I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.
– Jesus of Nazareth
Genesis 42 —>
Joe knows something that his brothers don’t know …Joe knows that he is Joe, but they don’t know. Keep your identity secret! Is this lying? Maybe.
Joe treats his brothers like strangers.
Joe speaks roughly to them.
Joe tells his brothers that he doesn’t trust them.
Joe’s bros say, “You can trust us!”
Joe says, “No, I can’t.”
They say, “Yes, you can!”
Joe says, “Nope.”
Joe says, “I need to TEST you. I need to figure out if I can trust you guys. But in the meantime, I am going to choose to believe that I cannot trust you; and I’m going to put you guys in jail for 3 days.”
After 3 days in jail, Joe tells his bros that they can go home to fetch their youngest brother and bring him back (this is how Joe will fact check their story and discern whether or not they can be trusted). And Joe will keep Simeon (whose name means, “he who has ears to hear“) in custody as collateral.
Joe’s bros plead their “trustworthiness” and wrestle with their guilty conscience(s); and Joseph weeps and laments for his brothers’ demurral posture toward true repentance.
Then Joe messes with his brothers by putting all the money they had given him for food back in their luggage (making it look like they are thieves!).
:::
Joe isn’t rejecting his brothers. Joe’s ultimate desire is to enjoy a fully reconciled, restored, and repaired relationship with them; but Joe’s bros must first be tested for true trustworthiness!
This is most certainly something YOU can relate to. You’ve been wronged by your father, or mother, or child, or sibling, or friend. And now you must deal with them shrewdly, and strive to discern whether or not you can truly trust them. Your aim is not to antagonize or reject, but rather to figure out a sincere and sustainable way to have a robust and enriching relationship with them as a family of sojourners in the land of Goshen!
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