The Meaning Of Life

https://biblehub.com/nkjv/genesis/42.htm

The seven years of plenty have passed, as Joseph warned, and now they are in seven years of famine. And Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, so he sent his sons with money to buy some grain. Obviously Joseph was already in Egypt, and Jacob kept Benjamin, the youngest, at home.

When the brothers arrived, Joseph recognized them, but 20 years had passed, and the brothers were all bowed to Joseph, face to the ground, so they didn’t recognize that the man they were talking to was Joseph.

The Bible doesn’t say, and I have but a couple of conclusions to draw from, but Joseph accused them of being spies, and they insisted they weren’t spies, but rather just some innocent people that had come to buy grain.

Aside from God’s Will, I have tried to think of a reason Joseph did this. Either he was punishing his brothers for their actions against him, or it was an attempt to humble them. I hate to think of Joseph having the character of the former, but there is no way to truly know.

Now Joseph was trying to find out information without divulging his identity, so he asked about other family members back home, and asked about their welfare. Joseph learned he had a younger brother that had been kept at home.

Joseph continued to accuse them of being spies, even though he knew they weren’t, and he demanded to see the youngest, Benjamin. He put them all in prison for three days, and on the third day, he told them that he was going to keep one of confined until the others went back to Canaan, and brought Benjamin to see Joseph.

Not only did Joseph send them with the grain they had purchased, but he sent extra provisions for the trip home, then ordered that the money they brought as payment for the grain be put back in their sacks.

The brothers headed back to Canaan, but Simeon was kept imprisoned in Egypt. When they returned home, they told Jacob about their experience, about how Simeon was kept in Egypt imprisoned, and how “the man” demanded to see Benjamin.

And Jacob was very distressed, saying that if he sent Benjamin to Egypt, and if anything happened to him, it would surely kill him.

Then they were really distraught when they found their money was still in their sacks. Now they would truly be accused of being spies and now, thieves.

What do you think? Why was Joseph acting in the manner in which he did? I know that he had to be angry with his brothers for selling him to the Ishmaelites, but why was he deceitful and misleading.

And as we know, everyone is born into sin, everyone has sinned, a perhaps this was simply one of Joseph’s.

God Bless all. Amen.