Women of the Word, March 17

Genesis 42-45:4
Main Theme: Joseph meets his brothers as they travel to Egypt where he has been living for quite awhile. (They fail to recognize him when they see him!)

This part of Genesis is about sibling rivalry which all of us have or will experience in our own lives. In Ch. 42, vs. 6, Joseph’s brothers come to Egypt to buy grain and they bowed down to Joseph not knowing he is their long lost brother that they had put into a pit. Pharaoh found him and took him in as a slave in his home and made him very important.
Joseph must have been feeling the scars of how he had been treated by his brothers. We are reminded that when Christ arose from the dead after three days, he still had holes in his hands. Pain is still out there and scars do not go away easily.
Later in the passage, we learn that Jacob is still playing favorites with his sons.  Benjamin is one of his most favored sons along with Joseph and Simeon.
In chapter 43, we learn Judah will become the leader to the other brothers. During a later second trip to Egypt, we will see the theme, “I am my brother’s keeper.” This is a 180 degree shift in brotherly relationships. The term, keeping Kosher, also refers to the Jews’ maintaining their identity.
As we read on we see in Chapter 45, that the emphasis is going to be on “keeping in community” with one’s own people.
Submitted by Vicky Steinwender