Fear Not: God Has a Plan
We now have before us one of the most moving and powerful narratives in the entire Bible: the long-awaited reunion of Joseph with his father and brothers after a twenty-year separation. What stands out is that it serves as a prophetic picture of the day when we, too, will be reunited with our Father in heaven. This story is nothing less than a masterpiece of divine design. The emotions it contains—grief, forgiveness, restoration, and joy—form a whirlwind that I pray will stir our hearts and ignite within us a deeper anticipation of that glorious reunion awaiting us: with our God and with the loved ones we long to see again.
From this point on, the story unfolds rather quickly. As the brothers arrive in Egypt, we immediately see how the pieces of this design fit into place. With so many people coming for food (and all the earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain because the famine was severe in all the earth: Gen. 41: 56-57), we might conclude that it is more than coincidental that Joseph had his brothers brought before him. Perhaps, being a much larger caravan of 10 brothers, they had to go through more official channels. We know all these things are in God’s foreknowledge so that the brothers would meet face to face.
For Joseph, this was the beginning of such an emotional struggle, leading him to act in ways that may seem irrational, yet they carry deep meaning and relevance. We know that Joseph wanted to forget the past and how he named his firstborn, Manasseh, meaning one who forgets, because he wanted to put aside the pain, but how could he?
It was at this encounter with his brothers that Joseph remembered the dreams in which they bowed to him—dreams now on the verge of being fulfilled, as his brothers would bow down not once, but four times throughout this story. However, when Joseph finally recognizes his brothers, the text tells us that he becomes very angry. This immediately raises a question in our minds: Why such anger? Was it the sudden flood of memories, of betrayal, rejection, and the cruelty of being sold into slavery by his flesh and blood? Did the sight of them awaken the years of suffering, the loneliness of prison, and the pain of being forgotten? Or was his anger mingled with sorrow, seeing that they stood before him unchanged, still blind to their guilt, still far from repentance? What do you think?
It is here, at this moment, that we are invited to step into Joseph’s inner struggle. And so, right away, he is on the defensive and accuses them, saying, “You are spies; you have come to look at the undefended parts of our land.” This is a severe accusation that he repeats many times. The word spy appears seven times in Genesis 42.
But why accuse them of spying? Perhaps, when Joseph saw his 10 brothers, he realized the absence of his father and of his younger brother and wondered what might have happened to them. Did he think the worst? For he knew what his brothers were capable of. The charge of spying could have given him enough leverage to keep the brothers there to bring both Benjamin and his father down to Egypt. That is why we learn from later accounts that he specifically asked them if they had a father, and if they had another brother. When Judah later retold the events to Jacob, he explained how Joseph had asked them, “Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?” Yet even those very questions should have served as a clear sign. Why would an Egyptian governor take such a personal interest in their father and younger brother?
The clues were there, but the brothers could not recognize him; to them, their own story seemed incoherent and puzzling. Yet as the brothers stood before Joseph, accused of being spies, something deeper was happening to them: the Spirit of God was working. Suddenly, they remembered the way they treated their brother and began to believe that what was happening to them was the result of their mistreatment of Joseph. This could only have been from God.
Remember the words of God to Cain, that sin is crouching at the door, that it does not go away, but it is crouching (Hebrew: rabaz), as a lion ready to attack. This is why sin, every sin, needs to be confessed to God in the name of Yeshua and be covered. Sins’ effect will be felt if we don’t put it at the foot of the Tav.
When Joseph overheard the brothers confessing amongst themselves, it was too much for him. He needed to turn away and cry in private, Gen. 42:24a. This is the first of five times Joseph wept in this section of Genesis 42-50. Each time, his tears revealed the depth of his heart, torn between justice and mercy, memory and forgiveness. There is also something new Joseph learns here: he had not known that it was Reuben who had pleaded with the brothers not to kill him. Perhaps for this reason, in Genesis 42:24, Joseph chose Simeon, the next oldest, to remain in Egypt while the others returned home to bring back Benjamin as proof of their honesty. Above all, Joseph longed to see his younger brother again.
Perhaps the deepest anguish and joy came to Joseph when Benjamin was already with him in Egypt, and he just found out his father was still alive. Upon hearing from his brother what anguish would come to Jacob if Benjamin were held back in Egypt, Joseph could not bear the cover-up anymore. He had now heard how much his father suffered because of his own alleged death. The moment was more than overwhelming. He wept so loudly that many Egyptians outside the chambers heard, as did the household of Pharaoh. Repentance and truth brought tears of joy, but these also brought wisdom. In all the emotional turmoil, we hear Joseph telling his brothers, “God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.” Genesis 45:7. How beautiful to witness that the most powerful man in Egypt, second only to Pharaoh, though scarred by rejection, remained a devoted son and brother, one marked by forgiveness and reconciliation. Joseph’s weeping anticipates the heart of the Messiah Himself, who wept over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41), grieving for His people while longing to gather them to Himself.
Click Here for the Video : The Life of Joseph – Part 4