If you had a chance to get back at your siblings for all the grief they caused you as a kid, would you take that opportunity to toy with them? What about all the grief you caused them? Aren't you glad grace covers our sins? Aren't you glad because of grace, we don't always get what we deserve?
Although it looks like Joseph is toying with his brother's, I believe God is providing the path to repentance and restoration. The brother's are given a "time out" to reflect on what they have done. I bet Joseph really wanted to run and hug them when he first saw them but remained restrained because of God's instruction.
Sometimes repentance can look like a "time out" in prison. God loves us so much He won't leave us where we are at. He'll do what ever it takes to get our attention and bring us to restoration with Him.
Genesis 42:7-17 NLT
7 Joseph recognized his brothers instantly, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them. “Where are you from?” he demanded.
“From the land of Canaan,” they replied. “We have come to buy food.”
8 Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they didn’t recognize him. 9 And he remembered the dreams he’d had about them many years before. He said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see how vulnerable our land has become.”
10 “No, my lord!” they exclaimed. “Your servants have simply come to buy food. 11 We are all brothers—members of the same family. We are honest men, sir! We are not spies!”
12 “Yes, you are!” Joseph insisted. “You have come to see how vulnerable our land has become.”
13 “Sir,” they said, “there are actually twelve of us. We, your servants, are all brothers, sons of a man living in the land of Canaan. Our youngest brother is back there with our father right now, and one of our brothers is no longer with us.”
14 But Joseph insisted, “As I said, you are spies! 15 This is how I will test your story. I swear by the life of Pharaoh that you will never leave Egypt unless your youngest brother comes here! 16 One of you must go and get your brother. I’ll keep the rest of you here in prison. Then we’ll find out whether or not your story is true. By the life of Pharaoh, if it turns out that you don’t have a younger brother, then I’ll know you are spies.”
17 So Joseph put them all in prison for three days.
Blessings, Cecilia
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