JOSEPH was now governor of the land of Egypt, and he was like a great prince. All came to him to buy; and when his brothers came into his presence they bowed themselves before him with their faces to the earth. Now Joseph’s dream, about the other sheaves bowing down to his sheaf, was being fulfilled. Many years had passed and Joseph was no doubt much changed in appearance; and his name had been changed; and he was in a very high position, so his brothers did not know him. They thought they were bowing before some great one, little realizing that it was their own brother whom they had sold and never expected to see again.
But Joseph knew them. He did not, however, allow them to know this, for he made himself strange to them. He asked them whence they had come, and they replied, From the land of Canaan to buy food. Joseph remembered his dreams and the treatment he had received at the hand of his brothers, and he thought he would try them. He said, Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come. They said, Nay, my lord, but to buy food, are thy servants come. We are all one man’s sons; we are true men, thy servants are no spies. Joseph said, Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye are come. They replied, Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not. Joseph said that was the reason he had spoken of them as spies, and he was going to have them proved; they should not go away unless their youngest brother was brought to him. He said someone should go and bring him, and the rest should be kept in prison till he came; in this way he would prove whether or not they were spies. So Joseph had them put all together in ward for three days. On the third day he said, This do, and live; for I fear God. He then said that one of them should be bound, and the rest should carry corn for the famine of their houses, but they must bring their youngest brother to him, and so their words should be verified, and they should not die.
While they were still in Joseph’s presence, they began to talk to one another about their guilt concerning their brother Joseph, and how they saw his anguish of soul when he besought them, but they would not hear; and now, they said, This distress is come upon us.
Yes, at last their dull consciences were being aroused and they began to see and feel that they were only reaping as they had sown. Again the truth, “As thou halt done, it shall be done unto thee,” comes before us.
As they talked together, Reuben reminded them that he had sought to spare the lad, but they would not hear him; and now, said he, his blood is required.
Their words show to us that they felt their sad situation very keenly. They did not know that the great ruler, before whom they stood, knew all they were saying, for he had spoken to them through an interpreter, and they would very naturally suppose that he did not understand their language. But Joseph did understand, and his heart was so touched he had to go to another room, where he could be alone, to weep; for the overburdened heart finds relief in tears. Soon, we who know the Lord will be in a scene where there will be no burdened hearts, and where no tears will ever dim our eyes.
When Joseph could control himself, he returned and spoke again to his brothers, and he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes. He then gave his servants orders to fill up his brothers’ sacks with corn, and to put every man’s money in his sack, also to give them provision for the way.
When the sacks were ready they laded their asses with the corn, and departed. On the way, when one of them opened his sack to give his ass provender, he saw his money lying in it. He told his brothers of this, and they were afraid. They said, one to another, What is this God hath done to us? Mark it well, dear young reader, God will, sooner or later, bring to bear upon our conscience, our wrong doing. These men did not say, What has the ruler of Egypt done to us, but, What has God done to us? God was dealing with them.
When they got home to their father, in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened. When they opened their sacks, behold, every man’s money was in his sack’s mouth! This made them all afraid. Again Jacob’s heart was filled with sorrow. He said, “Me ye have bereaved of my children; Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away. All these things are against me.”
Ah! little did Jacob realize that these things were not against him, but that all was working for good, that soon he was to see the son whom he had so long mourned as lost, and who had been so dear to him.
Often times we, too, are tempted to think that all is against us when, in reality, God is working to bring about His purposes of love, as with Jacob in this case.
ML 03/16/1902