I frequently write about the Hebrew people’s time as slaves in Egypt. To understand this, we must examine how they ended up in slavery. The book of Genesis continues by narrating their journey from Canaan to Egypt and the events that followed their arrival.
There was a famine in the land of Canaan, and Jacob sent his sons to Egypt to buy grain. Joseph, the governor of the land, was in charge of selling grain.
Joseph recognized his brothers, but they didn’t recognize him. He appeared as an Egyptian, he spoke Egyptian, and was clean-shaven.
He treated them like strangers and said, “Where do you come from?”
They said, “From the land of Canaan to buy food” (Genesis 42:7).
Joseph accused them of less than honorable intentions. He said to them, “You are spies; you have come to see the nakedness of the land!” (Genesis 42:9).
They claimed to be honorable, but in actuality, their previous behavior had been anything but that.
They said to him, “No, my lord; your servants have come to buy food. We are all sons of one man; we are honest men; your servants have never been spies” (Genesis 42:10-11).
Joseph continued to press the idea that they were spies and demanded they be tested.
But Joseph said to them, “It is just as I have said to you; you are spies!
Here is how you shall be tested: as Pharaoh lives, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here!
Let one of you go and bring your brother, while the rest of you remain in prison, in order that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you, or else, as Pharaoh lives, surely you are spies” (Genesis 42:14-16).
The brothers were in a difficult situation. They were under the control of a seemingly unreasonable Egyptian governmental official.
Joseph gave them a break, highlighting the assertion that they were honest.
On the third day Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God: 19 if you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here where you are imprisoned.
The rest of you shall go and carry grain for the famine of your households and bring your youngest brother to me. Thus your words will be verified, and you shall not die (Genesis 42:18-20).
Retributive Justice
The brothers may not have known the theological term “retributive justice,” but they felt deeply the truth of the concept.
Retributive justice generally refers to the idea that wrongdoing deserves punishment and that justice involves a form of repayment or recompense. They talked among themselves about their collective guilt over how they treated Joseph.
They said to one another, “Alas, we are paying the penalty for what we did to our brother; we saw his anguish when he pleaded with us, but we would not listen. That is why this anguish has come upon us.”
Then Reuben answered them, “Did I not tell you not to wrong the boy? But you would not listen. So now there comes a reckoning for his blood” (Genesis 42:21-22).
When we consider the behavior of the brothers, they seem to fit many of the categories of sin that God hates. No wonder they felt a heavy load of guilt.
There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him:
haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that hurry to run to evil,
a lying witness who testifies falsely, and one who sows discord in a family. (Proverbs 6:16-19)
Joseph kept Simeon behind and sent the brothers home with grain. In addition, he put their money back in the sacks of grain.
Reflections
In our YouTube videos, Rudy Ross highlights Judah’s transformation from a schemer in the early narrative to a commendable figure later on. He also emphasizes that we can all relate to the flaws of Joseph’s brothers.
The truth of Paul’s words in Romans 3:23—that all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory—is undeniable.
As sinners, we depend on God’s grace, receiving both forgiveness and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit, if we yield to Him, will transform us, mirroring God’s transformation of Judah into a praiseworthy person we discover in Genesis.
YouTube Video
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today.
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