Justin Houtz

Genesis 42-43; Psalm 5; Luke 17

DateVersionReading Plan
January 17, 2026ESV (2016)ESV Life Journal Plan – 2026

Genesis 42-43

Observation & Interpretation

Gen. 42:4 – Jacob did not send Benjamin with his brothers to Egypt to buy grain, fearing that harm might happen to him.

  • Jacob refuses to send Benjamin since he was the last remaining son of his favorite wife, Rachel, who was also deceased (35:19-20). Without Rachel and Joseph, protecting Benjamin becomes paramount. (FSB)

Gen. 42:15-16 – Joseph sought to test his brothers’ trustworthiness by having one of them bring their youngest brother, Benjamin, while the rest stayed in custody.

  • The terms of this test are simple and would appear reasonable given Joseph’s suspicion; the brothers must produce the 11th brother to verify their story. (FSB)

Gen. 42:18 – On the third day, Joseph told them that they would live if they did as they were told and that he feared God.

  • Not a statement of faith in the God of Israel—that would have proven fatal to their ruse. Rather, this statement certifies Joseph’s promise to release the one left behind upon the brothers’ return with Benjamin. (FSB)

Gen. 42:28 – The brothers blamed God that the money had been put back in their sacks.

  • The brothers had no reason to suspect that Joseph returned their money. Genesis 43:21 shows that they discovered the money on their trip home, heightening their suspicion that God was paying them back for their crime. (FSB)

Gen. 42:37; 43:8 – Both Reuben and Judah stepped up and were will to take on the responsibility of bringing Benjamin to Joseph.

Gen. 43:32 – Joseph, his brothers and the Egyptians all ate by themselves as it was an abomination for Egyptians to eat with Hebrews.

  • Joseph eats alone because he is a member of the political elite. The other Egyptians eat apart from Joseph’s brothers because of a cultural sense of racial superiority. (FSB)

Luke 17

Observation & Interpretation

Luke 17:15-16 – Of the ten lepers who were cleansed, only one returned—a Samaritan—and he praised God. It was only the Samaritan man who returned to give God praise.

  • They all had faith to be healed but only one of the ten turned back to thank the Lord. This one, interesting enough, was a Samaritan, one of the despised neighbors of the Jewish people with whom they had no dealings…Only the ten percent inherit Christ’s true riches. Jesus meets our turning back (v. 15) and our giving thanks (v. 16) with fresh blessings. “Your faith has made you well” suggests that whereas the nine were cleansed from leprosy, the tenth was also saved from sin! (BBC)

Luke 17:27-30, 32 – Jesus uses the stories of Noah and Lot to illustrate the Day of His coming.

  • Before Christ comes back, there will be no clear-cut warning signs that signal the end. Rather, it will be like (1) the days of Noah, when business as usual was carried on until the unexpected destruction of the flood, and (2) the days of Lot, when the status quo continued until, suddenly, fire and sulfur rained down on Sodom. (CSB Notes)

Resources