Hello my “Walking with Jesus” friends on this Monday,
Oh my, there’s so much going on in our world, and so often there seems to be injustice, unfairness, corruption, deceit, and normal people, like you and me, wonder if senior leaders will ever be held accountable. I wonder if you’ve ever faced a situation where you had the opportunity for revenge against someone who had harmed you in the past and had not been called to account? What did you do?
Let’s rejoin a remarkable scene happening in Egypt, during a time of terrible famine, which has brought starving people seeking help from Egyptian storehouses full of grain, thanks to the good planning of Joseph. This Joseph was named by the Pharaoh to be second in command to the Pharaoh himself, and given responsibility to manage 7 years of great abundance and prepare for 7 years of great famine. The abundance years are over and the famine is ravaging the land. Joseph had come to one of the food distribution centers to watch how well the distribution system, that he devised, is working as starving people come to Egypt from all the surrounding, famine stricken nations. As he and his body guards walk among the throngs of people suddenly Joseph sees a group of 10 men who look familiar to him. They have mules and empty sacks ready to make their grain purchase. The men approach and bow in respect. The record says Joseph recognized them as his brothers, the very ones who had sold him into slavery more than 20 years before! Can you imagine the emotions which welled up inside him in that moment?
Through an interpreter Joseph demands answers… “Where have you come from? Why are you here? You are spies, you have come to see where our land is unprotected.” (Gen. 42:9) The armed bodyguards likely leveled their spears as the men bowed low, perhaps even falling to their knees in fear and fearfully exclaiming, “No, my lord, we are all sons of one man. Your servants are honest men, not spies!” I imagine Joseph is feeling some gratification as he watches his brothers cower in fear, afraid the wrath of the Pharaoh may pour out upon them. He has the authority to throw them all in prison, or enslave them. He answers to no one except the Pharaoh, and if he were to say that he suspected them to be spies, Pharaoh would expect him to either execute them or enslave them. Revenge hangs in the air!
For 20 years or more, Joseph has been contemplating the day he might see his brothers and what he might say or do. Have you ever been in this situation of possible revenge? What did you do my friends? As he stares at them cowering in fear, one of the brothers speaks up cautiously, “Your servants were 12 brothers, all the sons of one man, who lives in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more.” (Gen. 42:13) Benjamin was Joseph’s younger brother. They were the only two sons of Rachel, Jacob’s favorite wife. She had died giving birth to Benjamin. (Gen. 35:16) Oh how Joseph’s heart must have wrenched at the mention of the youngest of the brothers and their acknowledgment that ‘one is no more’. Of course they were responsible for that weren’t they? That one is Joseph and they’d sold him like an animal to a passing caravan more than 20 years ago! Joseph paused, staring at them, perhaps speaking in Egyptian to his bodyguards only raising their fear that they might die right then and there.
Through his interpreters Joseph set the conditions… “You are spies and this is how you will be tested. As surely as Pharaoh lives, you will not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. Send one of you to get your brother, the rest of you will wait here in prison, so your words may be tested….” and they were all put in prison for three days!” (Gen. 42:14) It’s not difficult for us to imagine how terrified they must have been in an Egyptian dungeon with no way to defend themselves and totally at the mercy of what appeared to them to be an angry Egyptian official.
I wonder what the Spirit of God was doing in their hearts in those three long days and nights? Deep conviction, I imagine! That’s one of the important roles of the Holy Spirit, isn’t it my friends… convicting us of sin, for it’s in that place of shame and guilt for our sin, that we finally cry out to God for help, realizing there is nothing we can do to undo our sinful past, nor can we suddenly become perfect so we’ll never sin again. We are in hopeless sin bondage! It is there my friends, that God can help us, and that is why Jesus went to the cross, a sinless sacrifice, to pay the death price for your sin and mine! God will accept Jesus payment when a repentant person acknowledges their desperate sin guilt and trusts God to apply Jesus’ payment to their sin debt, and then declare them pardoned, forgiven! That’s the miracle of salvation by faith in Jesus, through God’s grace!
Those 10 brothers knew nothing of Jesus of course, it would be yet hundreds of years before Jesus would come. Nor does it appear they had learned much at all from Jacob their father, about the God of their great grandfather Abraham! They were helpless and hopeless, entirely dependent upon the grace of this Egyptian official who seemed convinced they were spies. It’s a picture my friends, of you and me and our hopeless bondage to our sin condemnation, entirely dependent upon God’s grace... which was at work in Joseph’s heart, that day!
On the third day of their imprisonment, the record tells us Joseph had them brought up from the dungeon to stand before him and he said: “Do this and live, for I fear God: If you are honest men, let one of you stay here in prison, while the rest of you return with grain for your starving families. But you must bring your youngest brother back to me, so that your words may be verified and that you may not die.” It really was amazing grace, wasn’t it? They had so terribly wronged Joseph 20 years before, selling him to a life of slavery. But during all those years Joseph had guarded his heart, not allowing it to become bitter or angry or resentful, but trusting that somehow the God of his great grandfather Abraham, would fulfill His Covenant promises regarding Abraham’s family. He’d never met Abraham, but I believe his father Jacob had told him some of the stories that he had heard from his grandfather Abraham when he was just a boy.
The brothers turned to discuss the offer given to them by this Egyptian official. He stood and watched and listened. Of course they had no idea he could understand what they were saying, he had been using an interpreter to speak to them at all times. They said, “Surely we are being punished because of our brother so many years ago. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen, that is why this is happening to us.” (Gen. 42:21) Deep, soul conviction is a powerful emotion isn’t it my friends? Joseph was deeply moved to hear them struggling with their memory of his terrifying day when they sold him. So moved in fact, he stepped away to weep, and then he returned to them, chose one of the brothers, Simeon, to be dragged off to prison, then instructed the grain sellers to sell them grain enough to fill their sacks and send them on their way.
As they lead their mules away carrying sacks full of Egyptian grain, one of them is leading two donkeys, for one brother is now in an Egyptian dungeon and will remain there until they return… if they ever return. Joseph turned to continue his work of watching over the grain distribution. What do you think the brothers talked about as they walked out of the city?
We’ll stop right here for today and ponder what we’ve just watched and heard. How will they explain this to their old father Jacob? When they stop for the night they will be shocked to discover something unexpected in their grain sacks and it will fill them with terror. We’ll look at that tomorrow… for today, I ask you to contemplate the power of grace, unmerited kindness, and the power of refusing revenge when you have the opportunity! Is God stirring your heart about someone who needs that from you today?
Here’s a song to help us consider this…
Today’s Scripture is Genesis 42:8-26.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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