Unmasking the Lies

What a lie! This is Joseph’s brothers who are talking. They are speaking directly to the highest ranking official in the whole of Egypt – and they have absolutely no idea that this man is Joseph himself – their brother whom they are describing as being ‘no more’.

Joseph is now nearly forty years old. The brothers sold him as a slave when he was a teenager. From that moment on they have described Joseph to their families and to everyone else as the brother who ‘is not’. But each of those brothers held a guilty secret. They knew exactly what had happened. They had gone home after selling Joseph, and each one of them had secret money to stash away from the transaction with the slave traders. For twenty years now they have lived with a lie to their father, Jacob, and to the world.

Joseph is visibly shaken by their appearance in Egypt. He puts them all in prison for three days. Is he going to repay them for their treachery? What a temptation! Already those brothers are beginning to own their treachery, not knowing that Joseph understands them.  ‘They said to one another, “Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we wouldn’t listen; that’s why this distress has come upon us”’ (Genesis 42:21).

After three days, the brother Simeon is kept in prison as a hostage and the others return to their father with the grain they need so badly. Imagine their shock when they discover that their silver has been returned to them in their sacks! This is reminding them horribly of secret money they’ve had before! But still, they perpetrate their lie to their father about Joseph.  They won’t own up -yet!

It is only later, when Judah volunteers to stand surety for the safe return of their brother Benjamin to their father, that we know those harsh brothers are finally identifying with the pain that they have inflicted in their family.

This story is such a story of God’s grace: how he is able to use appalling wrong-doing, selfishness, anger, jealousy – and bring repentance, restoration, forgiveness – and fulfil His good purposes for His people.