As the Joseph narrative arrives at one of its climactic moments, the spotlight lands on the brothers. While, back in chapter 37, these men had schemed and lied to get rid of Joseph, now, by God’s providence, they find themselves face to face with him who they betrayed. How will they respond when confronted and convicted by their past sins? And, what can you and I learn from their example?

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Have you ever cleaned a room in your house and thought that you’d done a pretty good job only to later have someone open the blinds or pullback the curtains allowing the sun to shine in through the window and reveal all the dust that was left behind? 

It doesn’t matter how well we think we’ve cleaned (or how well we want others to think we’ve cleaned), light will always expose the dirt we’ve missed whether we missed it by accident, through negligence, or with intentionality. 

Life presents a similar reality. The rooms of our lives have a nasty habit of accumulating the dirt of sin. 

As Christians, we’re to strive to keep them tidy—to confess sin to the God who forgives us, to fight sin with the weapons God gave us, and to kill sin with the power of God living in us. 

But, in spite of those efforts, sometimes sin builds up anyway when left unaddressed. This may happen by accident as we can sin without realizing it.

But other times we miss sin in our lives through negligence or even with intentionality. We know there has been sin, but we don’t want to deal with it because it’ll be painful, costly, or embarrassing to bring back up. 

So we try and keep the blinds closed and the light away, justifying our past sin rather than addressing it: “What’s done is done; why bring it back up?” “It won’t make a difference, anyway.” “My sin isn’t hurting anyone else, so it’s no big deal.” “Why kick the hornet’s nest?” 

And, steeped in rationale that often only makes sense to us, many Christians sit in the dark, knowingly living in the filth of unconfessed past sin, a reality that’s only possible when two assumptions are made: First, that there’s such a thing as hidden sin, and second, that there’s such a thing as a sin that doesn’t harm anyone.

In Genesis 42 and 43, as the Joseph narrative arrives at one of its climactic moments, the spotlight lands on the brothers; the same brothers who, back in chapter 37, schemed and lied to get rid of Joseph. But now, by God’s providence, decades later and unbeknownst to them, they find themselves face to face with him who they betrayed. 

And what we’re going to see in these two chapters is God pulling open the curtains, light pouring into their lives and revealing the dirt they’ve tried to keep hidden, to ignore, and to justify.

And we’re going to watch and see how they respond and, with the help of the Holy Spirit, seek to learn from their example.

But before that, let’s follow along as a few members of our church family read the passage for us.

Their sin had remained hidden for a long time. They had tried to sweep it under the carpet and conceal it in the shadows. But here, in Genesis 42 and 43 God opens the curtains. And the light that shines into their lives makes the dirt around them un-ignorable.

God does so through a series of déjà vu moments. You know what I mean: that feeling you sometimes get that you’ve already experienced the present situation.

The brothers here are bombarded by moments of déjà vu—happenings that serve as eerie flashbacks to their past sins. There are many, but let me point out five.

Divine déjà vu #1: Daddy’s favouritism 

Do you remember what the catalyst was that began the rollercoaster of the Joseph narrative? What set off the chain of events that would send a teenager into slavery and prison? It was parental favouritism. 

(37:3–4) Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons … When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.

Fast-forward two decades to the beginning of our text today and we find Jacob rebuking his un-favourite sons for their lack of initiative in the face of family starvation. “What are you doing just standing there? Go to Egypt!” But notice verse 4:

“But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, with the others, because he was afraid that harm might come to him.” 

Jacob is protecting one son from the dangerous journey that he’s rebuking his other sons for not already being on. Combine this with the reminder in the text that Benjamin is Joseph’s only full brother and the smell of paternal favouritism must have been familiar to the other sons.

Then there’s verse 38 where Jacob hears that Benjamin’s presence is requested in Egypt:

But Jacob said, “My son will not go down there with you; his brother is dead and he is the only one left.”

Only one left? He’s speaking to his other sons! He continues:

“If harm comes to him on the journey you are taking, you will bring my grey head down to the grave in sorrow.”

This sounds a lot like Jacob’s grief for Joseph (37:35):

“I will continue to mourn until I join my son in the grave.”

Déjà vu for these brothers. “We’ve seen this favouritism and inconsolable grief before.” 

Now, if this was the only example, it could simply mean that Jacob hasn’t learned the harm of playing favourites, but it’s not.

Divine déjà vu #2: Dreams come true

With favouritism being the spark that lit the fire, teenage Joseph also had a couple of dreams that threw some gas on the flames of his brothers’ jealousy. He had said to his brothers (37:7):

“Listen to this dream I had: We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.”

Consider next verse 6 of chapter 42:

Now Joseph was the governor of the land, the person who sold grain to all its people. So when Joseph’s brothers arrived, they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground.

The brothers are bowing down to Joseph, the one who controls the grain, little hungry sheaves before the Big Sheaf.

This isn’t lost on Joseph. Verse 9 says he remembers the dreams and understands they’ve become reality. And, if Joseph sees the connection, perhaps the brothers do as well.

Divine déjà vu #3: Recognition and deception 

It makes sense the brothers wouldn’t recognize Joseph: They’ve thought he was dead for over twenty years. 

But Joseph sure recognizes his brothers, doesn’t he?

The text doesn’t want us to miss that and actually says it two times in verses 7 and 8. And, having recognized his brothers, what does Joseph do? He decides to deceive them.

(v. 7) As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them.

Recognition and deception, hand-in-hand. Joseph accuses them of being spies in verses 9, 12, and 14 and keeps up the charade for a while.

So, where’s the déjà vu?Well, this isn’t the first time in the Joseph narrative we find recognition and deception connected. 

In chapter 37, after the brothers had sold Joseph off to Egypt, they dipped his coat in goat blood to deceive their father, and verse 33 says:

He recognized it and said, “It is my son’s robe!” Recognition and deception, hand-in-hand, with deception being used to cover-up the sin of the brothers.

Then at the end of chapter 38, when Judah, one of the brothers, demanded Tamar’s death due to charges of prostitution, 

she sent a message to her father-in-law. “I am pregnant by the man who owns these … See if you recognize whose seal and cord and staff these are.” Judah recognized them and said, “She is more righteous than I …”

Recognition and deception, hand-in-hand, with deception, in this case, being used to reveal the sin of one of the brothers.

Back in our text today, Joseph recognizes his brothers (the text uses the word three times) and quickly sets out to deceive them. But, in this case, the deception isn’t used to cover-up the brothers’ sin or to expose the brothers’ sin, but, instead, Joseph uses deception to test their sinfulness. He tells them as much in verse 15: “And this is how you will be tested.”

Joseph recognized and deceived his brothers. Why? To test them. Are they the same men they once were? Or, have they changed?

Recognition and deception, hand-in-hand. It’s déjà vu. If not for the brothers at this point, then certainly for us readers. We’ve been here before!

Divine déjà vu #4: Wrongly imprisoned

Joseph falsely accuses his brothers of being spies and, based on that, he imprisons them.

(vv. 16–20) Send one of your number to get your brother; the rest of you will be kept in prison …. And he put them all in custody for three days. 

On the third day, Joseph said to them, “… 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.”

Wrongfully imprisoned. For many of us, we remember that Joseph himself endured similar injustice at the hands of Potiphar’s wife—trumped up charges leading to wrongful imprisonment.

The brothers, however, don’t know that story. But we’re told that their minds go back to something else.

(vv. 21–22)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 on us. 

Reuben answered them, saying, “Did I not tell you, ‘Do not sin against the boy’; and you would not listen? Now comes the reckoning for his blood.”

The brothers are feeling the effects of the divine déjà vu. Faced with wrongful imprisonment themselves they immediately remember how they had done the same to Joseph, their own brother, many years ago.

Notice the words they use: “punished,” “sin,” “blood,” and “reckoning.” Guilt is bubbling up from within. What they did was egregious evil, punishable via retribution. They deserve to experience what they caused Joseph to experience. They connect their current “distress” with the “distress” they caused.

God opens the curtain further in verse 24 as Joseph has “Simeon taken from them and bound before their eyes.”

The men are made once again to watch as one of their own is tied up and taken away. The first time they had caused it, this time they were powerless to stop it. It’s like they are pushed back in time and made to re-live a memory they’ve tried to forget; dirt they’ve tried to keep hidden. Their past wickedness is being re-acted before them and, in a way, to them.

Divine déjà vu #5: The choice

The brothers eventually arrive back home in Canaan and, as they do, they’re met with a choice, one that is all-too-familiar.

On one hand, they now have food. That’s what they went to Egypt for so, mission accomplished! Verse 25 says Joseph had loaded them up before they left. They’ve got what they need. They never have to face that harsh governor again.

On top of that, verse 27 and 35 tell us they had found their silver in the bags, money that was supposed to be left as payment for the grain. If they thought the governor was mean before, how’s he going to treat thieves? Another reason not to go back.

But, on the other hand, Simeon was still there.

God, through Joseph, has orchestrated the perfect light-shedding, guilt-revealing, character-testing situation.

The brothers have have a choice. What are they going to do? Do they abandon a brother to Egyptian captivity for some silver like they did in chapter 37, or do they trust God, prioritize their family, cling to God’s promises and risk their own comfort, preference, and even their lives?

They’ve been here before. The question is, what will they do this time? Have they changed?

God is opening the curtains and allowing the convicting light of truth into the brothers lives. They are confronted with flash after flash of divine déjà vu: Daddy’s favouritism, dreams coming true, recognition and deception, wrongful imprisonment, and the choice. Their past sin is no longer ignorable.

Without exception, all of us have sinned in the past. Probably not in the same way as Joseph’s brothers, but we’ve trespassed against the holy King of the universe.

So, the question isn’t do we have sin in our pasts but rather, what do we do with it? Do we try and ignore it, stifle it, justify it? 

And, maybe we can do that for a time, but what happens when God brings it back to mind? Do we fight it even more? Do we ignore the guilt and try to continue on?

Do we, like Shakespeares’ Lady MacBeth, having helped her husband with two murders, scrub desperately at the spot of blood that will never come out?

When the light shines in and the remaining dirt is exposed in our lives, there’s a question that must be answered: What are we going to do about this mess? 

Well, let’s see how The brothers respond to their mess. What do they do when their sin is revealed?

I think this passage gives several signs of their repentance. As we read, we’re almost watching the progressive softening of the brothers’ hearts. Let me point out four evidences to that end.

Evidence of repentance #1: They see their own guilt.

We’ve already mentioned how, facing wrongful imprisonment, the brothers recognize that their past sin is punishable and that what is now happening to them is fearful but just. Reuben reminds them: “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy?”

It’s hard to be repentant if we aren’t convinced we’re guilty of anything. 

The brothers see their own guilt.

Evidence of repentance #2: They see God’s hand. 

The brothers understand that God is behind this conviction. It isn’t being brought back up after twenty years and with such clarity by mere happenstance. 

In 42:21 they conclude God is paying them back for their sin. Likewise, in verse 28, after finding the hidden silver, they say “What is this that God has done to us?” 

They’re also getting reminders of God’s providence from the people around them. 

Jacob, their father, acknowledges their dependance on God in 43:14 as he sends them back to Egypt:

And may God Almighty grant you mercy before the man so that he will let your other brother and Benjamin come back with you.

Joseph brings up God on two occasions, first declaring his own fear of God in 42:18 and, second, when he blesses Benjamin at the end of chapter 43: “God be gracious to you, my son.”

Joseph’s steward also drops a hint in 43:23:

“Don’t be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, has given you treasure in your sacks; I received your silver.”

So, along with the divine déjà vu comes a steady stream of reminders that God is present and powerful, that he’s personal and providential, and that he’s gracious and generous.

The brothers had sinned, ultimately, against God by sinning against Joseph. Now, conviction is coming through Joseph, but ultimately from God.

It’s hard to be truly repentant if we don’t see that our sins are ultimately against God and it’s him that brings the conviction and it’s to him that ultimate reconciliation must be sought. There’s no such thing as sin that offends no one or harms no one.

And, the brothers see God’s hand at work.

Evidence of repentance #3: They take sacrificial action.

Seeing their guilt and God’s hand at work, the brothers take selfless and sacrificial steps toward making things right.

While they’re trying to convince Jacob to let them take Benjamin back to Egypt, Reuben pipes up in 42:37.

“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.”

Now, Jacob rejects this and we really don’t know whether Reuben’s offer was legitimate or not. We learn in chapter 46 that Reuben has four sons and so it is a little odd that he offers up two of them here up as collateral for only one of Jacob’s sons, that is, Benjamin. Or, maybe, this is a subtle admission of the guilt he’s feeling for Joseph’s disappearance, the second of Jacob’s favourite sons. Two for two?

Either way, Reuben’s offer is extreme and pretty selfless and sacrificial. That is, until Judah comes over the top in 43:8–9.

“Send the boy along with me and we will go at once, so that we and you and our children may live and not die. I myself will guarantee his safety; you can hold me personally responsible for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him here before you, I will bear the blame before you all my life.”

Back in Genesis 37, Reuben’s plan for getting rid of Joseph is trumped by Judah’s plan and it happens again here. Whereas Reuben offered up his sons, Judah offers up himself. “If Benjamin doesn’t make it back, it’s on me. I’ll take all the blame.”

A few weeks ago, we noticed what a dramatic change this is for Judah—he’s gone from a self-centred, promise-rejecting man who “pledges” to pay a prostitute with items that reflect a rejection of his family to this: a self-less, submissive, family-focused, God-dependant man who “pledges” his own life for that of Benjamin of whom, in verse 4, he refers to for the first time as “our brother.” 

That’s some sacrificial action that points to the fact that Judah’s on the road to repentance. 

And, as for the choice these brothers were once again faced with, they make a different decision this time, don’t they? Whereas the first time they send a brother off in a caravan full of goods en route to Egypt, this time they go with a brother in a caravan full of goods en route to Egypt. We could say, and next week we’ll see, that the brothers passed Joseph’s test. They’re not the same as they once were. 

Finally, when they find themselves before Joseph again in chapter 43, whereas they had previously bowed before him, this time they prostrate themselves before him. It’s a bow on steroids, humbly paying homage. Sure, some of it may be out of fear, but I think the text itself is indicating that this is also progressively becoming the posture of their hearts.

They take sacrificial, selfless action as they’re growing in repentance for their past sins.

Evidence of repentance #4: A lack of envy.

The story began with favouritism that led to murderous jealousy. As chapter 43 comes to an end, we have a chance to see if anything has really changed in these men.

The brothers, now along with the youngest, are invited to a feast. Joseph, still unknown to the brothers, blesses only Benjamin (v. 29). And then, after retreating for a quick cry, instructs the food to be served. But notice the favouritism in the closing verse:

When portions were served to them from Joseph’s table, Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as anyone else’s. So they feasted and drank freely with him.

Whereas Joseph was given a colourful coat, Benjamin is given more food than he can eat. Blatant, extravagant favouritism. 

Yet, no signs of jealousy. No envy. No murder plot. Simply free feasting and fellowship. Our text today has moved from famine to feast, from reminders of envy-producing favouritism to a picture of repentant submission. 

Because God opened the curtains, the brothers responded by growing in repentance. They saw their guilt, they saw God’s hand at work, they took sacrificial action, and all with a lack of envy in the face of favouritism.

When God prompts us toward repentance, when he shows us our sin, do we respond submissively? Do I see my guilt and God’s graciousness? Do I take steps toward reconciliation even if those steps might cost a great deal? Do you, or the people around you, see evidence of your softening heart caused by a humble spirit?

Having carried sin around with them for decades, God lets the brothers know that their sin was never hidden, it was hurting others, and it needed to be dealt with. 

And We can learn from their example, and we do that by being sensitive and submissive!

You and I, as God’s people, need to become, or continue to be, sensitive to our own past sin and sensitive to God at work in our lives to remind us of that sin whether by means of his Spirit, his Word, or his people. (Or a combination of all three!)

We never want to become calloused to conviction. The author of Hebrews warns believers not to let our hearts grow hard and unresponsive to God. We want to remain sensitive and pliable.

The other side of that coin is submissiveness. Once our consciences are pricked and we’ve been made aware of the sin we’ve failed to address in our lives, we need to exercise submissive obedience. We need to avoid the temptation of sweeping it under the carpet or justifying it away. Sin, even past sin, needs to be dealt with, submitting to God’s will that we would grow in holiness. This may mean simply confessing it to God. Maybe it means confessing it to the person the sin was against. Perhaps it means something more extreme and costly than even that. But we need to understand that no past sin is ever actually hidden, and no past sin is without harm. They need to be dealt with.

Learning from the example of Joseph’s brothers, you and I need to be sensitive and submissive to God particularly if we want to be used by God as agents of divine blessing to the people around us. Let’s not forget that these brothers would eventually make up the twelve tribes of Israel through whom God had promised, and would bless the whole world. But God forced them to deal with past sin first.

We need to learn from their example and be sensitive and submissive. 

If the coronavirus has done anything it has taught us to wash our hands more. And, at least in our home, the more you wash your hands the dryer they get and so we move from the soap to the hand lotion combat the effects of repeated washing.

I suggest that in the week ahead, every time you wash your hands and every time you use hand lotion, acts of cleaning and softening respectively, pair those actions with a prayer of request for the same two things to happen to you—that God would soften and clean your heart. That he would soften your heart to the conviction, to the light, he will bring, and that he will clean your life by moving you toward submissive repentance.

When you wash your hands: “Lord, cleanse me from the dirt of past sins. Forgive me. Help me love you more than I love my sin. Keep me free from the mess I often make.”

When you soften your hands: “Lord, give me a tender heart and a sensitive conscience. Keep me from callousness, from dryness, from rigidity. Keep me pliable to your Spirit.”

As the Spirit of God convicts you of sin in your life—even past sin—unburden yourself from the guilt by submissively confessing to God, repenting of the mess, and enjoy the forgiveness he has promised and provided through his Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ.

King David was familiar with this process. I want to close by reading a selection from Psalm 51, verses this great man of God wrote after a horrific sin had come to light in his life, and may his words be the prayer and posture of our hearts as well.

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.