Repentance, the path to Reconciliation, Genesis 43-45:15

We have been looking at the life of Joseph and his brothers in our study of Genesis.  And I would like to try to conclude this story in this message today.  But to do that I would have to cover so much scripture that it would not be possible to adequately deal with it all in one sitting.  So today we will look at the next two and a half chapters and see if we can’t come to a reasonable conclusion.  There will be some other details of the lives of Jacob and Joseph and the eleven brothers that we will not cover, but our intention in studying Genesis was not to do an in depth verse by verse study, but to cover the highlights in Genesis.

And so you will remember that the brothers have visted Egypt to buy grain during the famine, and they met Joseph, who hid his real identify from them, they were accused of being spies, their brother Simeon was kept in prison pending their return with Benjamin, and they went back to Canaan with food and provisions, and confronted their father with the verdict of Joseph that they must return with Benjamin to prove their innocence.  And you will remember that we said that Joseph did not do all of that in order to take revenge upon his brothers, but to bring them under conviction of their sin, to bring them to repentance, and ultimately to bring about reconciliation and deliverance.

Now in chapter 43, vs 1 we read, “Now the famine was severe in the land.  So it came about when they had finished eating the grain which they had brought from Egypt, that their father said to them, "Go back, buy us a little food."  Judah spoke to him, however, saying, "The man solemnly warned us, 'You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.'  "If you send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food. But if you do not send [him,] we will not go down; for the man said to us, 'You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.'" Then Israel said, "Why did you treat me so badly by telling the man whether you still had [another] brother?"  But they said, "The man questioned particularly about us and our relatives, saying, 'Is your father still alive? Have you [another] brother?' So we answered his questions. Could we possibly know that he would say, 'Bring your brother down'?"  Judah said to his father Israel, "Send the lad with me and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, we as well as you and our little ones.  "I myself will be surety for him; you may hold me responsible for him. If I do not bring him [back] to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame before you forever. 1 "For if we had not delayed, surely by now we could have returned twice.”

It’s likely that the brothers went to Egypt for grain in the first year of the famine. Joseph knew it would last seven years, but his brothers did not. They probably thought it was one bad year, but the second year of famine came quickly.  Perhaps Jacob originally thought they had enough to survive the famine and they would never need to go back with Benjamin, and never need to go back and get Simeon. But the famine wore on, and eventually they ran out of food.

So necessity drove Jacob to do something he would normally never do. We could  speculate that Jacob prayed earnestly for the famine to break, and asked God to send relief. We could speculate that Jacob might have became angry with God for not answering those prayers. But God had a plan which was so much better for Jacob than he could ever imagine.

Notice also that Judah shows signs of having a truly repentant heart. Judah was willing to put his own life on the line as a guarantee for Benjamin. Previously, Judah was the one who had proposed the sale of Joseph. But now he shows works in keeping with repentance.

Look at vs 11.  “Then their father Israel said to them, "If [it must be] so, then do this: take some of the best products of the land in your bags, and carry down to the man as a present, a little balm and a little honey, aromatic gum and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds. Take double [the] money in your hand, and take back in your hand the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks; perhaps it was a mistake. Take your brother also, and arise, return to the man;  and may God Almighty grant you compassion in the sight of the man, so that he will release to you your other brother and Benjamin. And as for me, if I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved."  So the men took this present, and they took double [the] money in their hand, and Benjamin; then they arose and went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph.  When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to his house steward, "Bring the men into the house, and slay an animal and make ready; for the men are to dine with me at noon."  So the man did as Joseph said, and brought the men to Joseph's house.  Now the men were afraid, because they were brought to Joseph's house; and they said, "[It is] because of the money that was returned in our sacks the first time that we are being brought in, that he may seek occasion against us and fall upon us, and take us for slaves with our donkeys.”

It’s particularly poignant that Jacob, or Israel says, “may God Almighty grant you compassion in the sight of the man.”  Were it not for the mercy of God, then none of us would have a hope of salvation. Without divine mercy there can be no reconciliation.  Mercy is not getting what you deserve.  None of us deserve salvation. It is a gift of God. And these brothers deserved death for what they had done. At the very least, they deserved a life in prison. And yet though Joseph is working to bring them to repentance, already his mercy has spared their lives, and planned for their deliverance and reconciliation.

Then notice that when Joseph sees them, he wants to invite them to eat with him.  Eating a meal together is symbolic of fellowship, of communion. Joseph is presented here as a type of Jesus: He wants to dine with us, meaning that Jesus wants fellowship with us. In Revelation 3:20  Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”  And one of the first things we are told will happen after the second coming of Christ is that we will dine with Him at the marriage supper of the Lamb. 

Vs19 So they came near to Joseph's house steward, and spoke to him at the entrance of the house,  and said, "Oh, my lord, we indeed came down the first time to buy food,  and it came about when we came to the lodging place, that we opened our sacks, and behold, each man's money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full. So we have brought it back in our hand. We have also brought down other money in our hand to buy food; we do not know who put our money in our sacks."  He said, "Be at ease, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks; I had your money." Then he brought Simeon out to them.  Then the man brought the men into Joseph's house and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their donkeys fodder.  So they prepared the present for Joseph's coming at noon; for they had heard that they were to eat a meal there.”

The brothers thought it was wise to explain all the things  that had happened last time to the steward of Joseph’s house before they had to explain it to Joseph himself.  The brothers expected to be seized as slaves and have everything taken from them. Yet Joseph treated them with kindness. This love and mercy from Joseph would win them over and bring them to full repentance. And in the same way, though our sins caused Jesus to be crucified, yet He does not seek revenge upon us, but in HIs mercy He forgives us, and desires us to be reconciled to Him.

Vs 26 When Joseph came home, they brought into the house to him the present which was in their hand and bowed to the ground before him.  Then he asked them about their welfare, and said, "Is your old father well, of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?"  They said, "Your servant our father is well; he is still alive." They bowed down in homage.  As he lifted his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son, he said, "Is this your youngest brother, of whom you spoke to me?" And he said, "May God be gracious to you, my son."  Joseph hurried [out] for he was deeply stirred over his brother, and he sought [a place] to weep; and he entered his chamber and wept there.  Then he washed his face and came out; and he controlled himself and said, "Serve the meal."  So they served him by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because the Egyptians could not eat bread with the Hebrews, for that is loathsome to the Egyptians.  Now they were seated before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth, and the men looked at one another in astonishment.  He took portions to them from his own table, but Benjamin's portion was five times as much as any of theirs. So they feasted and drank freely with him.”

Joseph was visibly moved at seeing his only full brother, Benjamin, whom he last saw as only a small child. He was so overcome with emotion that he went into his chamber and wept. 

It’s also important to notice the segregation that is shown with his family.  As far as anyone could tell, Joseph was an Egyptian, and the Egyptians did not eat with other nationalities or really have any social intercourse with them.  And so here we see the wisdom of the plan of God. Through this event, God would bring the entire family of Israel into Egypt, where they were isolated from the surrounding people for some 400 years. In that time, they multiplied greatly, increasing to the millions. If God had allowed them to remain in Canaan, they would have probably assimilated into the idolatrous societies of Canaan. God not only had to take the family of Israel out of the corrupt environment of Canaan, but He had to put them among a racially separated people who would not often intermarry or mingle with them. And so to provide for the posterity of the nation of Israel, God had sent Joseph on ahead to prepare the way.

Notice that Benjamin’s serving was five times as much as any of theirs: This was another test, to see how they would react when the younger brother was favored, because they had resented it so much when Joseph was favored by his father.  Maybe Joseph wanted to see if there was a change in the heart of his brothers, or if they were the same men who threw him into a pit and were deaf to his cries for help. That’s what repentance is, a change of heart. And it would seem that his brothers did in fact exhibit a change of heart.

Chapter 44, vs 1Then Joseph commanded his house steward, saying, “Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man’s money in the mouth of his sack. Put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his money for the grain.” And he did as Joseph had told him. As soon as it was light, the men were sent away, they with their donkeys. They had just gone out of the city, and were not far off, when Joseph said to his house steward, “Up, follow the men; and when you overtake them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid evil for good? Is not this the one from which my lord drinks and which he indeed uses for divination? You have done wrong in doing this.’ ”

So he overtook them and spoke these words to them. They said to him, “Why does my lord speak such words as these? Far be it from your servants to do such a thing. Behold, the money which we found in the mouth of our sacks we have brought back to you from the land of Canaan. How then could we steal silver or gold from your lord’s house? With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my lord’s slaves.” So he said, “Now let it also be according to your words; he with whom it is found shall be my slave, and the rest of you shall be innocent.” Then they hurried, each man lowered his sack to the ground, and each man opened his sack. He searched, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest, and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. Then they tore their clothes, and when each man loaded his donkey, they returned to the city.

This is probably the best test of whether or not the hearts of his brothers had changed or not. When they had sold Joseph into slavery, they had showed no regret upon seeing him taken into captivity and sold to a foreign country.  So it would seem that Joseph wanted to see how they would respond when Benjamin was to be taken captive.  Would they have the same regard for Benjamin as they had for Joseph?  But the fact that they tore their clothes, that they showed such grief, and returned to the city without considering the cost to themselves was a good indication that they had a true change of heart.

Vs14 When Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house, he was still there, and they fell to the ground before him. Joseph said to them, “What is this deed that you have done? Do you not know that such a man as I can indeed practice divination?” So Judah said, “What can we say to my lord? What can we speak? And how can we justify ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants; behold, we are my lord’s slaves, both we and the one in whose possession the cup has been found.” But he said, “Far be it from me to do this. The man in whose possession the cup has been found, he shall be my slave; but as for you, go up in peace to your father.”

Judah says to Joseph, “What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak? Or how shall we clear ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants.”  With these words, Judah revealed God’s work of repentance among the brothers. Even though they might have claimed innocence, or that the cup was planted in the bag, they have begun to recognize the hand of God in all of this. God is bringing back their sin to haunt them. They know that God has seen their iniquity, and their sin is the cause of all this trouble.  

Vs18 Then Judah approached him, and said, “Oh my lord, may your servant please speak a word in my lord’s ears, and do not be angry with your servant; for you are equal to Pharaoh. My lord asked his servants, saying, ‘Have you a father or a brother?’ We said to my lord, ‘We have an old father and a little child of his old age. Now his brother is dead, so he alone is left of his mother, and his father loves him.’ Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me that I may set my eyes on him.’ But we said to my lord, ‘The lad cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.’ You said to your servants, however, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.’ Thus it came about when we went up to your servant my father, we told him the words of my lord. Our father said, ‘Go back, buy us a little food.’ But we said, ‘We cannot go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down; for we cannot see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’ Your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons; and the one went out from me, and I said, “Surely he is torn in pieces,” and I have not seen him since. If you take this one also from me, and harm befalls him, you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.’ Now, therefore, when I come to your servant my father, and the lad is not with us, since his life is bound up in the lad’s life, when he sees that the lad is not with us, he will die. Thus your servants will bring the gray hair of your servant our father down to Sheol in sorrow. For your servant became surety for the lad to my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then let me bear the blame before my father forever.’ Now, therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the lad a slave to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brothers. 34For how shall I go up to my father if the lad is not with me—for fear that I see the evil that would overtake my father?”

Judah’s impassioned speech to Joseph is a model of a heartfelt, desperate appeal. Of Judah’s speech, F.B. Meyer wrote: “In all literature, there is nothing more pathetic than this appeal.” H.C. Leupold wrote, “This is one of the manliest, most straightforward speeches ever delivered by any man. For depth of feeling and sincerity of purpose it stands unexcelled.” Barnhouse called it “the most moving address in all the Word of God.” Perhaps we should see it as a great example of a humble, heartfelt prayer for mercy. 

Twenty years before, Joseph’s brothers didn’t care about their father when they reported Joseph’s supposed death. Judah’s appeal showed they were now greatly concerned for the feelings and welfare of their father. This was further evidence of a change of heart. Paul, in Acts 26:20 speaks of his preaching to the Jews and Gentiles, that they should repent, and do deeds appropriate to repentance.  Repentance then is more than just feeling sorry, but making restitution when possible, doing the opposite of the evil which you have done before. And we see this evidence of repentance in Judah’s speech.

Chapter 45, vs 1. Then Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried, "Have everyone go out from me." So there was no man with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. He wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard [it,] and the household of Pharaoh heard [of it.]  Then Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?" But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence.

Joseph ordered all the Egyptians out of the room and then was alone with his brothers. His great emotion showed the depth of his love for his brothers and  that he did not cruelly manipulate them out of spite. He was directed by God to make these arrangements, and it hurt him to do it.  But 20 years of pent up hurt came bursting out of him in an outcry that reached the ears of Pharaoh, and shocked his unsuspecting brothers.  They were dumbfounded and unable to even speak at his revelation.

Vs4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Please come closer to me." And they came closer. And he said, "I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. Now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine [has been] in the land these two years, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt.”

Joseph remembered their sin of many years before. Yet in mercy, Joseph did not want to punish them, nor for them to be grieved or angry with themselves. Yet he did not diminish what his brothers did. But he saw that God’s purpose in it all was greater than the evil of the brothers.

All Joseph’s sorrows were for a greater purpose. God used them to preserve his family and provide the conditions for it to become a nation. Joseph was a victim of men, but God turned it around for His glory. None of it was for a loss.  After his father Jacob died, Joseph assured his brothers that he would not cause them grief for their sin against him.  He would say on that occasion, in Genesis 50:20 "As for you, you meant evil against me, [but] God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.” 

What is noticeably missing on the part of Joseph is a victim mentality.  I think the whole world is sick with victim mentality today.  Everyone is always focused on me, me, me, poor pitiful me. Everyone focuses on the wrong or the perceived wrong they are suffering under. But Joseph was willing to endure the sufferings that he went through for the sake of the benefit of others.  And that is the attitude that we should have as Christians.  

Heb 12:2-3 tells us that Jesus was willing to suffer for our sakes and that we should follow His example.  “Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

So we see that God used man’s evil for HIs good purposes. Charles Spurgeon said, “How wonderfully those two things meet in practical harmony – the free will of man and the predestination of God! Man acts just as freely and just as guiltily as if there were no predestination whatever; and God ordains, arranges, supervises, and over-rules, just as accurately as if there were no free will in the universe.”

Joseph realized God ruled his life, not good men, not evil men, not circumstances, or fate. God was in control, and because God was in control, all things would work together for good.

Vs 9 "Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, 'Thus says your son Joseph, "God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. You shall live in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children's children and your flocks and your herds and all that you have. There I will also provide for you, for there are still five years of famine [to come,] and you and your household and all that you have would be impoverished."' Behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin [see,] that it is my mouth which is speaking to you. Now you must tell my father of all my splendor in Egypt, and all that you have seen; and you must hurry and bring my father down here." Then he fell on his brother Benjamin's neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck.  He kissed all his brothers and wept on them, and afterward his brothers talked with him.”

Well that passage concludes with the kisses of full reconciliation and the frank communion, tears answering to tears as they fall onto each others neck.  Full reconciliation has taken place. You can certainly see in this incident the benefits of divine discipline. Peace finally comes to the family after 20 years of having Joseph’s crime upon their hearts. Conviction has come and now finally repentance and works made for repentance are done and the result is they find themselves in the hand of a loving God, who gives them peace, who gives them protection through the prime minister, who will supply all of their needs, deliver them from death, and provide for their future.

And that of course, is a picture of the Lord Jesus who works to bring us to the conviction of our sin, which is followed by true repentance, having a change of heart which we call conversion.  And when we are given forgiveness of our sins by the mercy of God, then we can have full reconciliation with God, so that we might have fellowship and communion with the Lord who will supply and provide for all our needs, and provide for our eternal inheritance.  

Conviction, Repentance, Reconciliation, Gen. 42.

Turn in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 42.  You will remember that in our study of Genesis, we reached the point where Joseph had been delivered from prison in Egypt, where he had been a slave, and promoted to the second highest position under Pharaoh. You might say that he was the prime minister of Egypt.  We all know that to be true, but I wonder if we truly appreciate how incredible it was for an incarcerated slave to be made the prime minister of the largest empire in the world in a single day.  

And of course, God arranged for that promotion of Joseph in order to provide for His people during a severe famine.  Joseph had interpreted Pharoah’s dreams which foretold of a coming famine of such severity that it would affect all the known world for seven years. And because of Joseph’s insight, they were able to put aside grain in storage during the seven plentiful years which would provide for the seven years of famine.

In fact, let’s read from the last two verses of chapter 41; “When the famine was [spread] over all the face of the earth, then Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold to the Egyptians; and the famine was severe in the land of Egypt.  [The people of] all the earth came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe in all the earth.”

About 30 years ago, long before I moved to the beach and began this church, I was an antique dealer living in Belair Maryland. I was fairly successful in that business and had reached a certain plateau of recognition in my field and was doing very well. I built a house that was a Williamsburg style reproduction on a large tract of land.  And it seemed I regularly found what I used to call a national treasure, or hitting a home run.  I thought that God blessed me in that business, and that He was prospering me because I was a Christian.

But then I encountered a series of circumstances in my life starting with illnesses that completely debilitated me. These events had a snowball effect that within about three years had practically caused me to lose my health, to go bankrupt, lose my home and all the things that accompany a train wreck of one’s life.

Of course, like most people who go through a great crisis, I tried to find answers in the Bible. I prayed for deliverance and restoration. I didn’t know if God was causing it all or allowing it to happen, or why. I got my heart right with God as much as I knew how.  I prayed constantly and read my Bible constantly and sought wisdom from the Lord.

Somehow, through seeking the Lord, I became hopeful and then convinced that I was going through a crisis similar to that presented here in the life of Joseph and that if I could just hang on for 7 years, then God would overturn the spiritual, physical and financial famine in my life and I would then see restoration, that God would bring me up out of “prison,” restore my finances and health.  I saw a correlation in my life between the 7 years of famine and what I was going through, and that if I could just get through that 7 years, God would restore me.

I say all of that to illustrate that as Christians we can easily be guilty of poor exegesis of scripture, and  convinced of things that the Bible does not promise because we have taken scripture out of context or misinterpreted it altogether.  We can incorrectly apply the word of God, even though we might be as sincere as we can be, as dedicated to the Lord as we can be. I had taken some elements of this story of Joseph out of context and wrongly applied them to my situation. I had conjured up promises in scripture which were not there. I thought if I applied faith to those promises that God was obligated to answer them according to my desire.  

And consequently, not only did I go through seven years of the worst circumstances that I could imagine, but at the end of that time,  I almost lost faith in God altogether because He did not do what I though He had promised.  He did not restore me to the former prosperity and health that I had thought that He would.  In fact, my situation continued on for  several years  more after that seven year period before I began to slowly climb out of all those circumstances, and in fact I am still dealing with some of the ramifications of it today.  However God did use that long period of testing and trials to work a spiritual change in me, and actually get me to the point where I was willing to serve Him as a preacher of the gospel.

So I tell you all of that to caution you that we must be careful what we extrapolate from scripture. We must accurately divide the word of God, and guard against interpretation in light of our agenda and our priorities, rather than submission to God’s purposes and plan.

But there are principles in this story though that we can safely apply to our lives today. And one of those principles is that God uses trials and difficulties in our lives as a means of sanctification.  God uses fiery trials to purify us, to burn off the dross in our lives.  

And there is another principle we see here, that God may combine His blessing and fiery trials which seem to run concurrently.  Joseph was suffering as a slave, and suffered by being incarcerated, yet at the same time, God was with Joseph and caused blessing and favor to be given to him both in slavery and in prison. Another principle is that God did not eliminate the trial or shorten the trial because of Joseph’s faith or faithfulness. God had a plan, and He sustained Joseph through the trial.  Joseph was 17 when he was sold into slavery, and he was 30 years old when Pharaoh exalted him to the position of prime minister. 

And another principle is revealed in the passage we are looking at today, which is the  process of Joseph recognizing his brothers and causing them to go through a period of testing in which God awakened their consciences and convicted them of their sin concerning the betrayal of their brother.  God uses conviction to bring them to repentance,  which must come before He will bring them to reconciliation.

So we read in chapter 42  vs 1, “Now Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, "Why are you staring at one another?"  He said, "Behold, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down there and buy [some] for us from that place, so that we may live and not die."  Then ten brothers of Joseph went down to buy grain from Egypt.  But Jacob did not send Joseph's brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, "I am afraid that harm may befall him."  So the sons of Israel came to buy grain among those who were coming, for the famine was in the land of Canaan [also.]

We might surmise that at the mention of Egypt, Jospeh’s brothers felt a pang of guilt. I’m sure it wasn’t the first time in these 20 some years that they had thought of the evil that they did to their brother, and perhaps wondered what had happened to him, whether he was even still alive or not. But as Jacob noted, they were staring at one another when he had mentioned going to Egypt, because they all felt the same pang of their conscience, knowing that it was to Egypt that Joseph had been sold into slavery.  The whole world was going there to buy grain during the famine, and yet they had no desire to set foot there, lest their guilty consciences remind them of the great evil that they had done.

But nevertheless, the patriarch demanded they go, and so they did, although Jacob was wise enough not to let Benjamin, the other son of Rachel, go with them.  Perhaps he suspected all along that something had gone amiss with Joseph because of his other sons. And there was no way he would trust them again with the second son of Rachel.

Vs 6 Now Joseph was the ruler over the land; he was the one who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph's brothers came and bowed down to him with [their] faces to the ground.  When Joseph saw his brothers he recognized them, but he disguised himself to them and spoke to them harshly. And he said to them, "Where have you come from?" And they said, "From the land of Canaan, to buy food."  But Joseph had recognized his brothers, although they did not recognize him.  Joseph remembered the dreams which he had about them, and said to them, "You are spies; you have come to look at the undefended parts of our land."  Then they said to him, "No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food.  "We are all sons of one man; we are honest men, your servants are not spies." 

Its really ironic that they claim they are honest men. They were guilty of dishonesty and treachery of the lowest level.  But it’s typical of man that when he thinks of himself, he really doesn’t see himself as being an evil person.  We tend to gloss over our sin while putting other’s sins under a microscope. But repentance cannot begin without first a conviction of your sin, and a confession of it.

 Yet Joseph said to them, "No, but you have come to look at the undefended parts of our land!"  But they said, "Your servants are twelve brothers [in all,] the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and behold, the youngest is with our father today, and one is no longer alive."  Joseph said to them, "It is as I said to you, you are spies;  by this you will be tested: by the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go from this place unless your youngest brother comes here!  "Send one of you that he may get your brother, while you remain confined, that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you. But if not, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies." So he put them all together in prison for three days.

Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he acted as a stranger: He spoke through an interpreter (he did not yet want to reveal that he spoke Hebrew), and did not reveal his identity to his brothers, but treated them roughly instead. Joseph did this guided by the Holy Spirit. This wasn’t taking revenge or twisting the knife. The Bible says that one of the jobs of the Holy Spirit is to convict us of our sin.  And so God planned it this way not only to save them from famine but to bring them under conviction, leading to repentance, that He might bring reconciliation with God and with Joseph.

And in this, we see Joseph as another picture of Jesus. Jesus sees who we are long before we see who He is. He recognizes you for who you really are, not who you pretend to be, He sees you as one who has sinned against God — and yet He still loves you and works  to bring you to reconciliation to Him.

Notice also that Joseph remembered the dreams which he had dreamed about them. Joseph wasn’t just playing games with his bothers. It’s quite possible that if it were up to Joseph, he would have revealed himself to his brothers right then and there. But God recalled the dreams to his mind and guided him to be an instrument for the conviction and restoration of his brothers.

It’s interesting also that Joseph puts them in prison for three days. Joseph had suffered in prison for years through no fault of his own. But God uses three days in an Egyptian prison to humble them, and get them willing to submit to what He wanted them to do.

Vs 21 Then they said to one another, "Truly we are guilty concerning our brother, because we saw the distress of his soul when he pleaded with us, yet we would not listen; therefore this distress has come upon us."  Reuben answered them, saying, "Did I not tell you, 'Do not sin against the boy'; and you would not listen? Now comes the reckoning for his blood."  They did not know, however, that Joseph understood, for there was an interpreter between them.  He turned away from them and wept. But when he returned to them and spoke to them, he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes.

Their guilty conscience told them this complicated mess was because of the way they treated Joseph before. The quickness with which they associated these events with their sin against Joseph meant they often remembered that sin. In fact, I think Reuben’s response about how this was a reckoning for his blood might indicate that they thought that surely Joseph had died as a slave in Egypt. They didn’t expect him to survive for 25 years. But God was quickening their conscience, that He might bring them under conviction.  There wasn’t really a logical connection between their current situation and their previous treatment of Joseph, but a guilty conscience sees every trouble as the penalty for your sin.

Joseph was overcome with emotion as he saw and understood this work of God in the conscience of his brothers. God had to do a deep work in the hearts of these brothers for the relationship to be reconciled. There could be no quick and easy, “We are sorry, Joseph!” in this situation. Simply being sorry for the consequences of your sin is not repentance.  God guided events so the brothers saw their sin clearly and repented completely before Joseph’s true identity was revealed and their relationship was restored.

Vs 25 Then Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain and to restore every man's money in his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. And thus it was done for them.  So they loaded their donkeys with their grain and departed from there.  As one [of them] opened his sack to give his donkey fodder at the lodging place, he saw his money; and behold, it was in the mouth of his sack.  Then he said to his brothers, "My money has been returned, and behold, it is even in my sack." And their hearts sank, and they [turned] trembling to one another, saying, "What is this that God has done to us?”

Whether he was aware of it or not, God guided Joseph to do some strange things that would bring about true repentance and reconciliation with the brothers. God was working His plan through Joseph. This wasn’t just as if Joseph was playing practical jokes on his brothers or just trying to make life difficult. We don’t know how much he may have sensed it, but this was all guided by God.

So we see that Joseph gave them provisions and even gave them their money back  before they were reconciled to him. They had yet to repent or ask forgiveness — yet He loved them and provided for them. He was gracious to them and they didn’t even know it!  In the same way, Jesus provides for us while we were yet sinners, and gives us  undeserved grace. Some of His providence we can see immediately, some we may not understand until later — but He gives to us even before we were reconciled to Him.

But the goodness of Joseph, much like the goodness of God, only increased the guilt of their conscience.  Notice they say, "What is this that God has done to us?”  They seem to be starting to recognize that God must be working through these events, though they don’t understand it.

Vs 29 When they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them, saying, "The man, the lord of the land, spoke harshly with us, and took us for spies of the country. But we said to him, 'We are honest men; we are not spies. We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is no longer alive, and the youngest is with our father today in the land of Canaan.' The man, the lord of the land, said to us, 'By this I will know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me and take [grain for] the famine of your households, and go. But bring your youngest brother to me that I may know that you are not spies, but honest men. I will give your brother to you, and you may trade in the land.’"

Vs 35 Now it came about as they were emptying their sacks, that behold, every man's bundle of money [was] in his sack; and when they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were dismayed. Their father Jacob said to them, "You have bereaved me of my children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and you would take Benjamin; all these things are against me."  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."  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.”

The fact was, that Jacob believed a lie.  He had believed the lie of the brothers concerning Joseph. He believes that Simeon is no more, though we know that wasn’t true, and God would restore Simeon as well as Joseph to him.  But what that illustrates is that if we believe what isn’t true, whether it be a lie of the devil or a lie of man, then believing a lie can deprive us of the blessing of what is true.  

The truth of the gospel  tells us that God provides forgiveness, and life. But the lie of the devil says that our sin is too great, that God will not forgive us.  The lie of the devil says that the life that God gives is bondage, that we will lose our freedom, while in fact our sin is bondage.  But if we believe the lie, then in effect we make it true. We must believe the truth, and the truth will set you free.

At the very moment Jacob was saying “all these things are against me,” God was working out His plan. There was a plan in all this, even when Jacob couldn’t see it or feel it.The plan was not only good for Jacob and his family but would impact all history. God was working all things together for good (Romans 8:28).

The motto of too many Christians is all these things are against me. We see our trails as just needless suffering. We even think God must be against us. We see the present circumstances as a dead end that blocks our way, that we cannot circumvent. Instead, our motto should be Romans 8:28: And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.  God isn’t saying that every individual circumstance is good in of itself, but that God can and will work everything, even what seems evil,  together for good to those who love God, who the people who are called according to His purpose.

Jacob, however, is still learning to trust God.  Jacob had wrestled with God his whole life, always trying to maintain his independence, trying to direct the outcome of his life to his advantage.  God wanted what was best for Jacob, though Jacob doesn’t seem to want to trust God completely.  But through these twisted, circuitous ways, God will bring about reconciliation for Jacob and  his sons, and provide for them a way of escape from the famine, and make them into a great nation according to the promise given to Abraham.

God’s promises to Abraham would be fulfilled, and His plan for the Savior of the world of whom Joseph was a type, His plan would be fulfilled through the lives of these unfaithful, unworthy men. God had spoken to Abraham so many years before back in Genesis 15:13-14  [God] said to Abram, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years. But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions.

God has a plan that He is working through the ages, to bring many sons into His kingdom, to give us a future and an eternal inheritance.  He brings us to glory through many sufferings and trials, but He has determined that we would be made into the sons and daughters of God by His grace and mercy and by His provision. We must simply trust God and submit to Him as Lord, and He will work everything together for good.