Genesis 42-43: The Test

Twenty years after being sold into slavery by his brothers, Joseph finds himself in their presence again. Things have changed a bit. He is no longer the spoiled son. He has endured hardship. And he has risen to a position of incredible power within Egypt. But what of his brothers? Are they the same men they were?

Joseph immediately jumps on his brothers, accusing them of being spies. As the brothers, I imagine this was incredibly disconcerting. They came to Egypt to buy some grain and now they are being accused of espionage. Imagine being accused of this while walking through the aisles of Kroger. What is going on? One minute Joseph accuses them of scouting out the defenses of Egypt. The next he throws them in jail, then takes them back out again saying one of them must return home to fetch the younger brother while the rest stay. Finally, he demands that one of them remain in jail until the others return with Benjamin. While the brothers are talking about why this is happening to them, Joseph is weeping to himself in the back room. When he sends them home, he even hides the money they paid him back in their bags. It's official Joseph has departed on the crazy train. All the pressure of being the second in command of Egypt has addled his brain.

Why is he acting so erratic? If Joseph wanted revenge, he could have it easily. He could have them sold into slavery or executed them. It was within his power. Why go through all this playacting, pretending he doesn't know them or speak their language? I think it is because he understands that people display their character when they are under pressure. By acting the part of the raving-lunatic-ruler, Joseph has the opportunity to observe how his brothers handle themselves. Will they turn on each other? Will they lie about who they are and where they are from? From the hints we get in these two chapters, it appears that Joseph's brothers have changed, but we will have to wait until next time to find out if Joseph will trust them again.