Martin Wickens

The Need for Assessment

Text: Genesis 42:6-20

When Joseph saw his brothers after years of separation, he didn’t immediately reveal his identity. Instead, he tested them. Had they changed? Were they still the same deceitful men who sold him into slavery? Was his father alive? Was his brother safe?

Grace vs. Grave Focused Living

• Grace Focused: Joseph lived in integrity. His words and actions carried weight because he had consistently lived by God’s grace.
• Grave Focused: The brothers, still haunted by their past, had to prove that they had changed before they could be trusted.

A major theme in Joseph’s life is forgiveness. He was not a perfect man, but he was a great example. I don’t believe forgiving his brothers was easy, but I believe he was willing.

No other nation came close to Egypt in Joseph’s day for its beauty and accomplishments. Centuries later the Assyrians, Babylonians, and others would take their place on the world stage, but in Joseph’s day there was no competition.

The ten brothers probably stood out – bearded, rural, and no doubt weary from years of famine conditions and now weeks traveling in the desert. The Egyptians were clean shaven, well-dressed and well-fed, and, in their estimation, civilized.

Whether Joseph daily oversaw the food distribution or by God’s design was present when these ten Hebrews arrive is not clear. But, he saw them. They approached and bowed down. Joseph immediately remembers the dreams God gave him when he was just a 17-year-old young man.

What would he do to them? Would he get his revenge? Torment them? Imprison them? No. He probably had already forgiven them. But he would need to make an assessment of their character before revealing his identity.

They reveal they are brothers, that there used to be 12 but now just 11 remained. There’s a back and forth as Joseph accuses them of being spies and challenges their claims to be “true men”.

Joseph forgave his brothers, but he still tested them. Forgiveness doesn’t mean we blindly trust those who have hurt us—it means we leave vengeance to God while exercising wisdom. In Sunday evening’s message I dealt with the careful balance we sometimes have to take in forgiving those who have hurt us while at the same time maintaining boundaries to protect ourselves and those we love.

Until Joseph’s questions had been answered, he would keep his forgiven brothers at a distance.

Boundaries in relationships should not be taken lightly or used to manipulate or take revenge, but sometimes they are necessary.

Joseph, living by grace, could forgive and live by wisdom. The brothers, living by the grave, suffered not because of Joseph, but because of their conscience.