He was real, but could also act some. It's what he used to test his bros.
Joseph was now in a position where he could do a whole lot, so he opted to interrogate a bit.
The Bible says Joseph, "acted as a stranger to them (his brothers) and spoke roughly to them. Then he said to them, 'Where do you come from?'" (Gen 42:7-17)
Did Joseph do wrong here? Nope. Were the brother guilty inside? Yes.
"A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity." Proverbs 17:17
The brothers said to one another, "We are truly guilty concerning our brother, for we saw the anguish of his soul when he pleaded with us, and we would not hear; therefore this distress has come upon us." (Gen 42:21-24)
Keep in mind God can, and must, sometimes use ways we think are harsh to call us to where He wants us to be. We must never resent it, because it was the hardness of our hearts that demanded it. "Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word" (Psalm 119:67). There is indeed a time for each of us to serve or help a sinner..making sure we aren't getting in the way of God doing His work in their lives. If Joseph didn't test to see if his brother's hearts had softened, had been changed, to see if they really were repentant, then it would NOT have been smart for him comfort and help these sinners continuing on to do similar sins (like to Benjamin). Past behavior often predicts future behavior.
-- There was not a completely logical connection between their current situation and their previous treatment of Joseph. But a guilty conscience sees every trouble as sin's penalty.
-- Did you know that the United States government has something called the Federal Conscience Fund, which collects money people send in because they know they cheated the government in some way. People have sent in money because they took army blankets for souvenirs, for cheating on postage, or on income tax. But our consciences are notoriously weak or corrupt. One man wrote the IRS and said, "I cheated on my taxes and can't sleep at night. Here is a check for $100. If I still can't sleep, I'll send the rest I owe."
Seems like Joseph’s whole life was about crisis management, from those on a smaller personal level, to those of a few people around him, to those of a whole nation. He served the Lord well with crisis management and time management..allowing God to give him wisdom to apply.
And Joe also had some acting acumen. He had the skills that might make him successful in Hollywood today. It had been twenty-one years since his cruel brothers had seen him. He was only seventeen years old at the time when they sold him off to the caravan headed towards Egypt, and now it is a couple decades years later. Joseph is thirty-eight years old and has matured.
He is dressed as an Egyptian, he spoke as an Egyptian..with a translator, he acted as one with the brothers in Egyptian. And they just didn't recognize him at all. Who would expect to see their li’l brother there in Egypt, you know, in this elevated position? And so “made himself strange to them” (Gen 42:7), and though he quickly recognized them. He had the advantage because they didn't recognize him. They spoke in Hebrew and he was listening in Hebrew.
And Joseph well remembered the dreams he had of his brothers, and then he voiced to them about how they were spies! That’s where the acting was kicking in. You've come to see the nakedness of the land. And they said unto him, Oh no, my lord, but to buy food, that's why we have come. We're all one man's sons; we are true men (honest כֵּן Heb ken), the servants--thy servants are really NOT spies.
And he said unto them, Oh no, to see the nakedness of the land is the reason why you've come. And they said, Thy servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not. And Joseph said unto them, That's it, I've said it unto you from the beginning, You are spies (Gen 42:9-14). Joe is probably thinking Oh honest men..really now?..and guess who is standing right in front of you guys.
"Lord, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill? He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, And speaks truth in his heart." Psalm 15:1-2
"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.." Romans 1:18
"But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ.." (Eph. 4:15)
And so Joseph is just really giving them a rough time, you know, as they are there and he said, “In this manner you shall be tested: By the life of Pharaoh, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here.” Gen 42:15
You all will be proved! And this governor under the Pharaoh wanted their youngest brother to come on down there! Yeah, there was some needed testing of the brothers. “Then he took servings to them from before him, but Benjamin’s serving was five times as much as any of theirs. So they drank and were merry with him.” Gen 43:34.
FIVE? Why five times as much? Well, think about it.
This was indeed strange. Benjamin’s serving was five times as much as theirs and for the longest time I really couldn't figure out why Joseph even did that. Why repeat that favoritism in this family again?
But then I got it. It hit me. Joseph was trying to find out if his brothers still had that inner problem. This was Benjamin the other son of beloved Rachel, Joseph's little brother and Joseph stood there watching em and wondering.
Joseph had sought to test his brothers to see if they still had that greed, jealousy, anger and envy. Remember how they had sold Joseph due to this weirdness inside?
But guess what. These brothers are starting to overcome those old spiritual stumbling blocks.
Real greed? Well, the brothers had sold him to a passing caravan of Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver (37:25), the average price of a slave in that era.. inflation later drove this to thirty shekels, Exod 21:32. What is so striking is the providential timing that both spared Joseph’s life and transported him to that Egyptian household. The caravan is just passing the brothers as they sat down to eat after throwing Joseph in that ugly pit (37:25).
Even in the midst of Joseph’s suffering there with their evil activity, God was at work behind the scenes to save people. Knowing the future, God was at work to arrange for the future deliverance of not only Joseph, and not only his family (45:7), but also for many people in Egypt and the Levant (50:20).
When Judah asked what unjust gain the meaning of the term for “profit” or “gain” (in 37:26) they could get from killing their brother, you’d expect him to repudiate the unjust gain altogether. Instead, he suggested sparing their brother by selling him to the traders (37:27). Unlike Reuben, Judah did not spare him simply in hopes of later setting him free; he wanted to make a profit. This narrative underlines the participants’ heartless depravity.
And remember the cup was somehow put in the bag.
"So he searched. He began with the oldest and left off with the youngest; and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack." Gen 44:12
After finding that they "tore their clothes". Don’t ask me why. I’ve always wondered why they did that back in the day.
So what is happening on the inside? God is breaking their hearts and melting them into submission to both direct and delegated authority.
The service was top notch. One right after the other, multiple waiters came in to serve the brothers. And guess what. They all have the same size tray with all the same food on it, but then they come in to where Benjamin is seated and they basically gave Benjamin five of everything…... and everybody else just got one.
Now these passages emphasize the priority of repentance and the holy fear of God.
- The Bible says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Proverbs 1:7
- “The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.” Proverbs 8:13
This passage also emphasizes the loving Providence of God.
Providence – The continual direction and guidance of God for His creation towards good designated ends.
- “Providence “is the (hidden) hand of God in the glove of history.” —Vernon McGee
- “Providence is that continuous agency of God by which He makes all events of the physical and moral universe fulfill the original design with which He created it.” —Strong
- “Providence is God’s sovereign rule over all His creation by which He accomplishes all He was pleased to ordain before the foundation of the world.” —D.R. Smith
- “Providence is the means by which God’s hidden hand directs all things, both animate and inanimate, seen and unseen, good and evil toward a worthy purpose…which means that His will must finally prevail.” —D.R. Smith
- “The term confluence refers to the flowing together of two or more currents. It derives from the Latin root that means to flow with. The term confluence can also be rendered from its synonym, concurrence. This word is crucial for our understanding of the doctrine of the providence of God because an aspect of the doctrine of providence is the doctrine of concurrence, or confluence. The doctrine of concurrence refers to historical events in which the work of Providence has been acted out through human agencies. That means at the same time human agents are acting, God is acting in and through them.” —R.C.Sproul
The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.” Proverbs 16:33
God preserved and protected Israel during the captivity through promoting Daniel, Nehemiah, Esther and Mordecai to strategic places of authority. We've been talking about how God used Joseph in Egypt. “Purim” is the Hebrew word for “lots” taken from Esther 3:6-7, when Haman cast lots to see if it was a good day to ask the king for permission to kill Jews throughout the kingdom. Haman’s toss of dice to determine the day to petition the king was all part of God’s providential timing for Esther.
This Genesis passage gives hope.. and the possibility of recovery in God. (ie, Think about Judah which means “praise.” He didn’t start out as such a godly man. In chap 38 we see he married a wicked adulterous wife, he commits incest -- was a real disgrace -- this Judah. But something's happened to him now pressure property his conscience, the deepening of his love for his family. It's never too late with God.
Never forget. God can recover a whole lot, and even restore broken families. He says, “And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. Unchecked Copy Box And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed.” Joel 2:25-26
So practically speaking what are some things I can do, Kurt?
I say evaluate well--be a fruit inspector. Pray, listen and stick with the facts.
In our day is there ever a need to test, to prove, to evaluate like a fruit tester. Absolutely, Joseph did that! Be sure to test their message against what the Bible says (of course we don't judge hearts or their final destination, cuz only God can see the interior of individuals).
"Open your mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy." (Prov 31:9)
I would say in this day of violent rioting like with antifa or BLM, ISIS and Hezbollah.. in this day of Islamic invasion and unrest, this day of US division like we've never seen before, In this day of unprecedented brokenness and hostility where company-loyalty and job security often ruptures, and the basic foundations are crumbling.. loyalty in the family, workplace, and with friendships.. matter! Be what you know they should be in this area.
Do you feel distant from the Lord. Guess who moved. He did his part--He initiated. It’s time to respond, to proactively earnestly, diligently seek the Lord. It's time to regularly sow to the Spirit (in the word, pray, fellowship and witnessing). Not passively either..with indifference or distraction. Wait on Him for his leading as Lord. Watch closely you can board not running ahead or lagging behind. Live wisely zealous on fire tight with Jesus.
"And those who seek me find me." Proverbs 8:17
- He’s not hiding from you--never has been. God the Father loves you as much as He loves His own Son.
- He’s not ignoring us -- God won't do that cuz of His great love.
- He’s not out of reach from you. He hears your cry, but it's good to daily reach out.
I think we just want God to make the first move ..and many don’t realize that He already did that. He came here and died in your place in my place ..on the cross but now Jesus is alive. God is the Initiator, people are the responders...so respond to His Gospel Message today.
Jesus didn't have to, but He left heaven for you. He made the first move!
God became flesh here on earth, He lived as an example..without one sin..and then He suffered and died and rose again. He showed us that His love is real.
God became flesh here on earth, He lived as an example..without one sin..and then He suffered and died and rose again. He showed us that His love is real.
Why Western parents.. many of us.. repeatedly run after our prodigals like over that hill and to the mire, or to their party life.. to beg them to come out and return home. Why do that? Did the Father in that parable do that? Nope. But we beg them to change when they don't want to and say they aren't ready to. It's a waste of time with these closed minded sinners. Why do it when there are too many others who are open to hearing the Gospel.
I say stay loyal to God, to your spouse, to your boss short of sinning and to your family members and friends. Just pray and win them to Christ. Then build them up spiritually. Help them our cuz that's what Joseph did.
Joseph first tested his brothers'. He wanted to know their hearts and motives. Tested them some -- he needed to see some humility, some brokenness, some honesty and concern for both his dad and his brother Benjamin. Remember Jacob was seriously sinned against as well--totally lied to. Was there an attitude of selfless sacrifice for siblings or would there be more selfish sacrifice of siblings... like with Benny?
Joseph wanted to celebrate a real family reunion, not some fake one with fake news. He wanted to bless and help his brothers really, but didn't want to jump the gun ahead of God. He wanted to set proper boundaries too so that the sin wouldn't be easily repeated. Sure, there were some diagnostic negotiations of sorts. And he got to celebrate and fellowship with them.
Often times people are not changed when they see the light, but they are when they feel the heat. Why get in the way of the consequences when God is working in their lives? Joseph wasn't codependent wasn't an enabler didn't block God or his grace. If we're not careful we can help the sinners in their sinning to send more.
Chuck Swindoll lives in the area and down on Forest Lane once asked us.. How many times must we parents Slaughter the fattened calves? How many times must they repeat their folly?
How many times will the resources go out to them, the money? How many have wasted it on non-repentant fakers... only to do it again and again. I say spend your time with the open-minded sinner who wants to learn from the Bible and Christ's Gospel. I say refrain from casting your pearls before swine so to speak, and casting that which is holy to the spiritual dogs?
We see the good Christian examples live it before us. But still we humans often learn in direct correlation to the amount of suffering that we endure? We often learn in direct correlation to the amount of pain trouble hardships and trials that we go through. That's how we often become willing. I heard a coach add in.. and I'm here to cause suffering until you get it right. Most people who come to Christ for forgiveness do so after some pain sorrow and trouble instead of after a life of ease and no lack.
I say pray your way through Genesis and the whole Bible. Pray that God will send a biblical Revival, will send another great awakening. I say ditch the false teachers that function inside and outside of churches
Joseph was like cream that floats to the top every time. Joseph had character and integrity. He was using gifts and talents for God's glory. I say do your part by the Spirit in helping to bring closure on the Great Commission.
We often change when the pain involved in changing becomes greater than the pain in simply changing.
God disciplines His kids--it's cuz of His great love. He also allows hard circumstances into lives He loves. He sends judgement, allows some troubles. I ask why get in God’s way to block people when God wants to get their attention so they can decide for the Gospel? Know and seek Him with all your heart. Learn of His timing, of His word and kind ways. Minister, employer.. why not you increase or create some consequences aka hardships where needed ...in love. Is it time for wise trimming, weeding out, or pruning?
Employer, father, pastor, teacher, parent, governor, leader, it's actually your responsibility to maintain a peaceful orderly and pleasant workplace, or home, or class, or realm under your authority... where those around you can take root, work and flourish..... a place that's conducive for learning the truth and how to wisely apply it.. a place for candid confession and repentance unto faith, life and growth... not one of chaos, negative uproar, turmoil or danger. Listen, "love... always protects" (1 Cor. 13).
Why feel forced to become rebel-centered again..or problem-centered, or serial prodigal-centered, or troublemaker-centered. Don't do it, instead live Christ-centered.
Parent, do you have other kids in your fam. How come we never hear about them, but only the clever repeat offender over and over.. getting all the Christian love and attention?
I'd say there are only three chairs in life. If you're in one of them that represents lukewarm or cold then move over to the hot on-fire chair in Christ. There's only two kinds of people: born-again believers and unbelievers, saved and lost. Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost! If you repented and were saved... are you still immature or carnally minded. Are you lukewarm spiritually or worldly? Change, live red hot with passion for God! Don't waste another day.
When out witnessing of your faith in Christ, remember how we ask questions just to diagnose is a sense..and find out how to proceed with each individual.... it can be good when we give out Scriptures that fit right.
If the non repentant brother or sis stubbornly continues on with their hard heart.. with their pet sins, with their harming others.. with their breaking God's laws of love and laws of the land they will reap what they sows. Just don't block the consequences when they break the law. Call the Cops to deliver them -- have them arrested and don't wimp out. Live the life. Give people both love and truth--sometimes the hard truth they don't feel like hearing. Are they under your roof and authority? I say show the serial non-open rebels to the exit door of your home, especially if they're doing drugs in your house or place of biz. Tough love. No excuses. Joseph tested his bros first and then enjoyed fellowship with them.
