Joseph's Brothers Repent (Genesis 42-44)

"Now then, please let your servant remain here as my lord's slave in place of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers."
-Genesis 44:33
     I almost forgot that I have two more Genesis Bible Studies that I haven't talked about. Genesis 42-44 is probably one of my favorite passages in Genesis. It tells the story of how Joseph's brothers repent. Remember that Joseph's brothers were the ones who caused Joseph great suffering. Now that he is equal to Pharaoh, Joseph has the opportunity to get revenge on his brothers. However, Joseph decides to show them grace.
     I won't go into too many details in terms of the story, because I want to focus on what we can learn from the passage. At the beginning of this passage, a great famine is experienced in Egypt and the surrounding lands. Joseph had stored up food in preparation for the famine, so everyone went to Joseph in order to get food. Eventually, Joseph's brothers were forced to go to Egypt to get food for their family.
     Joseph immediately recognizes his brothers, but they don't recognize him, believing that Joseph is either dead or nowhere to be found. They definitely did not expect Joseph to be a leader of the whole nation of Egypt. When Joseph sees his brothers, he decides to do some strange things. He doesn't reveal himself to his family, but rather treats them harshly. However, Joseph's cruel treatment of his brothers is actually Joseph ensuring that his family is all safe. His harshness also reminded the brothers of their sin against Joseph many years ago.
     At the end of the story, Joseph demands that Benjamin, the youngest son, stay in Egypt for "stealing" a silver cup. Judah pleads with Joseph to let him take Judah instead, so that Jacob wouldn't be in great despair. Genesis 44:33, written above, shows us Judah's plea with Joseph.
     This passage absolutely amazes me. We see such a radical change in the brothers hearts. When they were with Joseph, they were cruel, unforgiving, and sinful people. They sold their own brother into slavery, just for trying to do the right thing. Joseph's life becomes so miserable after being sold into slavery, I'm surprised he didn't consider suicide. Despite all of his hardships, Joseph remains faithful to God. When presented with the chance to take revenge on his brothers, Joseph decides to show grace. Joseph chose to remember the dreams that God gave him early in his life, rather than the sins the brothers committed against him.
     When Joseph puts some pressure on the brothers, by accusing them of being thieves, they remember their sins and become fearful. When Joseph pushes them to the limit by demanding that Benjamin remain as a slave in Egypt, Judah finally breaks down and offers himself for his brother. If you remember, Judah was the one who decided to sell Joseph into slavery. He goes through an amazing change of heart by offering his own life rather than destroying the lives of others. This is what repentance looks like. It's not just feeling bad about your sin; it's having a change of heart. I recently heard that repentance is like walking into the wrong bathroom. The first step is recognizing that you are in the wrong bathroom, but that's not enough. You then have to leave the bathroom, and resolve to never go into that bathroom again. It's a silly example, but the point remains. Repentance requires change.
     The brothers' repentance isn't the only thing that is important in this passage. Joseph's actions leading to their repentance is very important as well. Joseph was sinned against, and quite badly too. He could have responded with anger and malice, but he choose to show grace. Joseph doesn't let them forget their sin though; he leads them to repentance. If we respond to those who sin against us with anger, how will they ever learn to repent? Also, if we let others sin without addressing it, how will they come to repentance? I don't believe that Joseph knew what to do when he saw his brothers in order to lead them to repentance. I think it was God who led Joseph to bring his brothers to repent. Let's pray that we can repent of our sin, and allow God to help us lead others to repentance.
-Smart