Genesis 42:29-43:15 - Meanwhile, Back in Canaan
Hey, it is good to be with you here tonight. If you have your Bibles, we are in Genesis 42, continuing our journey through maybe the most dysfunctional family we have ever seen: Jacob and his descendants. I say that respectfully, but there is just no getting around the dumpster fire that is their way of relating.
We have been following Joseph for the last several weeks, drawing attention to what we call the lower story and the upper story. The lower story is the simple details, the 411 of Joseph’s life: terrible brothers, getting sold into slavery, the whole train wreck. But over it all is the upper story: God is at work. God is doing something—redeeming and restoring. We walked with Joseph through a period not of consolation and joy, but of deep desolation, asking where God was. Then, God raised him out of that desolation and exalted him to a place of incredible influence in Egypt, literally running the nation under Pharaoh’s command. From the jail to the palace, God raised him up.
God put him in that position of authority because a reunion was about to happen. His knucklehead brothers, who sold him into slavery twenty years earlier, came looking for food because the famine was severe. Joseph was the guy checking cards at the front of Costco, and he was the only one with the authority to let them in.
When they arrived, Joseph recognized them, but they did not recognize him because he looked and spoke like an Egyptian. Joseph wanted to see what God had done in their hearts. Over two decades, Joseph had learned humility. He wondered, “God has done something in me, but what about you?” He did not destroy them because God filled his heart with forgiveness, letting go of bitterness and resentment. But he also did not immediately restore them; he had healthy boundaries. He wanted to see if they had truly changed. So he set up a familiar scenario: one brother held in custody, and the others forced to decide whether to abandon him or return with their youngest brother, Benjamin.
Meanwhile, Back in Canaan
If I had to put a title to tonight’s text, it would be “Meanwhile, Back in Canaan.” Up the freeway, Jacob is waiting. The brothers return not only with grain, but with their money restored in their sacks. In their minds, it looks like they ripped off the Egyptian cartel. They return to Jacob to break the news: “The good news is we have food. The bad news is we had to leave Simeon behind, our money mysteriously ended up back in our sacks, and the ruler said we can never return unless we bring your favorite son, Benjamin.”
Jacob is crushed. In chapter 32, Jacob’s name—which means “trickster” or “deceiver”—was changed to Israel, meaning “one who strives or wrestles with God.”
Genesis 32:28 (NASB)
He said, ‘Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.’
Yet here in chapter 42, verse 29, the text calls him Jacob again. The narrative moves back and forth between Israel and Jacob. That snapshot shows how messy it is to leave behind who you were and live into the new identity God has given you. Some days he lives like Israel, a changed man; other days he lives like Jacob, the old deceiver. God remains faithful regardless of where Jacob is in that process.
They arrive in Canaan and recount the story to Jacob.
Genesis 42:29-34 (NASB)
When they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them, saying, ’The man, the lord of the land, spoke harshly with us, and took us for spies of the country. ’But we said to him, ’We are honest men; we are not spies. ‘We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is no longer alive, and the youngest is with our father today in the land of Canaan.’ ’The man, the lord of the land, said to us, ’By this I will know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me and take [grain for] the famine of your households, and go. ‘But bring your youngest brother to me that I may know that you are not spies, but honest men. I will give your brother to you, and you may trade in the land.’’
Then they empty their sacks and find their bundles of money.
Genesis 42:35 (NASB)
Now it came about as they were emptying their sacks, that behold, every man’s bundle of money [was] in his sack; and when they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were dismayed.
Jacob is dismayed and frightened. He starts spiraling in his head, reflecting on all the loss he has experienced.
Genesis 42:36 (NASB)
Their father Jacob said to them, ‘You have bereaved me of my children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and you would take Benjamin; all these things are against me.’
Jacob says, “Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more.” In Jacob’s mind, Simeon is as good as dead. Now they want to take Benjamin. When you look at the trauma this man has endured, you see how deep his wounds go. He lost Rachel, the love of his life. He effectively lost Simeon and Levi after their violent retaliation at Shechem in chapter 34. He believed Joseph was killed, now he assumes Simeon is dead, and he fears losing Benjamin.
Take it back further: what kind of home did Jacob grow up in? His father Isaac favored Esau the hunter, while Jacob stayed in the tents. Jacob deceived his brother, stole the birthright, fled home, and spent twenty years being cheated by his uncle Laban before fleeing again. He has four wives. Without divine intervention, this man has no model for a healthy family. He is deeply broken.
That dysfunction is why Reuben’s response in verse 37 sounds so absurd:
Genesis 42:37 (NASB)
Then Reuben spoke to his father, saying, ‘You may put my two sons to death if I do not bring him [back] to you; put him in my care, and I will return him to you.’
Reuben says, “If I don’t bring Benjamin back, you can kill my two sons.” What grandfather hears that and thinks, “Great idea! Let’s do that!” But in a dysfunctional family, extreme and unhealthy dynamics feel normal.
Jacob refuses:
Genesis 42:38 (NASB)
But Jacob said, ‘My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he alone is left. If harm should befall him on the journey you are taking, then you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.’
Notice that in Jacob’s response, there is no mention of God, no prayer, no seeking the Lord’s will. He is focused entirely on his own fear and self-preservation. In his flesh, he cannot let go.
The Monkey Trap
Parents, can you relate to that struggle? When you drop your toddler off at preschool for three hours, you cry in the car. When they go to junior high, you think, “I’m leaving my baby with monsters.” When they drive away to college, it hurts because it is hard to let go. God entrusts our children to us, and we want to protect them with everything we have.
Sometimes Christian culture inadvertently turns the family into an idol. We create child-centered homes where everything revolves around the kid’s schedule, performance, and comfort. We hold our children with tight, closed fists. But they are not ultimately our children; they are created in God’s image and entrusted to our stewardship.
God is exposing Jacob’s “monkey trap.” A monkey trap is a jar or basket with an opening just large enough for a monkey’s open hand to reach in for food, like a banana. But once the monkey grabs the food, its closed fist cannot pull back through the opening. The monkey will sit there trapped, refusing to let go of the food to gain its freedom. Jacob is trapped because his fist is clamped shut around Benjamin. Because he will not let go, he is immobilized by fear.
An idol is anything you hold onto while telling God, “You can have everything else, just not this.” It might be a child, a career, wealth, health, or your reputation.
Exodus 20:3 (NASB)
’You shall have no other gods before Me.
God calls us to wholehearted devotion.
Deuteronomy 6:5 (NASB)
’You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
The New Testament describes what it looks like to live with open hands:
Galatians 2:20 (NASB)
’I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the [life] which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
Colossians 3:2-3 (NASB)
Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
God lovingly uses difficulty to reveal our monkey traps. When life gets hard, whatever you cling to most desperately is often the very thing God is asking you to release.
The Breaking Point
Chapter 43 opens with the reality of the ongoing famine.
Genesis 43:1-2 (NASB)
Now the famine was severe in the land. So it came about when they had finished eating the grain which they had brought from Egypt, that their father said to them, ‘Go back, buy us a little food.’
Months pass—perhaps six to eight months while Simeon sits in an Egyptian prison. Finally, the food runs out, and Jacob tells them to go back and buy a little food. In desperation, God is prying Jacob’s hands open.
Judah speaks up with clarity and courage:
Genesis 43:3-5 (NASB)
Judah spoke to him, however, saying, ’The man solemnly warned us, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’ ’If you send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food. ’But if you do not send [him], we will not go down; for the man said to us, ‘You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.’’
Judah tells his father the plain truth: they cannot go without Benjamin.
Genesis 43:6-7 (NASB)
Then Israel said, ‘Why did you treat me so badly by telling the man whether you still had [another] brother?’ But they said, ’The man questioned particularly about us and our relatives, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Have you [another] brother?’ So we answered his questions. Could we possibly know that he would say, ’Bring your brother down ‘?’
Judah steps forward and puts his own life on the line.
Genesis 43:8-10 (NASB)
Judah said to his father Israel, ’Send the lad with me and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, we as well as you and our little ones. ’I myself will be surety for him; you may hold me responsible for him. If I do not bring him [back] to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame before you forever. ‘For if we had not delayed, surely by now we could have returned twice.’
Judah, the fourth-born, takes spiritual leadership. In Genesis, Judah’s transformation is remarkable. From his line will come King David, and ultimately Jesus Christ, the King of kings who took responsibility for our sin and stood in our place.
Surrender and Making Amends
Jacob finally reaches the end of himself and surrenders.
Genesis 43:11-14 (NASB)
Then their father Israel said to them, ’If [it must be] so, then do this: take some of the best products of the land in your bags, and carry down to the man as a present, a little balm and a little honey, aromatic gum and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds. ’Take double [the] money in your hand, and take back in your hand the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks; perhaps it was a mistake. ‘Take your brother also, and arise, return to the man; and may God Almighty grant you compassion in the sight of the man, so that he will release to you your other brother and Benjamin. And as for me, if I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.’
Notice that as soon as Jacob opens his hands, God enters the conversation: “May God Almighty grant you compassion.” When Jacob stops scheming and surrenders, he finds faith. He says, “If I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.” That is true surrender.
Genesis 43:15 (NASB)
So the men took this present, and they took double [the] money in their hand, and Benjamin; then they arose and went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph.
Jacob sends gifts: balm, honey, spices, nuts, and double the money. These gifts are not mere appeasement; Joseph already had access to the finest goods in Egypt. Jacob is making amends. He wants to repay what was taken and make things right.
Amends means taking concrete steps to repair harm, repay losses, and restore what was damaged. In biblical terms, we are called to live at peace and walk in integrity.
Romans 12:17-18 (NASB)
Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.
Romans 13:8 (NASB)
Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled [the] law.
Proper amends involve a humble attitude, specific confession, sincere apology, a request for forgiveness, and a willingness to make restitution. When you make amends as a follower of Jesus, it displays the transformative power of the gospel.
Years ago, as a brand-new believer at Fresno State, I was convicted about a backpack I had stolen from the campus bookstore before knowing Christ. I took the backpack back to the cashier and paid for it. The clerk looked at me like I was crazy, but I explained that I was now a follower of Jesus and needed to make it right.
Is there someone in your life to whom you need to make amends? A former employer, a business partner, a friend, a family member? Search your heart.
Psalms 139:23-24 (NASB)
Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.
When Zacchaeus encountered Jesus, his immediate response was to make amends and restitution.
Luke 19:8 (NASB)
Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, ‘Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.’
Amends is not about excusing the other person’s faults, nor is it a guarantee of immediate reconciliation. It is about your personal obedience to God.
Pursuing Reconciliation
This passage leaves us with two vital truths.
First, it reminds us of the upper story. In the lower story, Jacob is wrestling with fear, grief, and scarcity. But in the upper story, God is orchestrating a glorious rescue and family reunion. When life feels chaotic, we can trust that God is at work behind the scenes.
Second, it challenges our “cut-them-off” culture. Our world encourages us to discard people the moment they offend us. But God calls His people to pursue healing, humility, and unity wherever possible.
Psalms 133:1 (NASB)
A Song of Ascents, of David. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brothers to dwell together in unity!
John 13:35 (NASB)
‘By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.’
May we be a people who hold life with open hands, surrender our idols, make things right with those we have wronged, and trust the God who works in both the upper and lower stories of our lives.
Let’s pray.
Father, thank You for Your Word. We ask that You search our hearts. Reveal the things we cling to, the idols we hold in closed hands, and give us the grace to surrender them to You. Where we need to make amends, give us the humility and courage to make things right. Help us to pursue peace and display the beauty of the gospel in our relationships. We rest in the truth that You are always at work. In Jesus’ name, Amen.