R.C. Sproul

As we come now to the next segment of the history of the life of Joseph, we move into that dramatic moment when, after all these years, Joseph meets his brothers again.

Now, how many years have transpired since Joseph was sold into slavery by their brothers?

How much time has passed since these men saw each other?

Remember, Joseph became prime minister of Egypt when he was 30 years old.

He had been betrayed by his brothers when he was 17 years old, so that 13 years passed between the time he had been sold into slavery and the time that he was elevated to the role of prime minister of Egypt.

But remember, after that, there's seven years of plenty.

So now we have 20 years that have passed between the time that Joseph had been betrayed and he sees his brothers again.

Now, not only that, we know that the brothers didn't come immediately at the beginning of the seven years of famine.

Don't know exactly how long it was, but we're now over 20 years that have elapsed since these boys, who are now men, had seen each other.

And so we read in verse 3 of chapter 42 this account.

So Joseph's ten brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt, but Jacob did not send Joseph's brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, lest some calamity befall him.

Now this takes a word of explanation.

If we would go back and look at the life of Jacob,

we remember how he wanted to marry Rachel, who was the daughter of Laban.

And Laban insisted that before he would give the hand of his daughter Rachel to Jacob in marriage, that he would have to serve Laban for seven years.

And Jacob labored for seven years.

And at the end of that time,

Rachel's elder sister Leah had not yet been married, and so since it was a shame for the younger daughter to be married ahead of the older daughter, Laban did some treachery with Jacob and said, okay, now you can have Leah.

and insisted that Jacob work another seven years for Rachel.

So Jacob had worked for his father-in-law 14 years to get Rachel.