Scripture: In truth we are guilty concerning our
brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us and we did
not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us.” Genesis 42:21
Observation: Joseph
was sold into slavery by his brothers when he was 17. He was probably 39 when his brothers came to Joseph
in power in Egypt. This is a difference
of 12 years. When Joseph, unrecognized
by his brothers, throws them in jail for three days under the charge of being
spies, they quickly connect their present consequence from the earlier sin of
selling their brother into slavery. This means that the guilt
from that act had lingered for 12 years.
I am not sure if this was something they thought about often, or if it
just now entered their minds at this moment.
Unless they were completely cold hearted, I have to think that the guilt
of what they had done to their brother weighed upon them and dogged them all
those years. Reuben points out his
disagreement with the plan, so perhaps they had even argued among themselves.
Application: Ultimately,
God used for good what they had meant for evil.
Even their confession here, overheard by Joseph, was used by God. But what stuns me is the reality that the
guilt of unrepentant sin is not assuaged by time. That 12 days, 12 months, 12 years later, the
guilt of their actions haunts them. I
wonder what it was like to carry that weight with them for over a decade.
Prayer: God, I pray that you help me to
confess sin quickly to you. Help me not
keep secrets that burden me, so that anytime something bad happens I am quick
to think the two are connected. Let me experience
the freedom of unburdening myself with you and others.
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