Get You Down!
Genesis 42: 1-28
Genesis 41: 57:…the famine was so sore in all lands.
What a sad day for the people living in all the lands. This famine is a great picture of our helpless condition in sin. “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Rom 3: 23)
Genesis 42: 1: Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another? 2: And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die.
Sinner, have you heard there is corn—LIFE—in Christ? But we must come down off our high, haughty, self-righteous pedestal—“get you down thither.” It is because Christ is the only way we may live and not die!
Genesis 42: 3: And Joseph’s ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt. 4: But Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said, Lest peradventure mischief befall him. 5: And the sons of Israel came to buy corn among those that came: for the famine was in the land of Canaan. 6: And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph’s brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth.
Joseph’s brethren bowed to Joseph exactly as God said they would in Joseph’s dream. (Gen 37: 7-10) Those who come bowing to Christ will do so because predestinated them to be his adopted children by bringing them to bow to Christ Jesus. The broken and contrite sinner, who takes the lowest place at Christ’s feet, will enjoy all the comforts Christ has to give.
CHRIST KNOWS US
Christ knows us before we know Christ—Genesis 42: 7: And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food. 8: And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him.
Joseph saw and knew his brethren but Joseph made himself strange to them. He made it so they would not recognize him. When Christ first begins a work in our hearts, we do not know him. Even during a believer’s trials, we usually do not recognize Christ at first. But by his grace, Christ sees and knows them that are his.
SPEAKING ROUGHLY
Joseph spoke roughly to them. That is how the gospel of Christ comes to a sinner at first. Our sins have got to be made known to us. We have to be made contrite in heart before Christ. Joseph knew they were bowed down physically, but their hearts had to be bowed down! So it is with Christ, he will have us to bow inwardly. So Christ speaks roughly at first, condemning us of our guilty.
REMEMBRANCE OF THE COVENANT
But notice, all the while Joseph remembered his dreams—Genesis 42: 9: And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them,….
The “dreams” picture the gospel—God’s covenant word of salvation in Christ. As Christ deals with us, he remembers his everlasting covenant promise between God the Father and God the Son.
CONVINCED
Sinners must be made to see our sin and confess it. Therefore, Joseph charged them with being spies—Genesis 42: 9:…and said unto them, Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come. 10: And they said unto him, Nay, my lord, but to buy food are thy servants come. 11: We are all one man’s sons; we are true men, thy servants are no spies.
The brethren were true men in so far as not being literal spies. But they were anything but “true.” The same is true of each of us. So Joseph pressed them on the matter—Genesis 39: 12: And he said unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye are come. When we try to deny our guilt before God, Christ says, “No!” Christ presses us till we begin to confess who we really are. That is what Joseph did with his brethren.
Now, they begin to confess their sins—Genesis 39: 13: And they said, Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not. Joseph was that one that they thought was not. Do you remember how the stripped him of his coat? Do you remember how they threw him in a pit wherein was no water? Then when they saw a band of Ishmallites, Judah said, “Let’s sell him!” So they sold him for twenty pieces of silver.
This convincing by Joseph is what we must experience from God. Christ said when the Holy Spirit is come he will convict us of sin because we believe not on the Son of God—Genesis 42: 14: And Joseph said unto them, That is it that I spake unto you, saying, Ye are spies:
CHRIST CRUCIFIED
Next, we begin to see various aspects of the sinners only salvation—Christ and him crucified.
Joseph swear by the life of Pharaoh—there was none greater to swear by—Genesis 42: 15: Hereby ye shall be proved: By the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother come hither.
Pharaoh was greatest, there was none greater in all Egypt. God swear by the greatest when he entered covenant with Abraham—“For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself.” (Heb 6: 13)
Then we see Christ the Sent One. Not one of them could be loosed from prison and go forth, except their youngest brother come into Egypt. Not one of God’s elect could be loosed from the dungeon of our sins, except Christ come into this world. Christ is the one chosen by God from among his brethren and sent of God—Genesis 42: 16: Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother, and ye shall be kept in prison, that your words may be proved, whether there be any truth in you: or else by the life of Pharaoh surely ye are spies.
Next, we see a hint of Christ’s death. Christ is the one who was bound on the cross so that all his chosen brethren might go free. Then his body lay in the grave for three days—Genesis 42: 17: And he put them all together into ward three days. When Christ suffered the cross, died and rose again on the third day, it was God putting all his elect together in him.
Then we see Christ our Substitute. As our substitute—that all God’s elect might go free—Christ was the one who was bound in our prison—Genesis 42: 18: And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live; for I fear God: 19 If ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your prison:
Next, we see something that reminds us of the purpose of the gospel. This gospel of Christ is the corn we go forth with by which Christ saves us and feeds needy sinners who are in our famine—Gen 42: 19:…go ye, carry corn for the famine of your houses:
But those called by Christ can only come to God with that one Brother that God requires we bring, Christ his Son—Genesis 42: 20: But bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so. (Ge 42:14-20)
CONFESSION
Once a sinner has been spoken roughly unto by Christ and convinced of our sin, once we have been made to behold our sin in light of our crucified Redeemer, beholding Christ and his works, we begin to confess our sins—Genesis 41: 21: And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us. 22: And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required.
Those God saves will be convicted that it is because of our sins that Christ went to the cross—“they shall look upon me whom they have pierced and mourn for their sins.” (Zech 12: 10)
And if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness—Genesis 42: 23 And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spake unto them by an interpreter. 24 And he turned himself about from them, and wept; and returned to them again, and communed with them, and took from them Simeon, and bound him before their eyes.
How does God cleanse us of our sins? The same way he brings us to confess them. He has compassion on us. He communes with us. He takes Christ and makes us behold him bound before our eyes in our place.
STOREHOUSE OPENED
When we are brought to confess our sin and our need of Christ alone to save us that is when Christ begins to open the storehouse to us—Genesis 42: 25: Then Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn, and to restore every man’s money into his sack, and to give them provision for the way: and thus did he unto them.
Christ has the Authority to command the storehouse be opened to each one he redeemed. He fills our sacks with heavenly Bread. He restores what we lost in Adam—and gives us more—perfect, eternal righteousness in him. He gives us full provision for the way—righteousness, holiness, peace with God. This Christ does unto his people.
AMAZING GRACE
So it is that the child of God is brought to be astonished at God’s amazing grace—Genesis 42: 26: And they laded their asses with the corn, and departed thence. 27: And as one of them opened his sack to give his ass provender in the inn, he espied his money; for, behold, it was in his sack’s mouth. 28: And he said unto his brethren, My money is restored; and, lo, it is even in my sack: and their heart failed them, and they were afraid, saying one to another, What is this that God hath done unto us? (Ge 42:21-28)
Let me see if I can illustrate what I have been trying to show you. When I was a child, before the days of seat belts, my mom and dad had this big, long Pontiac. In the summertime, my favorite place to ride in that car was the back floor-board. The car had the old vent down by the driver’s legs. So the cool air would blow under the front seats and into my face. The higher you were in that car the hotter and more uncomfortable; but there in that lowest spot I’d enjoy the coolest, most comfortable ride in the car.
So it is that the haughty, arrogant will-working sinner will find the way most hot and uncomfortable in the end. But the broken and contrite sinner, who takes the lowest place at Christ’s feet, will enjoy all the comforts Christ has to give.
Amen!