Genesis 42-43 Lesson: The Rebreaking of Jacob

Bible Study Series: Joseph, Jesus and You

Genesis 42-43 Lesson: The Rebreaking of Jacob

by I Gordon

Welcome! We were in Genesis 42 last time looking at the mills of God slowly working in the hearts of Joseph's brothers. You no doubt recall that as his brothers came to Egypt for bread, Joseph recognized them and treated them harshly... on purpose! He tested them and after placing Simeon in prison, he demanded that the others return home and bring their youngest brother, Benjamin, back down to Egypt. While that may not sound too difficult, it would be a great test for their father Jacob. So Genesis 42:29 through to 43:14, which we are looking at today, is what we could call the rebreaking of Jacob. He has been broken before, but this time will require him to lay down that which he loves the most before the altar of God. So specifically we'll explore:

• The original breaking of Jacob
• How the natural Jacob saw things... without God! And how we do!
• The process of God in bringing forth an 'Israel' from a 'Jacob'.
• And how this all speaks to our life as Christians in walking with the Lord.

Let's begin with...

The original breaking of Jacob

Can you remember when Jacob was first broken by God? It occurred on one fateful long night...

Gen 32:24-30 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. (25) When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob's hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. (26) Then the man said, "Let me go, for it is daybreak." But Jacob replied, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." (27) The man asked him, "What is your name?" "Jacob," he answered. (28) Then the man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome." (29) Jacob said, "Please tell me your name." But he replied, "Why do you ask my name?" Then he blessed him there. (30) So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, "It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared."

So did you notice anything odd here? Jacob wants a blessing and in reply this man says 'What is your name?' What kind of reply is that? Did this man not even know who it was that he was wrestling all night? Ok... he knew. But he wanted Jacob to say his name. He wanted Jacob to acknowledge who he is. As William MacDonald writes:  

That Man was an angel (Hos_12:4), the Angel of Jehovah, the Lord Himself. The Lord put the socket of Jacob's hip . . . out of joint, causing him to walk with a limp the rest of his life. Although Jacob lost the encounter physically, he won a great spiritual victory. He learned to triumph through defeat and to be strong through weakness. Emptied of self and of confidence in his own cleverness, he confessed he was Jacob, a supplanter, a "con man." God then changed his name to Israel (variously translated as "God rules," "one who strives with God," or "a prince of God").
William MacDonald, Believers Bible Commentary

Jacob walked with a limp from that day on. He was not the same, physically or spiritually, and their was a permanent reminder of his encounter. But the Jacob's natural human nature was very strong. And so this dealing and wrestling with God would certainly not be the last. So as we go back to the story in Gen 42, we see an aged Jacob, nearing 130 years old, and he has slipped into forgetfulness when it comes to God. But God has His ways of waking His saints up and never let it be said that you are too old to be taught a valuable lesson from God!  

God is still working on the aged Jacob!

Gen 42:29-35  When they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them. They said, (30) The man who is lord over the land spoke harshly to us and treated us as though we were spying on the land. (31) But we said to him, 'We are honest men; we are not spies. (32) We were twelve brothers, sons of one father. One is no more, and the youngest is now with our father in Canaan.' (33) Then the man who is lord over the land said to us, 'This is how I will know whether you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers here with me, and take food for your starving households and go. (34) But bring your youngest brother to me so I will know that you are not spies but honest men. Then I will give your brother back to you, and you can trade in the land.' " (35) As they were emptying their sacks, there in each man's sack was his pouch of silver! When they and their father saw the money pouches, they were frightened. (36) Their father Jacob said to them, "You have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more, and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me!" 

As mentioned last time, these brothers were not timid individuals but they were well and truly spooked by their experience at the hands of Joseph. They came back to their father Jacob, minus their brother Simeon, shaking in their boots. So after telling the whole story to their father they await his response. And it didn't take long. 'You have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more, and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me!' Ok... that didn't go so well!

This is the last thing that Jacob wants to hear. He has potentially lost one son and now there is a non-negotiable demand that Benjamin must go down to Egypt as well if they ever want to see Simeon again. How terrible things looked to old Jacob and he wasn't having any of it. 'Everything is against me!' he yells. 'You have deprived me of Joseph, now Simeon, and you want to take Benjamin as well! No... No... No!' Now, at this point in the story, it is really important to remember who Jacob pictures in scripture. Did you know who? Yeah, that's right... you!  

And so back to our story, as Jacob looks at these events all he can say is 'All these things are against me.' And that is the end of the sentence. That is the end of his speech. Everything is against me. Full stop. But it shouldn't be the last word or end of the sentence for the Christian. 

The 'But God' endings

In all our troubles, thinking must be turned to include God. Jacob puts a large full stop after saying that all these things are against him, but we should never do that. With God in our lives, how can we end this sentence?

• All these things are against me, but God works all things together for good for those that love Him (Rom 8:28)
• All these things are against me, but we know that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope. (Rom 5:3-4)
• All these things are against me, but this light affliction is producing for me an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison. (2 Cor 4:17)
• All these things are against me, but I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. (Phil 4:13)

But as David Guzik writes, at this time in Jacob's life, his heart sang this song: "No one loves me, this I know. My misfortunes tell me so." J. Vernon McGee writes well on Jacob at this stage of his life saying:

Poor old Jacob! He's not the cocky individual we once knew, nor is he quite the man of faith that we shall see a little later. But he is growing. He is not bragging now but is very pessimistic. He says, "All these things are against me." His son, Joseph, would not have said such a thing, but Jacob is saying it. Joseph would have said the same thing that Paul wrote so many years later: "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose" (Rom 8:28). "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it unto the day of Jesus Christ" (Php 1:6).
Jacob's life was wrapped up in the life of this boy Benjamin. You see, Joseph was his favorite because he was the firstborn of his lovely Rachel. Now Joseph is gone, which is a heartbreak to him. Now he faces the chance that he may lose this other son of Rachel, and he says that if this takes place he will die. Very candidly, he would have. His life was absolutely tied up in the life of Benjamin. He is the son of his right hand. He is the walking stick for Jacob. Jacob leans on him. That is what he has been doing these past years; so Jacob says that he will not let him go down to Egypt. In the meantime, poor Simeon is down there cooling his heels in jail!
J. Vernon McGee

The natural man Jacob is strong...

Gen 42:37-38 Then Reuben spoke to his father, saying, "You may put my two sons to death if I do not bring him back to you; put him in my care, and I will return him to you." (38) But Jacob said, "My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he alone is left. If harm should befall him on the journey you are taking, then you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow."

So look at what Jacob is automatically doing in his mind. He says that Joseph is dead, he thinks Benjamin is going to die, and then he projects it all forward resulting in great sorrow leading to his own death! You will notice also that there is no place for God in any of Jacob's current thoughts. He doesn't ask God. He just let's his mind go to the 'worst case scenario'. "They will die, I will die... That's how it all ends boys. No no no! He is not going." But what would Jacob, aka Israel walking in faith, have said in such a time?  

So that is what he could have said¹ but he is not walking by the things that he cannot see, but by what he can see. He is not walking in faith but by sight, and what he sees doesn't look too flash! Yet while his brain is whirling, trying to think how he can get out of this situation, God is silently working. Jacob hasn't yet brought God into the situation, but God can, and will, turn the dial up a notch to bring that about!    

The dial is turned up!

Gen 43:1-2 Now the famine was still severe in the land. (2) 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." 

Often all God needs is time. He is patient. We aren't. Waiting, while God works, is very common both in scripture and in the life of saints today.

• You will recall that Joseph himself had to wait many years, while unjustly imprisoned, before deliverance came.
• Abraham and Sarah were given a promise of a son and still had to wait 25 years for Isaac to be born. 
• Moses wanted to deliver Israel out of Egypt but had to wait 40 years before the right time came!  
• A barren Hannah waited patiently for a child while being ridiculed at the same time... Yet God blessed her with a very special child - Samuel!
• David was anointed king by Samuel but still had to wait (and run) for around 15 years till he took the throne.  
• Zechariah and Elizabeth were likely 60 before they had their first child - and that was John the Baptist!
• Even Jesus had to wait 30 years before God’s appointed time to start His ministry.

So God plays the long game and we often start scrambling and get desperate when difficult times go on longer than expected! So as the famine continued day after day, their provisions became less and less and the need to go back to Egypt grew more and more. Jacob could well have been praying during this time... 

• Praying for God's provision, while God is saying 'my provision is in Egypt'. 
• Maybe even praying for the famine to end when God is saying 'this famine is from Me and for my purpose'. 
• Praying for a way that Benjamin doesn't have to go to Egypt, while God is saying I want him to go. And you! 

Often we don't really get what is going on and most of our prayers are simply what we would like to see happen so that all would be light and easy. Yet God has His ways and thus the famine went on and the pressure increased day by day... 

Gen 43:3-10 But Judah said to him, "The man warned us solemnly, 'You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.' (4) If you will send our brother along with us, we will go down and buy food for you. (5) 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.' " (6) Israel asked, "Why did you bring this trouble on me by telling the man you had another brother?" (7) 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 were we to know he would say, 'Bring your brother down here'?" (8) 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. (9) 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. (10) As it is, if we had not delayed, we could have gone and returned twice."

The GELUMUV (Gordon's extremely loose unscholarly made up version) "translates" verse 6 as 'Oh my boys! You dimwits! Are you even my sons? I wouldn't have told him anything and you, you just blabbed about everything, even about my precious Benjamin! Nincompoops... the lot of you! How could you do this to me?' But we see a little crack in Jacob's resolve starting to form. He knows there is little choice. The famine increases while the supplies decrease. It is simply a matter of time. It is also important to note that we see Judah step up here for the first time. Up until now God has not revealed which of Jacob's 12 sons the Messiah will come through. If you were looking at this point of time, you would definitely pick Joseph for he is such an amazing man and the clearest picture of Christ in scripture. But here is the first prophetic clue that maybe Judah will play a part. Judah is willing to put his own life on the line if anything happens to Benjamin. He is willing to take his place. We'll come back to this is a future study so just a little thought to ponder on for now.   

When the crack became a break

Gen 43:11-14 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. (12) 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. (13) Take your brother also and go back to the man at once. (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."

So Jacob is slowly broken down. He is squeezed more and more as all possible options fall by the wayside. And though it pains him, he knows that sending Benjamin down to Egypt is the only option. 

Judah repeats to his father the words of the man in Egypt. The ploughshare must go down deep. Benjamin must be yielded up. There is no deliverance for us without letting our heart's idols go.
E.H.C

But even here we see a wee glimpse of the natural Jacob still. He is still trying to work things out through human reasoning and so he goes back to something he has tried successfully before... 'Let's buy them off with gifts! Oh... it's a no is it? Well maybe this Whittaker's Dark Ghana chocolate will help you reconsider!?!' You might remember when a younger Jacob, in fear of his approaching brother Esau, sent waves of gifts through various servants to appease his brother:

"For he thought, "I will pacify him with these gifts I am sending on ahead; later, when I see him, perhaps he will receive me." (21) So Jacob's gifts went on ahead of him, but he himself spent the night in the camp.' (Gen 32:20-21)

And, to be fair, who could resist honey, pistachio nuts and almonds? That would work if he was trying to twist my arm! But all joking aside, verse 14 is the real key verse here for Jacob: 

'Take your brother also and go back to the man at once. (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." 

'May God Almighty grant you mercy' he says. Finally Jacob remembers the Lord and he calls Him God Almighty. And Israel takes the place of death saying 'If I am bereaved, I am bereaved.' Esther had to get to this point saying 'if I perish, I perish'. This is where we all have to get to in God's dealings with us but there isn't any quick way there. You are Jacob. I am Jacob. The natural man is Jacob. The spiritual man is Jesus. He was the One who, when faced with the cross, could say "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." (Mat 26:39) This is where we have to come to. This is taking up our cross - where God's will and our will cross. It is laying down your will and trusting Him². 

Mat 16:24-25 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. (25) For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.

So Israel prayed that may “God Almighty” grant you mercy. This is God all-sufficient. He has met God Almighty before³, when this all-sufficient One blessed Jacob, called him Israel, and promised to make him into a great nation. And so an aged and troubled Israel calls on this One again. He is broken once again. Jacob is becoming Israel once again. And it is all for his good. He has finally picked up his cross and said not my will but yours be done. 

And that is a good place to be!

Conclusion

So as we conclude, this journey and 'rebreaking' of Jacob into Israel once again is clearly seen in the contrasting speeches of Jacob and Israel from the start and end of our study. The Bible uses the same phraseology to introduce it, yet note how it changes the name of the one speaking between Jacob and Israel.

Gen 42:36-38 Their father Jacob said to them, "You have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more, and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me!" ... "My son will not go down there with you; his brother is dead and he is the only one left. If harm comes to him on the journey you are taking, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in sorrow."

This is what the natural 'Jacob' and the natural man says. 'Everything is against me... My son is not going down with you... you will bring my gray hair down to the grave in sorrow... No!' And yet, with time and God's work, Jacob is broken and Israel comes forth once more. And listen to what Israel says at the conclusion of this study:

Gen 43:11-14 And their father Israel said to them, "If it must be so, then do this: Take some of the best fruits of the land in your vessels and carry down a present for the man--a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds... Take your brother also, and arise, go back to the man. (14) And may God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may release your other brother and Benjamin. If I am bereaved, I am bereaved!"

• Jacob began the speech and spoke to his sons harshly. Israel ended the speech and spoke with brokenness and grace.
• Jacob began and was adamant, you will not take my son! Israel ended it, relenting asking for the mercy of God Almighty.
• Jacob began by blaming his sons for the situation. Israel ended it and brought God into the situation.
• Jacob began by seeing the events leading to his own death. Israel ended it, laying down his will and trusting God for the future.
• Jacob began by responding in unbelief and by sight. Israel had the last word, responding by faith in the unseen.

So that is the rebreaking of Jacob. But it is our story as well as God works in our lives to bring forth the new man. It is the new man Israel, and not the old Jacob, that is to dominate and rule in our lives. 

And the story is ongoing for both Israel, his boys and for us as well. Jacob's sons will make their second trip down to Egypt in the hope of freeing Simeon and bringing Benjamin back alive. 

But they will get a lot more than they bargained for as we shall see!

Blessings!  

FOOTNOTES