Let's turn together to Genesis 42. Genesis 42. The previous few chapters have been dealing with what's been going on with Joseph in the land of Egypt. And now we are being prepared for a reunion. Genesis chapter 42. We read the chapter and consider this chapter this morning as our text. We read now the Word of God. When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, Why do you just keep looking at each other? He continued, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die. Then ten of Joseph's brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt, but Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph's brother, with the others, because he was afraid that harm might come to him. So Israel's sons were among those who went to buy grain, for the famine was in the land of Canaan also. Now Joseph was the governor of the land, the one who sold grain to all its people. So when Joseph's brothers arrived, they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground. As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them. But he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them. Where do you come from? he asked. From the land of Canaan, they replied, to buy food. Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him. Then he remembered his dreams about them and said to them, You are spies. You have come to see where our land is unprotected. No, my lord, they answered. Your servants have come to buy food. We are all the sons of one man. Your servants are honest men, not spies. No, he said to them, you have come to see where our land is unprotected. But they replied, your servants were twelve brothers, the sons of one man who lives in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more. Joseph said to them, it is just as I told you, you are spies. And this is how you will be tested. As surely as Pharaoh lives, you will not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. Send one of your number to get your brother. The rest of you will be kept in prison so that your words may be tested to see if you are telling the truth. If you are not, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies. And he put them all in custody for three days. On the third day, Joseph said to them, Do this and you will live, for I fear God. If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here in prison while the rest of you go and take grain back for your starving households. But you must bring your youngest brother to me so that your words may be verified and that you may not die. This they proceeded to do. They said to one another, surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen. That's why this distress has come upon us. Reuben replied, didn't I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn't listen. Now we must give an accounting for His blood. They did not realize that Joseph could understand them since he was using an interpreter. He turned away from them and began to weep, but then turned back and spoke to them again. He had Simeon taken from them and bound before their eyes. Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to put each man's silver back in his sack and to give them provisions for their journey. After this was done for them, they loaded their grain on their donkeys and left. At the place where they stopped for the night, one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver in the mouth of his sack. My silver has been returned, he said to his brothers. Here it is in my sack. Their hearts sank. And they turned to each other, trembling, and said, What is this that God has done to us? When they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them. They said, The man who is Lord over the land spoke harshly to us and treated us as though we were spying on the land. But we said to him, We are honest men. We are not spies. We were twelve brothers, sons of one man. One is no more. And the youngest is now with our father in Canaan. Then the man who is Lord over the land said to us, This is how I will know whether you are honest men. Leave one of your brothers here with me and take food for your starving households and go. but bring your youngest brother to me, so I will know that you are not spies, but honest men. Then I will give your brother back to you, and you can trade in the land. As they were emptying their sacks, there in each man's sack was his pouch of silver. When they and their father saw the money pouches, they were frightened. Their father Jacob said to them, You have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, And now you want to take Benjamin? Everything is against me. Then Reuben said to his father, You may put both of my sons to death if I do not bring him back to you. Entrust him to my care, and I will bring him back. But Jacob said, My son will not go down there with you. His brother is dead, and he is the only one left. If harm comes to him on the journey you are taking, You will bring my gray head down to the grave in sorrow. There ends the reading of God's holy word. Beloved in Christ the Lord, family reunions are fun. They're exciting, at least they can be. Depending how many are invited to the reunion, how many generations are invited to the reunion, it can take months, maybe even years of planning and preparation and expectation. we look forward to seeing relatives that we haven't seen maybe for a long, long period of time. Boys and girls, maybe you have a cousin that you haven't seen in a long time, but the last time you saw that cousin, you remember having a really fun time with that cousin. And therefore, as the date for the reunion comes closer, you think back to that, and you look forward to hopefully recreating that fun once again. But on the other hand, if you had a cousin who made your life miserable, was mean to you, picked on you, maybe called you bad names, but simply made your life miserable, then that's what you remember about that last encounter. And then as the date for the reunion draws closer, it makes you a little bit anxious about coming face to face with that cousin. What will it be like? How do I handle it? What do I say? What do I do? Joseph here in this episode seems to take advantage of his power and his position as well. He seems to take advantage of the apparent ignorance of the brothers, not knowing the true identity of this Egyptian ruler. But the truth as we know because of his weeping and his compassion later on is that he was not taking advantage. If Joseph had desired that true sinful satisfaction, then he would have let his brothers know from the very first moment that he saw them, that he recognized them, he would have let them know who they were dealing with. Oh, look at this, huh? He would make them tremble because the tables had been turned. Let's see, brothers, what is it that you called me? This dreamer? Well, let's see now who gets the last laugh. But that wasn't Joseph. That wasn't Joseph. Joseph knew that vengeance belongs only to God. Indeed, he was rough. He was stern with his brothers. And for a reason. He was an instrument in God's hand to save many people. And now he also understood that that included his own family. And we know, of course, that all of this was part of God's redemptive plan. God had prepared Joseph for this reunion to save his family. And now God would prepare the brothers for Egypt. God was preparing Jacob's family to become a great nation, but the people to form that nation had to be faithful. But as of yet, the brothers were not. And therefore, once again, we see God with Joseph this time as he and his brothers are brought face to face with the past. People of God, with this episode in the history of Jacob's family, God teaches us how he makes his own fit for the kingdom of heaven. And as Joseph and the brothers are brought face to face with the past, first of all, we notice the brothers commissioned to go to Egypt. They were commissioned by their father to go to Egypt. From the very start, though, we see that there's no escape from the past. From the very beginning, you see, the brothers are forced to face the past. They're forced to face their hatred for, their cruelty against, their sin against Joseph, but also against God. Notice, for example, how the chapter begins and ends. Chapter 42 begins and ends speaking of whom? Benjamin. And what does it say about Benjamin? That Jacob would not let him go because he was afraid that harm might come to him. That's a reminder, a very vivid reminder of the lie that the family was still living under. The lie that Joseph had been harmed by some ferocious animal. This physical famine that Jacob's family was enduring was symptomatic of the spiritual famine. The brothers were still living and they were living in the sin of lies and deceit. Jacob commissions them and he begins with an accusation. He says, why do you just keep looking at each other? In other words, what are you standing around for doing nothing? Don't you understand that looking at each other with blank looks on your faces won't provide food? It won't save your wives and your children? I have heard, Jacob says, Notice how Joseph's fame had spread all the way to his homeland, all the way to his father's ears. Not by name, of course. But his fame had spread all the way to his father. I have heard, Jacob said, that there is grain in Egypt. And, of course, we know why. Now, there are some who suggest, we don't know for sure, but there are some who suggest that the brothers also knew that there was grain in Egypt. Maybe that's why Jacob said, what are you doing just standing around looking at each other with these blank looks on your face? But they remained quiet, maybe because the very word Egypt reminded them of the direction Joseph was headed the last time they saw him. What are you looking at each other for? Go, Jacob says. And the reason is clear. It's life or death. They're in activity. They're standing around looking at each other doing nothing would only result in death. Jacob has to point to the way of life, food, those lost in sin. Paul says in Ephesians chapter 2 are dead. They're dead. They cannot find the way to life on their own. They are helpless. That includes all of mankind, you and me as well, in and of ourselves. We are dead. We are helpless. But God, in His mercy, takes the sinner by the hand and says, look to My Son, the bread of life. And through His people, through His church and the preaching of His Word, by the power of His Holy Spirit, He says, partake of Him that you may live and not die. Notice with this commission though, again, as we've mentioned already, there's one exception. Benjamin. he did not go. Now remember, boys and girls, Benjamin was not a little boy. Joseph had been gone for 20, maybe 22 years, give or take a little bit. Benjamin was a man. Maybe married. Maybe he had children. But he did not go. We know why. As we said a moment ago, a reminder to the brothers of Joseph. And that they had gained nothing by getting rid of Joseph. Benjamin had also been given the richly ornamented robe. Not the physical one, of course. But in essence, he was given that very same robe, the robe of honor in Jacob's eyes. Again, from the very beginning, a reminder to the brothers of their past. So off to Egypt they go. And secondly, we notice the brothers' confrontation with Joseph. They were dealing with the ruler himself. Now, of course, the Bible says that Joseph was the governor of the land, the one who sold grain to all its people. Now, I don't take that to mean that he saw each and every person by himself. It's impossible. There was grain stored up in cities all around the land of Egypt. It's not possible for Joseph to be in all these places at one time. He had those who worked under him. And in that way, of course, he was responsible for selling the grain to the people. Who knows, maybe the situation was that he only saw the foreigners. the foreigners, those from outside the country, came to the head place where Joseph was. Maybe in this case, the brothers stood out. There were ten of them. Ten of them. It's a large family. Ten of them. And they're from the same country. Or who knows, maybe they exercised some sort of random check like we do at our border crossings. Whatever the case might be, it was God's design that the brothers come face to face with Joseph, yet they didn't know it. Which is not hard to understand. Twenty years had passed. He was completely Egyptianized and he had power. They describe him to Jacob as the ruler of the land. He had power. They sold him as a slave. They would never think that this was Joseph. But they didn't recognize him, yet he recognized them. Remember when Joseph gave his older son the name Manasseh, he said with that that God has made me forget all my troubles in all my father's household. But as he recognized his brothers, all those memories came flooding back to his mind quickly. We know that because he did not reveal himself right away. Yes, as the brothers bowed, as the text says, his dreams were confirmed, the sheaves, their sheaves bowing down to his, the sun, moon, and stars bowing down to him. But the dreams were not yet fulfilled completely. Maybe it was at this time that Joseph understood what they meant, that his family would be brought to his care in Egypt. But indeed, as the brothers bowed before him, it was a reminder to Joseph of the trouble they caused him, of their hatred, of their envy against him, of all that he endured to get to this point where they would now bow before him. And in order to be reunited in peace, Joseph needed to test them to see if their hearts had changed, if they were really honest as they claimed. He would test them. The idea there is testing such as metal is tested to check the heating it up and checking the genuineness of it, checking the quality of it. He would test them to check the genuineness of their hearts. To check the quality of their word. God used Joseph through the discernment and the wisdom that God gave to him to test their hearts. Benjamin wasn't with them, for all Joseph knew they had done the very same thing to Benjamin as they had done to him. And therefore, he begins his interrogation and his accusation. Where are you from? Why have you come? Well, we're from Canaan. We've only come to buy food. You're lying. You're lying. You're spies. He accuses them of espionage, looking for the weak holes, the weak spots in the country. No doubt, again, a reminder to the brothers of how they felt about Joseph years before when he brought back that bad report of them to their father. Maybe they accused him of spying. Even as he came to them in Dothan, what, are you here to spy on us again? And of course, the brothers try to defend themselves and in doing so, they offer information, valuable information about the family for Joseph. We're all of one family. We were twelve brothers, sons of one man. We're not spies. I mean, who in their right mind would think of sending the whole family to spy out a country? Nobody would do that because we all know that if they got caught, they would be destroyed and it would end the family. It would wipe out the family. But again, they give crucial information to Joseph. our father is alive. The youngest is still at home. Wait a minute. Benjamin is still alive? Could the brothers have changed? If so, were they sorry for what they had done to Joseph? Had they come clean with Jacob? Did they tell him the truth? Yet their defense includes that there were twelve. There were twelve. But one is no more. Notice, beloved, on the one hand, Really a beautiful admission for Joseph's sake that they considered Joseph to be their brother. They didn't treat him that way. But they considered Joseph to be their brother. But yet, they didn't quite go so far as to admit that they were the cause of him being no more. But if you're telling the truth, it should be no problem to prove it, right? Prove your honesty. Bring the youngest. And He puts them in prison. He incarcerates them for three days. And that incarceration proved Joseph's power over them. Proved that they were at His mercy. Beloved, this whole episode is a rerun. It's a rerun of the past. Each detail, you see, was digging up memories that they had tried to forget. And this rerun is demonstrated with a reversal of roles. really with chapter 37. The brothers were living the very words of Jesus in Matthew 7, verse 2, when He says, For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Think about this rerun with me, this reversal of roles. For example, first of all, with the harsh treatment and being at the mercy of another. They were being treated harshly by Joseph. They were completely at His mercy, which points back to Dothan. Joseph was completely at their mercy and being treated harshly by them. The prison that they sat in for three days points back to the prison they threw him in called the pit. And then there's compassion. Only here we have a reversal of roles, but there's a contrast. Joseph's compassion versus their lack of compassion. His compassion is seen in that he let nine go free to go home. Why? to bring food to their starving families. In contrast to their compassion, they were quite content many years before to leave Joseph in the pit to starve and even die. And another contrast with the reversal of roles, the fear of God, Joseph's, versus their lack of fear. Joseph's fear is seen in that he would not judge them unjustly. His fear is seen in their freedom of the nine. But the brother's lack of fear was seen in their binding him without conscience, selling him wickedly and lying to their father and living the lie all these years. And then one more, their return to Jacob. This is deja vu. Returning to their father with one less brother but a little more money in their pockets. We can maybe summarize all of this by saying that Joseph's name and the brother's sin is written all over this episode. The brothers can't help but to see their past sin in their present sorrow. And that's how God sometimes works with us too, doesn't He? Sometimes our past sin results in our present circumstances of sorrow. Boys and girls, if you've done something wrong and you're being punished for it, indeed, the sin is past. But you remember that sin in the present sorrow of the punishment. Well, what about reconciliation between Joseph and his brothers? You see, beloved, there could be no family reunion for Jacob's family as long as the past sins of the brothers against Joseph had not been confessed, had not been repented of, had not been forgiven. You see, when you wrong another, whatever way that might be that you wrong them, that relationship we know is damaged until it has been dealt with properly. Even among brothers and sisters in Christ, oh, on Sunday we might treat each other cordially in the foyer if we can't avoid one another. But we know that that relationship has been damaged until it's dealt with properly. In Egypt, Jacob's family needed to be united. In sin, we have wronged God. We have offended Him. And there is no reconciliation with God without true confession, true repentance, true satisfaction. God must be satisfied. And that means there must be inward renewal. And that's what Joseph needed to find out. Was there inward renewal among his brothers? Finally, we consider the brothers' consciences awakened. Again, it's clear that there's no escape from sin. All of this pointed to their sin against Joseph. Even Joseph's phrase, I fear God, which was the reason for his compassion, but also it was a reminder to the brothers of the God who knows all things. It was a reminder to them of the God who had covenanted with their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And here was this foreigner saying, I fear God, reminding them of the very God that they claimed to serve. In the same way, his phrase, I fear God, would drive home the truth to them that although Jacob did not know of their sin, yet God knew it clearly and completely. And the brothers made the connection. In verse 21, they said to one another, Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen. That's why this distress has come. And notice the information we're given there. Back in chapter 37, we're not told that Joseph said a word. When we were back there, we pointed to this verse. But here we are told how distressed he was and they completely ignored it, highlighting their coldness toward him. And Reuben goes on to say in verse 22, I told you so. I told you not to do it. Now we must give an accounting for His blood. You see, their guilt kept building. They had been warned. But they rejected the warning. Again, boys and girls, if you're punished for something, that punishment might be, let's say, so severe. But if you were warned ahead of time and you still went on to do whatever you did, that punishment might be so severe. You rejected the warning. And their consciences were awakened even more as they found the money on their way home. In verse 28, their hearts sank and they turned to each other trembling and said, what is this that God has done to us? They said they were honest men. How could they prove their honesty now? Were they being set up? What was God doing to them? Reuben had said that Joseph's blood, they had to give an accounting for Joseph's blood. That's a reminder of the Lord's words to Noah in Genesis 9, verse 6, whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed. They didn't technically kill Joseph, but in essence they did when they sold him as a slave. He became dead to the family. But because of all of this, they felt the hand of God press down upon them and they had not even yet faced their father Jacob. All of this had happened. What would they tell Jacob? Well, the text says they told him all that had happened to them. But notice, they didn't quite tell him the whole story. They soften it a little bit. They didn't tell him how severe it was. Joseph said, unless you come back, you come back so that you will not die. Instead, they tell Jacob, if we bring Benjamin back, then we may trade in the land. But notice one other important piece of information that they left out. They left out their private conversation about Joseph and their guilt in Joseph's disappearance. Proof that they had not yet come clean with Jacob. But God was preparing them because they couldn't escape that forever either. Verse 36 says, Their father Jacob said to them, You have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more. And now you want to take Benjamin. and everything is against me. Most likely when Jacob said those words, he was talking about the fact that twice now they had brought back news to him of a son who was lost, who was no longer with him. But little did Jacob know how true his words were that they actually had deprived him of his children, but they knew. And then there's Reuben's foolish offer. Grandpa, go ahead. If I don't see to it that Benjamin comes back, you can take the lives of these, your two grandsons. How does that sound, Grandpa? How would that sound to you, Grandpas? What a foolish offer. Yet even through that offer, there is proof that their consciences had been awakened. Proof that their hearts had changed, that they recognized their guilt and there was sorrow for their sin. Yet, there was a problem, beloved. We'll consider this later on, but Jacob stood in the way of the brothers proving their honesty to Joseph. Jacob stood in the way of life or death. It depended on him. See, all of this was the first test for the brothers, which would lead to a second test, and that test would prove to the brothers the true meaning of sacrifice. Yet, at this time, it's clear that the weight of guilt and unconfessed sin was pressing down upon them through Joseph. God brought the brothers to face their sin against God, against the One who knows all things. Boys and girls, you can hide something you've done wrong from your mom or your dad or your teacher or your elder or your preacher, but you cannot hide it from God. He sees everything and all sin must be dealt with. They felt the weight of the anguish and the despair and the hopelessness and the joylessness of unconfessed sin as David describes it in Psalm 51. Just like the heat of summer, which we know well these days, that heat of summer saps one of strength. Unconfessed sin makes one spiritually limp and weak. We can't function. But Joseph makes it clear that there is life for faithfulness. There is life for obedience. Notice verse 20, But you must bring your youngest brother to me so that your words may be verified and that you may not die. Beloved, we know how this story fits in here with the family of Jacob. We understand how God used this in His history of redemption leading to the coming of His Son. But beyond that, what does that mean for us? Sometimes it's hard, it's difficult to glean that, but what do we take from this? You see, God would build a nation of His people. People who were to be devoted to Him. People who were to be dedicated to Him. God builds His church with people who are to be devoted and dedicated to Him. And what is it that is to characterize citizens of that heavenly kingdom? In Psalm 15, the psalmist asks, Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill? The answer begins, He whose walk is blameless and who does what is right. And then we hear somewhat of an echo in Psalm 24, Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in His holy presence? The answer begins, He who has clean hands and a pure heart. We hear those words, beloved, and right away we are struck with the fact that this disqualifies everyone. You, me, all of mankind, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. It disqualifies all of mankind except for one. Now with regard to the brothers, we know that ultimately God brought them to confess and repent of their sins. They found salvation through the atoning blood of the seed of the woman who was to come from their family line, specifically Judah. They didn't know it yet. The Old Testament believers lived according to the promise of Christ's blood that would satisfy for them and wash their sins white. and it's His obedience. It's His obedience alone all the way to the cross that brings us life. The brothers became not merely redeemed men, but they became revered leaders of the tribes, fathers of the tribes of Israel, the Old Testament church. And we too, congregation, are being reminded that God guards His kingdom. He guards His church made up only of those who are reconciled to God through Jesus Christ. Boys and girls, you may hear that word reconciled quite a bit. And it's kind of a big word, but it's a beautiful word. Reconciled with God. That means that the offense, the sin, the wrong has been dealt with. The sin has been forgiven. That the relationship is good. In fact, it's very good. That's how it is with us when we've had a fight with our best friend. And once things are dealt with, we put it away. We forget it. We are reconciled. Things are very good. Who are those who come to Jesus? Only those, we know, who are born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Those who have been given new hearts to see their sin and understand it for what it is. who feel the weight of the guilt of that sin against God and who then are brought to look to Jesus Christ, the only one able to endure that burden of our sin and to make us right, to reconcile us with God. And brothers and sisters, when we are brought face to face with our sin, whether it's the first time, whether it's the very first time, or whether it's daily, We can only say, what is this that God is doing? Because Satan doesn't want us to know what our sin is all about. He doesn't want us to see our sin as sin and to see the danger and the deadliness of our sin. God is the one who brings us. And it hurts, but He brings us. He awakens our conscience to sin and we are called in to praise God for awakening our consciences to the deadly danger of sin. We are called to praise God that the Lord disciplines those He loves and accepts as His children, as His sons. We are called to praise Him that He stirs our hearts that we might turn to Him. We are called to praise Him that He, not we, but He takes the initiative to reconcile us, to make that relationship very good once again. Because we never would. Praise God that when He presses His hand of conviction down hard upon us, that just as Joseph wept with mercy, God follows up His heavy hand with His love, His mercy, and His compassion. Because there is only comfort in confession when the Lord touches the heart with compassion. And His compassion and His forgiveness are with those who look only to Jesus Christ for salvation. Now, just like with the brothers, we know that God uses the circumstances that we face in life. The circumstances that are the result of the effects of sin, sickness, temptation, whatever hardship or difficulty we might endure, which is all because of the effect of sin. He uses those circumstances as well. He uses our sin and the circumstances that result from our sin to constantly remind us of the past and of our great need. As well, pointing us to the future we have with Him in Christ. Because He remembers our sins no more. You know, all three patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, suffered famine in Canaan, the land flowing with milk and honey, to teach them that the land itself was not sufficient. And along with them, we are reminded to seek more than this life, to seek more than the things of this life. We are called along with them, as the writer of Hebrews says, to look for a better country, a heavenly country, which we can only enter, beloved, if we have been prepared by the Lord Jesus Christ. God awakens our consciences by His Spirit, which reminds us of the death that we have earned for ourselves, only then in His grace to lift our eyes to the bread of life. As those who, as Paul says in Romans 5, verse 1, have been justified through faith and have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, we are called to live at peace with everyone, Romans 12, verse 18. And we are called to do good to all people, especially those who belong to the family of believers, Galatians 6, verse 10. That is to be our desire. That is to be our delight as we understand that great relationship we have been given with God because of Jesus Christ. Yet the hard truth is, and we must confess this, is that we fail. We fight, even as brothers and sisters in Christ. We hate each other at times. We tear each other down once in a while. We abuse each other. And the call is plain, it's clear, it's simple. Be reconciled one to another, even as God has reconciled us to Himself. It's a constant struggle throughout this life. Yet our comfort is that because of God's grace, one day when we shall be reunited in glory, our focus will not be the past sins and the past hatred and the past hurt that someone caused us. And I say it that way very carefully because we don't often remember the sin that we have committed against another, do we? But we have a hard time forgetting the sin and hurt that someone else has caused us. But one day, that will not be our focus. But our focus will be on our gracious God, the glory of our Savior, and our focus will be on rejoicing with believers of all ages singing, Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the ages. Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed. Beloved, the kingdom of heaven is for those who have been brought to their knees in confession and repentance of all of their sins committed against the Most High Majesty of God and who have been given the joy of forgiveness and such a great salvation from sin through the only Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Praise God for Jesus' sake who for those who believe has made your dirty hands clean and has made your stained heart pure. Amen.