Canaan was in famine, and Jacob had to send his sons to Egypt to buy food. He kept Benjamin, his youngest son, behind to keep him from any harm.

Joseph was the governor over Egypt and the one who sold grain to everyone. When his brothers came in, they bowed down to him. Joseph recognized them and remembered his dream. However, he did not reveal himself. Instead, he spoke harshly to them and said they were spies. The brothers answered that they were not, but that they came from a family of twelve sons. They explained that of those sons, one was no more (Joseph), and one had stayed behind (Benjamin). Joseph then demanded that they bring Benjamin to him in order to prove that they were not spies. After keeping them in custody for three days, he released all the brothers except Simeon to bring the food home and to bring Benjamin back. Joseph sent them away with bags full of food, provisions for the way, and even secretly returned their money with the grain. When the brothers reached home, they told their father the bad news that Simeon had been bound, and that the man in Egypt required Benjamin to come back with them. They also discovered their silver had been returned, and were afraid because of this.

In their plight, the brothers were touched in their conscience concerning what they had done to Joseph so many years ago in planning to kill him and then eventually selling him. They regretted their actions and were convicted of their wrongdoing.

Joseph, a person who had been thoroughly dealt with by the Lord already, treated his brothers in a very wise way. Joseph loved his brothers, and he also surely longed to see his father again. However, because he realized his brothers needed to be disciplined, he disguised himself and treated them harshly. At the same time, he secretly loved them and cared for them. A different person may have been swept away with excitement and been unable to control himself in that situation. That kind of person would have been unable to render the help that the brothers needed in discipline.

We need to learn from Joseph’s pattern to learn to be calm and to restrain ourselves in our interactions with others. We need to learn not to show our glory, and to do things in a sober and discerning way. Finally, we must love the brothers, even when they require discipline. This is to care for others according to their need, and not according to our feelings.