age,
Joseph was also clean shaven and probably looked more like an Egyptian than a Hebrew. His
bearded brothers would not suspect the man who spoke to them in Egyptian was really a
Hebrew.
As his brothers bowed before him, Joseph remembered the dream he had as a boy. He
questioned his brothers indirectly to learn the state of his father’s family. Accusing them of being
spies, he imprisoned them for three days. At their release, he agreed to let nine return with grain
for their families on the condition they returned with Benjamin. Simeon was held as a hostage in
Egypt while the others were allowed to return. This is probably because more than thirteen years
earlier, Simeon first suggested killing Joseph instead of putting him in the pit.
The treatment of Joseph toward his brothers caused them to remember their abuse of
Joseph more than thirteen years earlier. This may have been the intent of Joseph in “trying” his
brothers, but even if that was not his intent, he was learning of his brothers’ change of heart
without their realizing he understood what they were saying. The brothers were even more
disturbed when on their way home they discovered their money in their sacks of grain.
Jacob was not at all pleased with the agreement to take Benjamin to Egypt. Only when
the supplies of grain were exhausted did he consent out of need. Reuben promised to protect
Benjamin, offering the lives of his two sons in exchange if he failed. Later Judah also offered to
be surety for his brother. Finally, the remaining sons of Jacob were sent to Egypt to purchase
grain with twice as much money as was needed and instructions to offer to pay for the grain they
had already received. A gift of spices and nuts was also sent by Jacob to appease “the man.”
When Joseph saw his brothers approaching, he ordered his chief servant to kill an animal
and prepare a banquet for the sons of Jacob. The men tried to return the money but were told by
a servant that was not necessary. According to their records, no money was missing. When the