I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Genesis 42-44.

    When Joseph’s brothers went to Egypt to obtain grain Joseph tested them. When we read the entire passage we realize that Joseph asked his brothers leading questions in order to find out what had happened since he had left. He wanted to get caught up on things but did not want them to know who he was. I believe he accused them of being spies so that they would be afraid to lie. It immediately becomes apparent that the brothers regretted what they had done to Joseph, but the question remained, did they regret the wrong they did to their brother, or merely the sorrow they brought to their father?
    Joseph demanded that they bring Benjamin for two reasons: one, he wanted to see his younger brother, and two, he wanted to see if his half-brothers treated his full brother the way they had treated him. Joseph’s brothers needed to see this as much as Joseph did. It is easy to regret past actions and wish we had done things differently, but have we really changed? Joseph took actions which showed that his brothers had changed. They brought back the money which had been returned to them. And Judah, the brother whose idea it was to sell Joseph into slavery, offered himself as a slave in Benjamin’s place.