Read with Me
Genesis 42:18-24 (HCSB)
On the third day Joseph said to them, “I fear God—do this and you will live. If you are honest, let one of you be confined to the guardhouse, while the rest of you go and take grain to relieve the hunger of your households. Bring your youngest brother to me so that your words can be confirmed; then you won’t die.” And they consented to this.
Then they said to each other, “Obviously, we are being punished for what we did to our brother. We saw his deep distress when he pleaded with us, but we would not listen. That is why this trouble has come to us.”
But Reuben replied: “Didn’t I tell you not to harm the boy? But you wouldn’t listen. Now we must account for his blood!”
They did not realize that Joseph understood them, since there was an interpreter between them. He turned away from them and wept. Then he turned back and spoke to them. He took Simeon from them and had him bound before their eyes.
Listen with Me
Joseph’s original plan, conceived on the spur of the moment, was to keep nine of his brothers in the jail in Egypt while he sent one of them back for Benjamin. But over the three days he had bought for himself by keeping his brothers in the jail, God had caused him to think differently. A single brother would not be able to transport enough grain to feed his starving extended family back in Canaan. So, he would only keep one brother in Egypt, while the other nine went back with food and with orders to return quickly with Benjamin.
Joseph explained to the brothers that the reason for his change of mind was that he “feared God”, using the Hebrew word for God (Elohim). It would have seemed remarkable to them that an Egyptian official even knew about the God of the Hebrews, let alone that he would know His name, and would fear him. This caused them to realize that their own God was somehow behind what was happening to them.
This was the reason for their anguished conference. They spoke quietly and in Hebrew, not realizing that the man who had held their fate in his hands could understand every word, because he was speaking to them using a translator. But their short conversation revealed two things to him. First, it told him that their consciences were bothering them about what they had done to him. And second, it revealed to him that Reuben had been on his side at the time of his betrayal by the rest of his brothers. These revelations struck Joseph to the heart, and he turned away so that his brothers would not see the tears that suddenly came to his eyes.
When he had regained control of himself, he turned back to them and delivered his judgment as to which of them would remain in Egypt. Rather than selecting Reuben, the oldest of the brothers, who had not betrayed him, he chose the next oldest, Simeon. The others would return home with grain and returned with Benjamin in order to free Simeon.
Pray with Me
Father, Joseph’s subterfuge was not done simply in order to be cruel. Before he could trust his brothers, he needed to be sure that they were not still people who hated him and who would betray or try to undermine him again once they knew who he was. In this one instance, he learned a lot that encouraged him to push further. The next test would tell him even more. Lord, it is clear that Joseph had far more than just human wisdom operating in his life. You Yourself provided divine wisdom that he used well. You promise us that same kind of wisdom today. Help me to operate in Your divine wisdom every moment. Amen.
Dear followers: I recently had to privilege to appear on the Christianese podcast with JD Shinn. The interview was wide-ranging, and appears on the podcast in two parts. If you would like to listen, you can find the Christianese podcast wherever you listen to podcasts! God bless you all! Will