That the absolute ruler of a world superpower like ancient Egypt would give a young foreigner from prison a position of such authority may defy belief, unless one understands history. In ancient Egypt Pharaoh’s main responsibility was to ensure the food supply for his people. This was the reason one ruler was able to unite all the people of the Nile into a single kingdom in the first place. The annual flooding of the Nile was their lifeblood, and the people had suffered so acutely in years of excessive or inadequate flooding, that famine was a real fear for them. Pharaoh was considered an agent of the gods in managing flood water and thus food supply. Can you imagine the pressure on him? That this young man who had already demonstrated rare insight had a plan to meet the coming crisis, and that he offered it so freely, must have been a profound relief to Pharaoh.
Joseph’s life was a series of extreme ups and downs: from favored son of a rich man, to slave in a foreign land where the people despised his people. From despised slave to head of the household. From a high position to prisoner in a dungeon. From prisoner to second-in-command to the absolute ruler of the land. The names he gave his sons reveals that he rightly considered it all as coming from the hand of God. What does his life teach you about your own circumstances?
It seems as if Joseph was using his position of power to toy with his helpless brothers, and he certainly would be justified in doing so! I believe that justice was part of his motive, but I think that he was also testing them and leading them to a place where they could deal with their guilt over past sins. He tested them to understand what kind of people they were after all these years (at least ten years, likely more). He brought up the guilt so that those actions would not continue to interfere with a future relationship. The money in the sacks probably was his taking care of them; yet they suffered so from guilt that it frightened them! Guilt is a burden and a barrier. Does their experience remind you of anything painful that you would like to see healed?
I hope you are continuing to read every day or almost every day, because I am convinced that being in God’s word daily is important for every Christian. I believe that so strongly that I not only write daily, but also pray daily for you.