Genesis 42:6-17 – Choose to act wisely because every cause has an effect

Exactly 13 years after they sold Joseph, his ten brothers came to him in Egypt to buy grains from him. To them Joseph was gone for good. Never in their imagination would they think they would ever meet him again, even if he was alive. By this time, Joseph was everything Egyptian, but only in his appearance. He was cleanly shaven, and wore fine linen garment that court officials were dressed in. He had the golden necklace given to him by Pharaoh around his neck. Joseph indeed had a very different look from the last they saw him. These plus the fact that they had not seen him for 13 years made it difficult for them to imagine that Joseph was the one standing before them. Now they were forced to bow before him. As much as they disliked bowing to a foreigner, it was necessary for their survival.

Unknown to them, Joseph recognized them almost instantly. All ten of them. They could be older but Joseph never forgot how they look. And of course he recognized the language they spoke for after all, deep inside him, Joseph was still a Hebrew. Although he recognized them, he did not show any sign that he did. So he conducted his business with exceptional composure and did not give away who he truly was. Being the person in charge, Joseph was in full control so he had peerless advantage. Besides, his brothers did not know who he was but Joseph knew them with precise familiarity. Since 13 years had now elapsed, Joseph needed to assess them and know what was in their hearts. He probably wanted to know if they had changed. Would they be just as cruel and heartless as they were 13 years ago? Were they as malicious and murderous as they were back then? What could be their feeling toward him now? Were they still as hateful of him as they were back then? How would they react under pressure? Would they betray and sacrifice each other in order to save their own skin? These and probably many other things he needed to know. If he had made known who he was to them, he would never truly know what was in their hearts. Their past misdeeds needed to be dealt with so that they would know exactly where they had gone awfully wrong. So immediately Joseph conceived an excellent plan. Joseph knew that his brothers were no simple folks. They were mass murderers who had massacred a whole lot of people at Shechem. He also knew first hand that they were people who had thrown a brother of theirs into the pit, and could turn a deaf hear to his prolonged and pitiful cry.

So he began interrogating them harshly. Verse 9 tells us that in the midst of his interrogation, he remembered his dreams. Just as he had seen in his dreams, his brothers were bowing to him. Deep within there must be a certain degree of satisfaction. Yet he must have realized that the dream had not fully come to pass as yet. For one more brother and his father was not there. So he charged them of spying, saying “You are spies; you have come to look at the undefended parts of our land.” They vehemently denied the accusations. But the repeated accusations must have rattled their nerves. His brothers couldn’t hold their true identity any longer. They probably couldn’t forget what they had done to Joseph. So they finally 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.” Their conscience was finally being awakened. They thought of Joseph whom they had sold, whether he was alive or not they did not know. So they confessed that “…one was no longer alive.” 

At this point, Joseph put them through a severe test. He dealt with them the way they had dealt with him. They harassed him then so he harassed them now. They accused him of spying on them while they were shepherding the father’s flock, he accused them of coming to spy in Egypt. They had thrown him into a pit, so he also had them thrown into the prison. Notice the parallel treatments he dished out to them were similar to those they had put him through. He also tormented them by asking for Benjamin, who by now would have replaced him in his father’s wounded and empty heart. For sure none of them wanted to be that messenger. Remember that the rooster always come back to roost. There will always be payback time. The end doesn’t justify the means, but the means will always determine the end. Yes, we certainly can decide a certain course of action. But remember that whatever decision we make we don’t have the right to choose the consequence. So choose rightly and live wisely.