Part 31 – No Brother, No Face – Genesis 43-45
April 8, 2018Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Speaker: Jerry Cisar
We left Joseph and his brothers at the end of Genesis 42 after the brothers’ first trip to Egypt. We examined how this process of conversion – transformation – began in them. It was not quite finished. In Genesis 43–45, that transformation comes into even greater clarity in the account of the second trip to Egypt by the brothers. This time with Benjamin.
What is this story about? This text isn’t about one thing, but there is a unity within the text. I believe there is a unity that holds the various themes together, and it’s found in the repeated phrase, “You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.” (Gen. 43:3, 5; 44:23) No brother, no face. No face, no life. In order to obtain life, they had to see Joseph’s face and in order to see his face they had to get their relationship with Benjamin right.
If we want to experience the abundant life of God’s salvation, we must be reconciled with our brothers. Do broken relationships stand between you and God’s abundant life? Does jealousy, envy, or covetousness describe your relationship to others? Do you have relationships in Christ that have improved but are still plagued by sin? Do you think of salvation as something completely distinct from how you relate (or don’t relate) to your brothers and sisters in Christ? If so, should you?
Join us as we explore the account of the second trip of Joseph’s brothers to Egypt.