Genesis 43 is our scripture reading, but also text this morning as we consider Joseph's brother's second journey to Egypt. Genesis 43, hear now the Word of God. Now the famine was still severe in the land. So when they had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, Go back and buy us a little more food. But Judah said to him, The man warned us solemnly, You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you. If you will send our brother along with us, we will go down and buy food for you. But if you will not send him, we will not go down, because the man said to us, you will not see my face again unless your brother is with you. Israel asked, why did you bring this trouble on me by telling the man you had another brother? They replied, the man questioned us closely about ourselves and our family. Is your father still living? He asked us. Do you have another brother? We simply answered his questions. How are we to know, he would say, bring your brother down here. Then Judah said to Israel, his father, send the boy along with me and we will go at once so that we and you and our children may live and not die. I myself will guarantee his safety. You can hold me personally responsible for him if I do not bring him back to you and set him here before you. I will bear the blame before you all my life. As it is, if we had not delayed, we could have gone and returned twice. Then their father Israel said to them, If it must be, then do this. Put some of the best products of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a gift. A little balm and a little honey, some spices and myrrh, some pistachio nuts and almonds. Take double the amount of silver with you, for you must return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake. Take your brother also and go back to the man at once. and may God Almighty grant you mercy before the man so that he will let your other brother and Benjamin come back with you. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved. So the men took the gifts and doubled the amount of silver, and Benjamin also, they hurried down to Egypt and presented themselves to Joseph. When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, Take these men to my house, slaughter an animal and prepare dinner. They are to eat with me at noon. The man did as Joseph told him and took the men to Joseph's house. Now the men were frightened when they were taken to his house. They thought, we were brought here because of the silver that was put back into our sacks the first time. He wants to attack us and overpower us and seize us as slaves and take our donkeys. So they went up to Joseph's steward and spoke to him at the entrance to the house. Please, sir, they said, we came down here the first time to buy food, but at the place where we stopped for the night, we opened our sacks, and each of us found his silver, the exact weight, in the mouth of his sack. So we have brought it back with us. We have also brought additional silver with us to buy food. We don't know who put our silver in our sacks. It's all right, he said. Don't be afraid. Your God, the God of your Father, has given you treasure in your sacks. I received your silver. Then he brought Simeon out to them. The steward took the men into Joseph's house, gave them water to wash their feet, and provided fodder for their donkeys. They prepared their gifts for Joseph's arrival at noon because they had heard that they were to eat there. When Joseph came home, they presented to him the gifts they had brought into the house, and they bowed down before him to the ground. He asked them how they were. And then he said, How is your aged father you told me about? Is he still living? They replied, Your servant, our father, is still alive and well. And they bowed low to pay him honor. As he looked about and saw his brother Benjamin, his own mother's son, he asked, Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about? And he said, God, be gracious to you, my son. Deeply moved, at the sight of his brother, Joseph hurried out and looked for a place to weep. He went into his private room and wept there. After he had washed his face, he came out and, controlling himself, said, Serve the food. They served him by himself, the brothers by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with them by themselves, because Egyptians could not eat with Hebrews, for that is detestable to Egyptians. The men had been seated before him in the order of their ages, from the firstborn to the youngest, and they looked at each other in astonishment. When portions were served to them from Joseph's table, Benjamin's portion was five times as much as anyone else's. So they feasted and drank freely with him. May God add his blessing to the reading and the proclamation of his word this morning. Beloved in Christ the Lord, what is the worst thing about a good meal? Boys and girls, no doubt you know. What's the worst thing about your favorite meal, your favorite food in all the world to eat? Well, the worst thing is that it ends. It never lasts. Before you know it, the food is gone. We look forward to that meal. We might even wait in anticipation while that meal is being prepared. But all of a sudden, it's gone. We sit down to eat and it's over in a matter of minutes. You know, the same was true with the grain that Jacob's sons brought back to Canaan from Egypt the first time. That grain was not like the never-ending jar of flour and jug of oil that the widow of Zarephath in Elijah's day enjoyed or the jar of oil the widow in Elisha's day enjoyed. Those things never ran out until the need was met. And with regard to the widow of Zarephath, we know that she was living during a time of famine and God saw to it that that flour and that that oil never ran out until the famine was over. But God didn't do that here with Jacob and his sons. That wasn't his purpose. His purpose had not yet been accomplished. Jacob's family had not yet been reunited. They had not yet relocated to Egypt. We know that the brothers had finally seen God's hand in all of their circumstances, as they said before, when they stopped the first time on the way home and found that silver in their sacks, they said, what is this that God is doing? They had seen God's hand in all of their circumstances. But you know, they had not yet openly confessed their guilt to anyone who didn't already know. They had not yet confessed their guilt to anyone who was not himself guilty. And God would continue to work to that end through Joseph's testing of his brothers, and in doing so, he would constantly remind them of God's presence with them and His goodness to those who trust in Him. And so therefore, as we now consider this morning, Genesis chapter 43, once again we see God with Joseph, this time testing the brother's change of heart. And we consider that test, first of all, through a prayer for God's mercy. Now, this chapter begins with the second commission to go to Egypt. As the chapter starts out, we know the famine was still severe. It was terrible. Obviously, nothing was growing anywhere. And again, their food was gone. And the same truth is at the beginning of chapter 42, there was still food only in Egypt. It was God's design that the brothers would not become content in Canaan, that they would not be able to just get by until the famine was over. They had to make that trip. Again, Jacob's family had not yet been reunited. In God's purpose, his plan had not yet been accomplished. So Jacob, once again, he commissions them, go back and buy us a little food. But do you notice something different there? In the beginning of chapter 42, Jacob says, what are you guys looking at each other for with those blank looks on your faces? That's not going to get you anywhere. There's food in Egypt. Go! Go! This time Jacob is a little bit softer. As if he's hoping that the brothers had forgotten what Jacob or what Joseph had demanded of them. A little bit softer. Go back. Buy us a little food as if he's treating Egypt as if it's a store down on the corner a block or two away. You know, while you're out, why don't you pick up a few things that we might need. But the brothers had not forgotten. And they remind him of the test that they were under from Joseph. Judah now becomes the spokesman, because obviously Reuben, as the firstborn, had failed. And Judah says in verse 3, the man warned us solemnly, you will not see my face again unless your brother is with you. And then he repeats it again a few verses later, you will not see my face again unless your brother is with you. And notice something else. The first time when the brothers came home and they told Jacob about all that they had endured at the man's hand in Egypt, at that time, they softened what Joseph had said. What did Joseph say? He said, do this, bring back your youngest so that you may not die. But what did they say? They said, Joseph, that the man said to bring back the youngest so that they may trade in the land. Maybe to spare Jacob from any more hurt. We don't know. But now they hint at the severity of the situation. Things were serious again. They needed food. We can't go back. We can't even see his face if the youngest isn't with us. Judah says to Jacob, in essence, you're the man here. What you say, we will do. If Benjamin goes, we will go. And we will live. If Benjamin stays, we will stay. And we will die. We can understand, I think every one of us can understand, Jacob's complaint. Why did you tell the man this? Why did you give him the personal details of our family? He's a stranger. It's really none of his business. But the brothers, of course, are defending themselves. We're innocent. were innocent. We couldn't know. We couldn't know that He was going to tell us to bring Him back. Our lives were in danger. We were protecting ourselves. At this point, of course, Judah steps up with a promise. You remember Reuben's ridiculous promise. Send him with me, and if I don't bring him back, you can have my two sons. Grandpa, you can kill him. Go ahead. A ridiculous promise. Judah's offer is not like that. Judah offers himself, which we know is preparation for taking and passing the second test that was still to come from Joseph. And we don't know how comforting Judah's promise may have been to Jacob. We don't really know what it means to bear the guilt his whole life long if he would be cast aside in some way. But we do know that somehow it got through. By God's grace, it got through to Jacob. He understood the severity of the situation. He understood if Judah was willing to give himself that it was serious. And therefore, Jacob resigns to the fact. He says, take. In verses 11 and 12, he says, If it must be, then do this. Put some of the best products of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a gift. A little balm and a little honey, some spices and myrrh, some pistachio nuts and almonds. Take double the amount of silver with you, for you must return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake. Now there are some who say that what we have here is we've come full circle. Do you recognize it? You remember back in chapter 37, verse 25, the caravan that took Joseph down to Egypt was filled with some of these same goods, balm and spices and so forth. And now another caravan is preparing to go to Egypt with these very same goods as a gift with the hope of bringing a brother back before a brother was taken now to bring a brother back so we've come full circle and then finally no doubt with a sigh Jacob says and take Benjamin take him and he blesses them with a prayer for God's mercy in verse 14 and may God Almighty grant you mercy before the man so that he will let your other brother and Benjamin come back with you. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved. In this blessing and in these words of Jacob, we also see Jacob's resignation to God's will. If I am bereaved, I am bereaved. He's not simply being fatalistic as some would say, que sera, sera, whatever will be, will be. But this is a proof of Jacob's faith. Jacob too was needy. He depended on the mercy of God. Before, when the brothers came home the first time, all Jacob could do was complain, everybody hates me, nobody loves me, everybody is against me. But now he places himself in the mercy of God and he could say with Job in Job 13, verse 15, Though he slay me, yet will I trust him. What a confession. Can you say that? Can I say that? Though He slay me, though God take everything in this life away from me, all of my riches, all of my pleasure, all of my family, though He slay me, though He take my life, yet will I trust Him. Jacob knew that only God's mercy could deliver one from deserved danger, from trouble. As we have considered mercy before on occasion, We know that where mercy is needed, misery already exists. And mercy is for the purpose of relieving misery. God's mercy is for the purpose of relieving sinners of their misery because of sin. His mercy is not giving to us that which we deserve. Not leaving us in that misery. Jacob trusted in the covenant God of his fathers, in God Almighty, El Shaddai. He trusted in the God of promise who had made promises to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob himself. He trusted that God would indeed preserve them, but he confessed that the son's survival would only come by God's hand. But also here we see that Jacob himself demonstrates mercy by giving up Benjamin for the sake of the entire family. So that they might buy food and live. Beloved, I hope it's clear this points to Jesus Christ. This points to Jesus Christ, our only hope of deliverance from sin, from the death that it brings. God gave up His only Son to relieve us from the miserable curse of sin and that which we truly deserve. We deserve all the misery that our sin can pile on us. But God gave His Son to relieve us in His mercy, to relieve us of that misery. As the hearts of the brothers were tested by God through Joseph, they are reminded by their father Jacob of their dependence upon the mercy of God. But they are also brought face to face in the second place with a proclamation of God's provision. A proclamation, in essence, that they had already received God's mercy, but there was more to come. They enter Egypt. They present themselves to Joseph, and Joseph had already determined, we know, as he sees them, to be generous to them, but they misinterpreted his generosity. Why? Again, because their sin against Joseph was still not openly confessed except among the brothers. Unconfessed sin, beloved, is like a weight that is heavy on your shoulders, and that weight includes a lack of trust. And instead, an abundance of suspicion. Because when you're living a lie, you can't trust anyone. And you're suspicious of everyone. They didn't trust Joseph. They were suspicious of him. Especially when they were taken to Joseph's house. What could this be? The brothers took it for evil. But Joseph meant it for good. They knew that they had no way to prove that they were honest men, that they had no way to prove that they hadn't taken their own money back. They felt the weight of their guilt and they were sure of the worst. They feared of being treated so severely as verse 18 says, He wants to attack us and overpower us and seize us as slaves and take our donkeys. Do you hear those words? Do they remind you of anything? Think back to when Joseph made his way to them in the field. What did they do? They attacked him. They overpowered him. They seized him and sold him as a slave. And they took his richly ornamented robe. They were afraid that they would now be treated as they had treated Joseph. And therefore, in wisdom, they thought best to be proactive. They told the steward, Joseph steward everything. We found the money. We don't know how it got there. We brought it back. We brought more. And very quickly, the steward corrects their misinterpretation about Joseph's generosity as the steward points the brothers to God, to their God. And he points them to God with both his words and his deeds. First of all, with powerful words. Verse 23, it's all right, he said, don't be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, has given you treasure in your sacks. I received your silver. Such powerful words from a foreigner, from a heathen nonetheless, one who obviously had been influenced by Joseph. We said before that Joseph's habit of heart, his habit of heart was to point others to God. Obviously, he had his steward as well, but the sad thing is this steward, this foreigner, this heathen, had to point the brothers to the very one they should have known to look to themselves. But not only does he correct their misinterpretation with powerful words, but also with positive deeds. Simeon has returned to them proof that Joseph was a man of his word. And the steward brings out water for their feet and food for their donkeys. They're treated as friends, not enemies. And then this lavish feast. Boys and girls, I think it's true to say, in a sense, the day before they were facing starvation. But today, on this day, they enjoyed satisfaction. Complete provision. Deed and word, body and soul. Their misery was removed by this provision. Beloved, James 1, verse 17 says, Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. See, God not only keeps from His people that which we deserve. The brothers deserved to suffer. So do you. So do I. But God also provides what is undeserved. And His most perfect undeserved gift is Jesus Christ, who took our misery, who took the weight and the curse of our sin, that which was on us, heavy, that which was all around us, in us. He took it from us. He took it upon Himself. And those who are dead in sin suffer a famine for the Word of God and they suffer a famine of the blessings of God. But those who are in Christ Jesus, they enjoy living water. They enjoy the bread of life from never-ending starvation to eternal satisfaction. Those who look to Him and confess and repent of their sins, they receive the greatest treasure. A treasure much greater than silver or gold which perishes. But they receive satisfaction through and the cleansing by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. That blood is of infinite value. We bleed. We cut ourselves and bleed. We wipe it away and we throw the Kleenex in the trash can. Christ's blood is of infinite value. Apart from His blood, there is no eternal life. There is only eternal death. That satisfaction, that cleansing is called God's grace. Grace, which is a gift so undeserved. A gift that cannot be earned. And as the brothers' heart change is tested, then they are also brought face to face with the glory of God in the third place by a pronouncement of God's grace. They received a demonstration of God's grace once again in both word and in deed, by Joseph in word as he questions them with regard to their welfare. They bow before Joseph again. Another confirmation of Joseph's God-given position. The first time they came to Egypt, they bowed before him in submission, in fear, like slaves to their master. But this time, as the text makes clear, they bow with honor, to honor him. recognizing his position, bowing with tribute, with a gift in their hand. But Joseph, you see, was more concerned with his family than with the gifts. Boys and girls, we can understand why, right? You see, before the brothers came the first time, Joseph hadn't seen, he hadn't heard of his family in more than 20 years. And no doubt, since they had left the first time and now come back, Joseph thought more and more about his family each and every day. And in verse 27, we're told that He says to them, How are you? How are you? We use that phrase so flippantly sometimes, don't we? We ask somebody, how are you? Because it's a nice thing to say, but we're turned away before we let them answer. As if we don't really care how they are. Was this just a phrase, Joseph being nice? Think back again to when Jacob sent Joseph to find his brothers in the field. Why did he send them? To find out how they were. How are you? And then they didn't care. They didn't care what Joseph thought. They didn't care to let Joseph know how they were. But now these words, how are you, must have been so precious to them and been so comforting to them. And your father, has your old father, has he been able to survive the famine since you were here last time? Yes, he's fine. And then Joseph sees Benjamin. He lays his eyes on his own full brother and he sets him apart with a declaration of God's grace in verse 29. God be gracious to you, my son. Now beloved, we need to understand again these words are significant because this wasn't just a nice phrase again. These were words that were only spoken to an equal. One who was considered to be an equal. Here was this ruler in Egypt and here was this youngest son in Jacob's family. He says, God be gracious to you, my son. Treating Benjamin as an equal before the face of his brothers. Asking for the undeserved favor of God upon Benjamin, not them. And as Joseph wept, no doubt he realized that Benjamin had already received, had already enjoyed God's grace and already enjoyed God's protecting hand from the same fate that Joseph had endured. And maybe, who knows, Joseph more and more began to understand God's plan for him in all of this. but God's grace was also demonstrated in Joseph's deeds, that seating arrangement. That seating arrangement. Now again, there are some who try to say, well, you know, what must have happened is one of the brothers must have told the steward or must have told Joseph, well, yeah, you know, he's the oldest, he's the next, on down the line. What other explanation could there be but to see if that was the case, Moses would never have written that they were filled with astonishment. They were completely amazed. As they looked down the row and saw that they were right in their position, no doubt their jaws dropped. And the only thing they could say, as they said on the way home the first time, is what is this that God is doing? You see, that seating arrangement, beloved, made it unmistakable who was the oldest and who was the youngest and made it unmistakable which one Joseph favored. He favored Benjamin as he gives him five times as much to eat as the brothers. Not because he could eat it, but that was a sign of special honor. And all of this was to test the brothers' hearts. Benjamin was being distinguished over them. As at home, so in the Egyptian palace. How would the brothers react? With envy and jealousy and hatred as Joseph knew them to do before? The episode ends, the very last phrase, so they feasted and drank freely with him. There's no indication that they were jealous, that they were envious at all, but it indicates a change of heart. Yet we know that Joseph still would subject them to one more test. Joseph was not privileged to hear the conversation between Judah and Jacob at home yet. He would subject them to one more test to prove their change of heart. They could conceivably leave this time with enough grain to make it through the rest of the famine and never come back again. And who knows, they might even do something to Benjamin on the way home so he would subject them to one more test. But until that time, beloved, we have here before us a beautiful picture of the grace of God. We have a beautiful picture of the characteristics of God's grace. First of all, that it's free. You see, the brother's gift didn't earn, it didn't purchase Joseph's graciousness and generosity. That was already determined before they gave him, before they presented him with the gift. God's grace is free. You and I have nothing with which to earn the grace of God. God's grace is also undeserved. He was a ruler. They were foreigners. He owed them nothing. But even as brothers, Joseph's brothers gave Joseph what he didn't deserve. They gave him the opposite of grace. They gave him cruelty. He didn't owe them generosity. But Joseph didn't repay them evil for evil. The grace of God is undeserved by you and me. But also, God's grace is bountiful. Benjamin is given five times the amount of the brothers. God's grace is beyond measure. And appoints that eternal banquet that we look forward to one day. In Romans 5, verses 6 and 8, Paul says, you see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. God demonstrates His own love for us in this while we were still sinners. Christ died for us. You see, really, with one short statement, two small verses of Scripture, we have a summary of the free, the undeserved, and the bountiful character of God's grace. While we were still powerless and could do nothing, it's free. While we were still sinners, it's undeserved. Christ died that we might have life. It's bountiful. While testing the brothers' hearts, all along the brothers were being reminded of God's mercy and provision and grace. And just as Joseph's grace to them in word and deed was sufficient to reassure them and comfort them that everything was all right in the very same way as the Lord said to Paul in 2 Corinthians chapter 12, my grace is sufficient for you. You don't need to look anywhere else. Sometimes when we face the struggles of this life, and we all know those struggles come in various ways, different shapes and sizes, we might say different degrees of severity, there are those who are not content. There are those who can't seem to face these struggles of life. And that is evidence that they don't really understand the amazing grace of God because those who do, do find rest in God. My grace is sufficient for you. God's grace is sufficient to cleanse us from all of our sins. And just as Joseph was a man of His Word, God is a God of His Word for those who come to Him through Jesus Christ. The brothers would not see Joseph's face without Benjamin. We will not see God's face unless we go to Him through faith in Jesus Christ. And those who do have a living hope, as Peter says. An inheritance that will not spoil, fade, or perish. An inheritance that is kept safe in heaven can't be touched by Satan. And that's yours if you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. do you believe? And those whom God accepts for Jesus' sake, who understand the mercy of God, that they have been spared from the punishment of hell that they deserve, and who recognize the provision of God, that God provided Jesus Christ in their place, and who enjoy the grace of God, forgiveness of all of their sins through Christ, and the righteousness of Christ, to stand before God, they will then respond. They will then respond by presenting their lives to God as a living sacrifice of thanksgiving. Beloved, it can be no other way. If you truly, truly understand what a great Savior we have and what an awesome, precious gift of salvation He has given to us, that it can be no other way. There's only one response to offer your life, a life of thanksgiving and sacrifice to Him. Test your heart. Do you have love for God above all and your neighbor as yourself? Do you love God's law and do you delight to live according to it and to be governed by God's Word and not to live according to your own desires and your own agendas or the ways and the means and the styles of the world? Do you accept your God-given lot in life, whatever that might be? Do you exercise faithfulness to God? All of these things, you see, are evidence of the gracious work of God in your life, yet they must be real. Through the merciful, providing, and gracious hand of God, He works, He works to reconcile His children with Himself, to bring us back into favor with Him. And through Jesus Christ, the family of God, shattered by sin, is made whole as we are given peace with God and an eternal feast, fellowship, which is never ending with Him. The food will not run out. So, beloved, is this your comfort? Are you preparing for that great day? Are you living seriously for the Lord today in anticipation of that great day? Living seriously for Him with your time and your talents and your resources? Brothers and sisters, may God continue to give us strength for today as we live in anticipation of His bright hope for eternity. Amen. Let's bow before Him in prayer. Father God, we know that You are a just God. That sin committed against the Most High Majesty of God cannot and will not go unpunished. You will not, cannot, simply turn your face and act as if it never happened. And You have not done that. You have taken care of that sin. Committed against You. You've taken care of it for your people through Jesus Christ, our Lord. And Father, for our finite minds, it's hard to conceive of that because we would have to admit we would have a hard time giving ourselves for someone else. But yet when we recognize your gracious character, that your grace is free, that it's undeserved, that it's so bountiful, what more can we do Heavenly Father but to sing great is your faithfulness and to confess that your mercies to us are new every morning Father thank you for that blessed assurance and may that assurance be ours more and more each day until the day you bring us into your glory until that day when our faith becomes sight hear us oh Lord for Jesus sake, Amen Thank you.