The seven years of plenty had come and gone just as Joseph had said. Consequently, the seven years of famine were in full-swing (Gen 41:53-54). Jacob and his family began to experience hunger as a result of the famine. Word travelled that there was food available in Egypt, they just needed to go see the man overseeing the distribution (Gen 42:2).
Twenty-two years had passed since Joseph’s brothers had thrown him into a pit and sold him to Ishmaelite traders (Gen. 37:1; 41;46; 45:11). They didn’t recognize that the man they bowed to was their brother. The series of events that transpire in our reading today reveal the regret of Joseph’s brothers, and their fear of retribution.
After Joseph put them in prison for three days accusing them of being spies they said, “We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us” (Gen. 42:21). They reluctantly brought Benjamin the next time they came to get food. Obviously they were fearful of Joseph because the money from the first trip was found in their sacks when they arrived back home (Gen. 43:18). Joseph tricked them again by placing a golden cup in the sack of Benjamin, then demanded that he stay as a prisoner for the wrongdoing. Judah, one of Joseph’s older brothers said, “God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants” (Gen. 44:16). Much later in the story, when Jacob died in Egypt, the brothers said, “Joseph will peradventure hate us and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him” (Gen. 50:15).
We may not exactly relate to Joseph’s brothers at this point. But we’ve all felt the weight of regret of past mistakes. Commonly, we may feel like something bad is right around the corner to pay us back for our failures. This is known as retribution. We fear that we are going to get what we deserve. However, Joseph forgave his brothers for their misconduct. They didn’t get what they deserved!
Beloved, this a beautiful picture of God’s grace to sinners. Our sin deserves the wrath of God. While we may fear the payback of our past failures, we can find rest that God has not given us what we deserve. Instead, God extends His love to us, that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us, and saved from His wrath (Rom. 5:8-9).