When you watch a TV show or movie you want the ‘bad guy’ to get caught or for justice to be served. Genesis 42-45 gives us the perfect set-up of just this kind of justice.
Joseph at this point in the narrative has been promoted to second in command of ALL Egypt. He is married with two sons and things are going great. His plan of storing up the grain has resulted in Egypt’s survival during a time of famine. People from neighboring countries are coming to them buying grain. The economy is looking great even during the famine due to Joseph’s wisdom and planning.
In a parallel story, the eleven brothers are back in Canaan with their aged father. The famine has struck all of the land and extreme measures must be take in order for them to survive. The brothers have to go to Egypt. Jacob will not allow Benjamin (Joseph’s brother; son of Jacob’s beloved wife Rachel who died giving birth to Benjamin) to go with them but he sends the ten brothers on their way.
This is first class drama. The ten brothers come to Joseph to get the grain. They of course don’t recognize him-at all. Based on the conversations recorded between the brothers during this journey I’m pretty sure not a day went by that they didn’t think of shame, guilt and heartache they had brought upon their family by selling Joseph into slavery. I’m also pretty sure that even though Joseph named his son Manasseh meaning ‘God has made me forget all my hardship’, it did not mean that he had forgotten his family ‘back home.’ So here we see the brothers (minus Benjamin) reunited after about twenty years. The brothers didn’t recognize Joseph BUT Joseph recognized them.
Joseph ‘played it cool’ and questioned their intentions using an Egyptian interpreter to throw them off. Through some more questioning and even keeping Simeon as a guarantee, the brothers were sent back to get Benjamin to bring him to Joseph. The brothers were still clueless as to who Joseph but believed all this was happening to them as punishment to what they had done to their brother.
The details of this interaction are recorded in Genesis 42-45 but the part that brought me to tears is found in Genesis 43:30 and Genesis 45:1-3. Joseph, this high commander in the world’s greatest power at that time, was absolutely overcome with emotion and broke into tears. The first time is when he sees Benjamin. He has to leave the room because he does not want to cry in front of the brothers or the servants. He still has not revealed his true identity but seeing Benjamin who had been just a toddler when he was sold brought this ruler to tears. Finally in Genesis 45, we read Joseph can no longer keep his identity a secret. Just before he told the brothers who he really was the scripture says he wept so loudly the Egyptians and Pharaoh’s household heard it. This was not a quiet sob, this was an outburst. The old saying ‘big boys don’t cry’ was just thrown out the window and Joseph’s tears poured from the depths of his heart all over that room, all over the palace.
Were these tears of joy at the family reunion? Were these tears of sadness for lost years with family? Were these tears that wanted revenge but now could not give it? Were these tears of a realization of answered prayer? We don’t know but I think it could be a little of all. All that had happened was of course God’s plan. The timing for everything was perfectly executed even though at the time, Joseph or even his brothers could not see it. What could have been a horrible vengeful family reunion was actually a beautiful picture of God’s grace and mercy.
Isaiah 40:31 says “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Even though that scripture was written years after Joseph lived, it reminds us of God’s promise. Our past does not have to define a present decision which affects future consequences.
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