When Joseph’s brothers sold him as a slave to merchants on their way to Egypt, they meddled in the affairs of God. Joseph was a covenant participant, but not only a participant in the Abrahamic Covenant with God, but he was the one whose custom was to draw near to the Lord, to know him and to act in a manner pleasing to him. Such a custom wasn’t shared among the other 10 sons of Jacob (Rachel was pregnant with Benjamin at the time). Simeon and Levi were covenant breakers, Judah lived among the Canaanites, and Reuben would later go in onto Bilhah, his father’s concubine, in an effort to keep Jacob from having any more children that could be legally recognized as Rachel’s. These were men of the Abrahamic Covenant, and they sold their brother, Joseph to be a slave in Egypt. How could they think they could do such a thing and not have to face the consequences later?
The descendants of Abraham through Sarah were important to God, and figured prominently into the promises he made to Abraham. One cannot limit the Lord’s power to do his will or his ability to keep his promises by seeking to limit the number of folks that he is permitted to deal with. No matter who we think we are, we don’t get to do that! Famine had hit the Land of Canaan, and the lives of the Covenant people were in jeopardy! The famine was widespread and was felt throughout the East, even in Egypt, just as Joseph had predicted (Genesis 41:25-31). Jacob’s sons felt the famine, and each one looked to the other, hoping the other would have grain enough to share, but no one had any. Jacob heard there was grain to be had in Egypt, so he told his sons to go there and buy grain for their families, so they all might live (Genesis 42:1-2).
Therefore, Joseph’s ten older brothers went down to Egypt to buy grain, according to the words of their father (Genesis 42:3). However, Benjamin, the brother whom Joseph never saw, stayed with Jacob. He was never seen by Joseph, because his mother, Rachel, was pregnant, when he was presumed dead, but was in reality sold to be a slave in Egypt. So, Benjamin stayed with Jacob, because he feared something terrible might happen to the only surviving son of Rachel. Therefore, he kept him nearby. His other ten sons, however, did go down to Egypt, because of the great famine that struck the Land of Canaan (Genesis 42:4-5).
It is interesting to see the position that Benjamin had taken among the sons of Jacob. It is obvious he had become Jacob’s favorite son, but this isn’t what is important to see. Indeed, he was the son of his favorite wife, Rachel, as was Joseph. Nevertheless, Jacob had not been so protective of Joseph. He even sent him alone on a journey from Hebron to Shechem, a journey of 60 miles, which had to have taken at least three days to make (Genesis 37:12-14). So, Jacob’s fear over Benjamin’s welfare stemmed from his apparent loss of Joseph, whom he believed was dead, according to the report of his other ten sons (Genesis 37:33-35).
What’s important about this is the effect it had upon the ten sons responsible for Joseph being in Egypt. Simeon and Levi were probably the fiercest of Jacob’s family, and Judah was friends with and living among the Canaanites. As for Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, he was weak and troubled over Jacob’s favoritism, which was shown to his mother’s sister’s son, Joseph. Nevertheless, Benjamin was now about twenty-one years old, and for 21 years Jacob had protected him, probably overly protected him, from harm, and this was a constant reminder to the other ten of what they had done to their brother, Joseph. Their sin was ever before their eyes, and, judging by their behavior, after they met Joseph in Egypt without recognizing him, this had to have had an effect upon their hard hearts.
Interestingly, upon their arrival in Egypt, the brothers found they had to deal with their brother, whom they now presumed was dead. Nevertheless, they didn’t recognize him, when they saw him. It was 22 years later Joseph’s appearance had changed, and they didn’t expect him to be governor throughout the land of Egypt. Therefore, they bowed themselves before him, just as Joseph predicted they would (Genesis 42:6; cp. 37:7-10).
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