Transcendence

Twenty-one: Heart-wrenching Request

In Canaan, Israel barely found a way to move on with life after loosing Joseph. The years continued to pass. His family worked hard, married, and had children of their own. His descendants were multiplying just as God had promised.

The Israelites reaped the benefits of the abundant years. Crops were great and food was plentiful. Life was good. There was no thought or worry of change coming as they went about daily life. How could they know? They didn't have Joseph to tell them what was coming. Those years were wonderful, but those years were soon forgotten when the unexpected famine began.

Israel and his family were not forewarned about a famine coming like the Egyptians had been through Joseph's dreams. They were completely caught off guard and unprepared for how severe it quickly became. Food became not existent. Israel held on to hope that things would turn around. He believed they would suffer, but survive. Yet year after year crops were not growing, and grain was not to be found in the entire country. It became inevitable, he would have to do something. Like all other people, Israel was very worried for his family's lives.

Word got to him that Egypt had grain to sell. Egypt had prepared and was stocked. This was great news of hope that they may survive if only he could find a way to buy the grain. There would be grave danger in the travel and then in the trade, as Egypt did not tend to trade nicely with Hebrews. But he was desperate. His family's lives depended on it. He demanded his sons to go immediately down to Egypt and buy grain so that they may live.

Ten of his sons packed up and left for Egypt, only ten because Israel refused to allow Benjamin to go as he was the youngest. He was terrified harm would come to him just as it had came to Joseph when he allowed him to leave home years earlier.

Success in a long and dangerous journey for Israel's sons was the hope for all of the women and children left behind with their father and youngest brother. The brothers knew the difference between life and death hung on to their success. They had to survive the trip, and they had to be allowed to purchase the grain from Egyptians who would most likely want to refuse to sell to them. They were prepared to show their upmost respect and kindness to the men of authority in Egypt in order to save their entire family from starvation.

After a very long journey they finally arrived in Egypt, tired and hungry.

Joseph, standing as a man of authority over the entire food supply in Egypt, saw everyone who came in to buy grain. When he saw his brothers approaching he immediately recognized them. He was instantly filled with emotion. Feelings of love, anger, hurt and curiosity. He wanted to hug them, he wanted to rush over to greet them, yet he knew it would not be wise to give away his identity.  He had a hard time containing himself as he watched his brothers stand before him and then as if having his dream all over again he saw them all bow down to him with their faces to the ground. They had no idea it was their brother who they were bowing to, they didn't recognize the man standing before them for many years had passed since they sold him as a boy. As they held their head to the ground they assumed the man before them was merely the Egyptian governor over the food supply.

Joseph pretended to be a stranger and he used an interpreter so as to pretend he didn't understand the Hebrew language. He spoke harshly to them as an Egyptian leader would and asked, "Where do you come from?"

They explained they were from Canaan and came to buy food, a fact Joseph already knew. He remembered his dream and knew the dream he had interpreted so many years ago was happening before him as they bowed. But in keeping with his disguise and in order to give himself more time to decide how he could detain them he cleverly accused them of being spies who had came to evaluate where their land was unprotected. ( He needed more time, he knew he couldn't simply sell them grain. He wanted to know about their lives, and especially their father who he missed very much.)