Facing our past

We began this week by asking everyone to re-read the chapters in Genesis -- chapters 42-43. I hope you've done that, and we are ready to roll!
(Hang in there, this may be lengthy today!)
Some people read these two chapters and they get all in a swivet, as my grandma used to say....they focus on the fact that Joseph is not being honest with his brothers for the moment. They feel like he should have identified himself immediately to them. Why didn't he? Why didn't he just give them the food and send them away? Or perhaps tell them, "Hey! Good to see you again -- oh, by the way, I'm not a slave anymore. I'm the number two dude here in Egypt."
Are we wondering why the subterfuge?
I think that Joseph was interested in more than just their physical needs: he wanted to see if there could be true reconciliation.  Looks to me like in all the years in Egypt, and throughout his rise to power, he didn't stop thinking about his elderly dad, and he never disowned his brothers. They were still his family. I think we can see that deep down, even though he dressed like an Egyptian, and talked like one (talked to his brothers through an interpreter), he really wasn't an Egyptian. He was still the son of Jacob. He still longed to be part of the family he'd been torn away from. That couldn't really happen if he just loaded up their animals with food and slapped the donkeys on the rump and said "Bye now!"
There were questions that Joseph needed answers for..... did his brothers still hate him? Had they ever repented of their treachery and betrayal? Would they even want him in the family again? Pretty hard questions. So, to get honest answers, Joseph takes the difficult road of concealing his own identity.
In Genesis 42 and 43, we have a series of tests for the brothers. We shall see if their consciences are awake, or if they are still seared and sleeping.....

Wonder how the brothers looked when Jacob told them to go to Egypt to buy food? I bet there were some nudges on shins and some glances between them. That was where they'd sent their brother, all those years ago -- that was the last place they wanted to travel to!
Did you notice how things progressed in our two chapters?
The famine and the loss of their prosperity stripped them of their self-sufficiency. Harsh treatment brought to their minds the way they'd treated Joseph. The three days in jail reminded them of the pit they'd thrown him into. Simeon being bound and left in Egypt reminds them of how their family was divided. Joseph's demand for them to bring Benjamin is a test of their honesty -- they've spent years lying about their sin! The returned money forces them to admit to each other that they are truly guilty.
There's a truly significant turning point in the lives of the brothers, once they have spent three days in the Egyptian prison (did you wonder, as I did, if it was the same one that Joseph had lived in?).

They said to one another, “Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that’s why this distress has come on us.” (Genesis 42:21)

This is important! They have made the first step on the road to repentance! During their three days in prison, the Spirit of God has nudged them to remember.... did you notice what they recalled?
Not that they had hated him. But they did.
Not that they'd plotted against him. They did that, too.
Not just that they betrayed him. Oh, they did that, indeed.
And not just that they threw him in the pit.
They recalled his screams and cries from the pit, as they callously joked and ate their meal. In spite of their seared consciences, nothing had been able to erase that memory. God has connected their past sin with their present situation. The first step is to stop blaming others, and admit that we are wrong.

The second significant step is when they discover the silver in the sacks on the way home. Joseph had secretly put the silver that was designated to pay for the grain, into the grain sacks -- this made it look as if they had stolen the whole kit and kaboodle.

 “My silver has been returned,” he said to his brothers. “Here it is in my sack.”Their hearts sank and they turned to each other trembling and said, “What is this that God has done to us?” (Genesis 42:28)

This is amazing, but perhaps not for the reason we first think: this is the first time that we see the brothers mention God's name. All the while that they did their past misdeeds, God was relegated to the sidelines. They didn't have to think about Him there. Now they have to admit the truth..... they admit their sin, and they see God's hand at work.
That whole, tangled up, evil web of lies has not been erased. It's been lying in their hearts like the edge of a super-sharp knife, ready to cut if they allow themselves to think about it. And now the Spirit of God has kinda tapped on their shoulders and said, "Remember?" So, they realize that God is bringing their sin to light.

It's hard sometimes for us to be honest with God, isn't it? And it's hard to be honest with others. For many of us, it's a constant battle to be transparent in all our dealings. Why? Because when we have sinned, we want to cover it up! It's difficult to say, "I am guilty," or "I was wrong." Many times we act just like these brothers and try to cover up our sin, and then stifle our conscience. But we will have an awakening, just as these brothers are....
The sons of Jacob have passed their first test -- they've admitted what they have done, and the Holy Spirit is telling them that what happened twenty years ago is connected to what's happening to them today. So, they go back to Jacob and tell him that they must take Benjamin back to Egypt with them. Of course, he resists.

Their father Jacob said to them, “You have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more,and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me!” (Genesis 42:36)

He believes Joseph is dead. He knows they left Simeon in prison in Egypt. He doesn't want to lose Benjamin, too. The ruse is working.....no one has a clue that the man in Egypt is Joseph. So they head back to Egypt, with Benjamin in tow -- all of them fearful of what may happen.
When they arrive, nothing makes sense. There's a grand banquet being prepared in the palace. Simeon is released from prison. Joseph walks into the grand hall, and then leaves -- seeing his little brother Benjamin overwhelms him with emotion, and he leaves in order to compose himself.

Deeply moved at the sight of his brother, Joseph hurried out and looked for a place to weep. He went into his private room and wept there.31 After he had washed his face, he came out and, controlling himself,said, “Serve the food.” Genesis 43:30-31)

Then the banquet begins; how strange, as they go to the table.....their places are around the table, arranged in their precise birth order! How could any Egyptian know that?
And then one thing more: when the food is brought out, little brother Benjamin receives five times as much as the others (because he was Joseph's only full brother).  It's a TEST! Will they allow others to be blessed more than themselves? It was the old green monster of jealousy that started this whole story! Back then, envy caused them to turn against Joseph. But now they rejoice because Simeon is out of prison, and they are all together. It doesn't matter if Benjamin gets more, because everyone has plenty.....

We'll finish our study of this chapter tomorrow.