These chapters should be taken as an entirety, and can be understood in 5 acts. Three (or 2.5) of them happened in Canaan, and the others happened down in Egypt. We pick up from the end of Gen 41, with a great famine that affected all the earth.
Act 1: Famine in Canaan (Gen 42:1-5)
God sovereignly uses this worldwide famine to stage an encounter of grace between Joseph and his ten brothers. Why an encounter of grace for all ten of the sons of Jacob? Up to now, the author of Genesis has shown us that the sons of Jacob were unbearably sinful men. Kent Hughes describes these brothers in his commentary:
“Apart from Benjamin, Joseph’s brothers were a miserable lot. Sons two and three, Simeon and Levi, were guilty of premeditated genocide in the slaughter of the unsuspecting Shecemites (c.f. Gen 34). Number one son, Reuben, had committed incest with his father’s concubine in an attempt to secure ascendancy over his father Jacob (c.f. 35:22). Next, all ten of them had taken young Joseph and stripped him and beaten him and thrown into a pit with fratricidal intent – which was only averted by a passing caravan and his sale into Egypt (c.f. Gen 37:12-28). Number four son, Judah, then impregnated his daughter-in-law, Tamar, who had disguised herself as a Canaanite prostitute (c.f. Gen 38).
But in God's timing and justice, they were now coming to face judgment in their encounter with their brother, Joseph. The 10 sons that sent Joseph away were now being sent down to face their victim and judge. Can you see how the events in Joseph’s life were not by accident, but that everything happened with a strong sense of God's purpose. Something as simple as a famine - seemingly unrelated to their spiritual and moral lives - was being used as God's instrument for justice and ultimately, grace. God, who does not change, uses natural means to achieve His supernatural purposes. Our lives, too, are not out of His control. What is He doing in your life?
Act 2: Guilt in Egypt (Gen 42:6-28)
The story tells us that in Egypt, they found themselves accused of being spies and were thrown in prison. In Gen 42:22, the brothers demonstrate their line of reasoning. They surmised that their 'poor fortune' in Egypt and false accusation was evidence of their “reckoning”. This gives us the sense that they knew they had done something very wrong. From verse 18, they were shocked when they heard the Egyptian reference their God (Elohim) in the picture. Before Him, they knew that their sins were being called into account, and that this Egyptian was simply a part of God's plan for justice. Can you see how guilt stricken and wracked they were? They associate their calamity with their personal sin. Notice also the irony of their long encounter with Jacob. Originally, Joseph wanted to keep all the brothers and only send one back to retrieve Benjamin (v.14). Then after 3 days, the reversal takes place (v.18). One is kept, and all are sent back. What were they discussing for three days under the first arrangement? Doubtlessly, they were thinking about who should go back and who would have the best chance to come back and save theml. Imagine their shock when now they had to ask the opposite question - who would they have to leave behind. Almost certainly, they would have been thinking about the one brother they did leave behind, the one they did not save - "the one who is no more". Again and again, through Joseph's arrangements, they were experiencing the uneasy feeling of their guilt. As they were reminded of their guilt, their fear was palpable. Though they knew their father's God, He was to them a judge, calling them to account for their sins.
Act 3: Fear in Canaan (Gen 42:29 - 43:15)
The ten brothers returned to Canaan with one brother less, but that was not all. On their way back, the found their money in their sacks (in fact, twice) (Gen 41:26,35). What was going on, they must have thought? Would Simeon be safe? With this new development, they had to retell the entire account to Jacob. In their retelling however, they left out some details. What is unmistakable too in their account is how they kept emphasizing that "one is no more". Their guilt for what happened with Joseph is evident.
Jacob is not blind to his sons’ fault (Gen 41:36) and is clearly upset (Gen 41:38). He is crushed that having lost Joseph, he has yet lost Simeon to Egypt. The old man's heart is crushed. Yet, because he does not want to lose Benjamin, his final son by Rachel, he is unwilling to let Benjamin return. His reasoning goes this way: having lost Joseph and Simeon, if I give up Benjamin too, and something happens to him - I will die. Worse - if we can't guarantee the safe return of Simeon, then all 9 plus Benjamin will be lost to me - then ALL my sons will be lost in Egypt. Yet, the situation was so bad that Jacob relents (43:1).
Act 4: Grace in Egypt (Gen 43:16-44:2)
There is a lapse of time between acts 3 and 4. Here, Judah volunteers to lead the brothers back and Jacob tells them to bring gifts too. But, from Gen 41:14, we see Jacob's ultimate fear -- that if God Almighty does not grant them mercy, he will lose all his sons. We see Jacob, surrendered to the Almighty God, laying all his sons before God as an offering and crying out to Him for mercy to be shown to them. What is mercy? Mercy means to NOT receive what we deserve.
In Egypt, Joseph welcomes them with great fanfare, preparing a feast in the middle of a famine, and even inviting them to dine with him in his house. The steward welcomes them and prepares them for their meeting. But in this encounter with their Egyptian host, they are shown tremendous mercy and kindness. Instead of being treated as thieves and cheats, justice and punishment is not given to them. In Gen 43:23, Joseph's steward tells them that they received their money back because God returned it to them. They were also greeted with "Peace to you". (The Bible has a specific idea of peace. It is not a generic sense of calm, but rather, it conveys the idea of shalom, peace, and wholeness, back to Eden.) This special Hebrew greeting indicates both a familiarity with Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, but also, a relationship of peace and goodwill. This is not what the brothers were expecting. When they finally, meet, Joseph asked after Jacob, if he was shalom. They were also seated according to their ages, as if he knew them. Benjamin also gets abundant portions (and all these in the famine). These show Joseph's love and their unexpected reception of grace. Grace means to receive in abundance what one does not deserve at all. And grace they receive indeed - apart from the sumptuous food, their feet are washed, they are welcomed into the lord's house, they receive food from his own table and rich hospitality.
They feared that they would not receive mercy, and that they would get what they deserve. But now these wretched men wrecked by their guilt received so much more than they expected or deserve. The mercy shown to them is so palpably obvious - that they who would kill, lie and steal come into the very presence of the one they killed and abused - and they are not punished for their crimes. More than mercy, the grace they are shown instead in the warm reception and rich welcome is entirely undeserved. Mercy and grace shown to those who deserved punishment and vengeance is utterly on display here. And there is joy and merrymaking.
Act 5.1: Framed along the way (Gen 44:3-13)
On their way back to Canaan, they received word that one of them had Joseph's silver cup. Joseph had launched the ultimate test, and he wanted to see how his brothers would they treat each other. This was a test of their understanding of mercy and grace. How would they respond after being shown mercy and grace? This is what Jesus teaches in the NT, in the parable of forgiven servant - that the evidence of our true understanding of the gospel of mercy and grace is how we treat one another. How will we respond to others when we have received so much? How will we sacrifice for them? How will we suffer with and for them? These are indicators that we truly understand the gospel. And this becomes all the more evident when the cup is found in Benjamin's possession. Joseph is testing their love for Benjamin and for their father to see if they have indeed repented and changed. The brothers are of course, utterly horrified when they see the cup and without any word of protest, they return to Egypt, mourning and weeping.
Act 5.2: Gospel in Egypt (Gen 44:14-45:14)
When confronted, Judah is the first to speak. And his speech is resigned and humbled - the words of apology. Significantly, note that Judah's mind again goes to the sin of betrayal of Joseph and God's judgment. He references the sin that has been found out, and in a truly broken repentance, he confesses his sin. He says that they knew that God had seen what they did years ago, and perhaps this was really their reckoning.
But Joseph makes his test even more intense. He only wants the one who took the cup. As readers, we can feel the tension in the story. How would they respond? Would the brothers who had abused Joseph years ago now make the same mistake with Benjamin. Judah responds with verse 33, passionately trading and substituting himself for Benjamin. What a difference from the violent, incestuous man from chapters before! In Judah's plea for mercy, he offers himself as a substitute for Benjamin. In doing so, he shows Joseph true repentance and change. He shows him a broken, humbled heart, offering to be Benjamin's replacement - for the sake of love of his brother and for his father.
Joseph had wanted to test them, but let us also consider how in the same way, we face the test of our understanding of mercy and grace. Our actions and response to situations reveal our understanding. Whether or not we live selfishly, or whether we serve others shows our understanding of the gospel. Whether we are willing to suffer in the place of others shows our understanding of the gospel. Whether we love one another sincerely shows our understanding of the gospel.
Finally Joseph can bear it no longer and he responds with great grief. In Gen 41: 4, he calls them to come close. He had forgiven them for what they did. He also offered them comfort and persuaded them to see God's greater plan. They sent him to Egypt to die, but God sent him here to live. And all these because God sought to preserve a remnant. Do not miss the beauty of verse 8! Now, they can return and leave Egypt without guilt!
What enabled Joseph to forgive his brothers eventually. These long chapters shed light on his struggle to forgive. Notice how did not forgive them immediately, but it took time. Joseph needed a few encounters before he eventually forgave, at with a cost. In forgiving his brothers, he absorbed the pain himself. He had to give up his right to inflict revenge and to make his brothers pay for what they did. There is a cost to forgiveness. Either the sinner has to bear the guilt of not having sins forgiven, or the person being sinned against has to give up the right to demand a payment.
In the same way, because of Jesus, grace is freely available but it does not come cheap. Someone paid the price for our sins, that we might live, and that was Jesus. God chose to pay the debt on our behalf and absorb the pain so we could receive His forgiveness. These chapters in Genesis remind us that we live in a world that God sovereignly controls and love. God brought together various events and encounters, so a family could reconcile. Donald Barnhouse describes it beautifully:
“The jealous hatred of brethren; the dreams of youth; the passage of a caravan bound for Egypt; the preparation of Joseph by a life of adversity; the anger of Pharaoh and the imprisonment of two officials; the strange dreams of these prisoners and Joseph’s supernatural gift of interpretation; the dreams of Pharaoh; the change of rainfall in a fourth of Africa to bring about two cycles of abundance and famine by the flood and failure of the Nile; the elevation of Joseph to the throne of Egypt – all of these things were brought about naturally by the supernatural work of God who is Lord of all, in order to fulfil the counsel of His will”
And the story of this family, set in the larger context of Genesis and God's plan for the world since Genesis 3, is but one of many, many events that testify to God's plan to reconcile sinners back to Him. As Joseph and his family were restored in these chapters, God continued to preserve a remnant. God kept his promise to Abraham, and ultimately climaxed in Jesus.