Genesis 42: Lessons from Jacob’s Family on God’s Testing to Expose Hidden Sin

Many people incorrectly assume that the last portion of the Book of Genesis is about Joseph. Thus, many may feel that the account is anti-climactic after Joseph’s dramatic rise from a prisoner to the second most powerful person in Egypt. But God’s purpose in sending Joseph to Egypt was not simply to bring him into a position of power. Instead, Joseph was God’s instrument for transforming the men who would later form the 12 tribes of Israel. Jacob was spiritually blind in favoring the sons of his favorite wife Rachel. He created the jealousy, hatred, and anger that caused 10 of his sons to sell Joseph into slavery and then stage his death. After he believed that Joseph was gone, he continued to favor his last remaining son through Rachel; Benjamin. Like Abraham, God would need to test Jacob. He needed to show Jacob where his love of his son exceeded the love of the Father. Unlike Abraham, Jacob loved the gift more than the Giver. At least 10 of Jacob’s sons also needed to have their hidden sins exposed. For approximately 20 years, they carried the guilt of betraying Joseph. They were also carnal in their walk. Their jealousy and anger towards Joseph was just one example of this. The firstborn Reuben slept with his father’s concubine. His second and third sons, Simeon and Levi, misused God’s holy name to commit mass murder in Shechem. They and the other brothers then looted the town and kidnapped the remaining wives and children. They then refused to repent of their sins. The fourth son Judah had disregarded God’s laws by marrying a Canaanite, engaging in temple prostitution, moral hypocrisy, failing to teach God’s laws to his children, and preventing his third sin from providing an heir to Tamar, the widow of his eldest son Er. With the exception of Benjamin, we know that the 10 sons shared in the guilt of selling Joseph into slavery. While Reuben was not a direct participant in this, he participated in their deceit in convincing Jacob that Joseph had died. Also with the exception of Benjamin who would have only been a young boy at the time, the other sons also shared in the guilt of looting and kidnapping in Shechem. The dysfunctional family environment would also allow us to safely conclude that the younger sons followed after the carnal examples of the four eldest brothers. Finally, even Joseph was still in need of God’s further molding. God would still need to test his heart to expose the buried hurt inside of him to help him fully forgive his brothers. The spiritual renewal and building of the nation of Israel would take approximately 400 years of molding through affliction in Egypt. But it would begin with each member of Jacob’s family being tested to expose their hidden sins.