Joseph awakened his brothers' guilty consciences when he put his brothers in prison as spies after they had come to Egypt for grain. His keeping Simeon hostage while allowing the others to bring Benjamin back pricked their consciences even further.
Joseph treated his brothers as he did to discover how they felt toward Jacob and Benjamin who had taken Joseph's place in his father's affections. He also did so to see if they had genuinely repented of their sin against himself. He apparently did not act out of revenge, and he was not vindictive. Joseph simply wanted to uncover his brothers' hearts.
"Joseph's tests of his brothers were important in God's plan to channel his blessing through the seed of Abraham. God had planned to bring the family to Egypt so that it might grow into a great nation. But because the people who would form that nation had to be faithful, the brothers needed to be tested before they could share in the blessing. Joseph's prodding had to be subtle; the brothers had to perceive that God was moving against them so that they would acknowledge their crime against Joseph and demonstrate that they had changed. If they failed the test, God could have started over with Joseph, just as he had said he would with Moses in Exodus 32:10, when his wrath was kindled against Israel."859
42:1-7 Twenty-one years after his brothers sold Joseph into slavery they bowed before him in fulfillment of his youthful dreams (vv. 6-7; cf. 37:5-9).860
"The time was when Joseph's brethren were men of high respectability in the land of Canaan, whilst Joseph himself was a slave or a prisoner in the land of Egypt. Now, by a signal reverse, Joseph was governor over all the land of Egypt, while they appeared before him as humble suppliants, almost craving as an alms those supplies of food for which they were both able and willing to pay the price demanded."861
"The double identification of Joseph as hassallit[administrator] and hammasbir[dispenser] recall Joseph's two earlier dreams, the one in which the sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed before him (his position of authority), and the other in which the brothers' sheaves bowed before his sheaf (his position of provider)."862
The chiastic structure of verses 7-24 focuses attention on the brothers' imprisonment.
"AJoseph knew his brothers and remembered (7-9a).
BJoseph accused them of being spies, but they explained their situation (9b-13).
CJoseph set out a test whereby they could prove they were honest men (14-16).
DJoseph put them in prison (17).
C'Joseph set out a new test for the brothers to prove they were honest (18-20).
B'The brothers confessed their guilt concerning their brother, and Reuben accused them of their fault (21-22).
A'Joseph understood and wept (23-24)."863
42:8-17 Joseph remembered his dreams (v. 9), and the proof of God's faithfulness undoubtedly encouraged his confidence as he proceeded to deal with his brothers. He played a role before them charging them with a crime punishable with death in Egypt. Such a serious accusation encouraged his brothers to be as honest as possible, which is what Joseph wanted.
Probably Joseph wanted to be sure that his brothers had not killed Benjamin since they had contemplated killing himself (v. 15).
The three-day imprisonment provided Joseph with time to plan his strategy, and it impressed the brothers with the importance of cooperating with Joseph (v. 17). These three days also gave the brothers a taste of what Joseph had endured for three years. Joseph may have intended that they serve one day's imprisonment for each year he had suffered incarceration because of their hatred.
"A vindictive Joseph could have dismayed his brothers with worthless sackloads, or tantalized them at his feast as they had tantalized him (37:24, 25); his enigmatic gifts were a kinder and more searching test. Just how well-judged was his policy can be seen in the growth of quite new attitudes in the brothers, as the alternating sun and frost broke them open to God."864
42:18-24 Joseph's profession of faith in God (Elohim) told his brothers that he realized he was under divine authority and therefore would be fair with them.
The brothers saw divine retribution in what had happened to them (vv. 21-23). The brothers confessed their guilt in dealing with Joseph as they had done in his hearing. However, Joseph wanted to assure himself that they had also borne the fruits of genuine repentance (i.e., taken a different course of action with Benjamin and Jacob). Therefore he did not reveal himself to them at this time.
Joseph's heart had not become hard toward his brothers because of their treatment of him. He did not hate them (v. 24).
"There is nothing more striking in the character of Joseph than the utter absence of revengeful feeling, whether it was against his brothers, or against Potiphar, or against the chief butler."865
Rather his heart remained tender, and his brothers' confession moved him. Reuben as the eldest and most responsible son would have been the logical choice to retain as a hostage. Yet because Reuben had talked his brothers out of killing Joseph, Joseph passed him over and selected Simeon who was the next oldest.
42:25-28 Joseph restored his brothers' money to them out of the goodness of his heart. His gracious act would satisfy their needs but also cause them to search their souls further as they contemplated the consequences of their good fortune. When they first discovered the money in one of their sacks, they regarded what God was doing to them as a divine punishment (v. 28).
42:29-38 Each time Jacob's sons had left home they returned with more money but minus a brother (chs. 37, 42).866Jacob despaired because he had forgotten the promises of God (v. 36). He therefore concluded that, "All these things are against me."In reality God was causing all those things to work for Jacob (cf. Rom. 8:28). He would soon realize God's blessing.
"A great portion of our present trouble arises from our not knowing the whole truth."867
Reuben's offer of his two sons was the greatest he could make to Jacob and indicates true concern for his father (v. 37). He was willing to suffer in Jacob's place so that Jacob would not need to suffer. Nevertheless Jacob declined Reuben's offer (v. 38).
Throughout this chapter we can observe the attitude of Joseph's brothers changing. Faced with a personal crisis they acknowledged their guilt. They regarded their suffering as righteous divine punishment, and they began to place Jacob's interests above their own. However their repentance was not yet complete. The process of contrition had to run further before reconciliation was possible.
When believers have unresolved guilt in their hearts, God often convicts their consciences to discover if they are spiritually sensitive enough to participate in His program.
