21 Then they said to one another, “In truth we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us and we did not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us.” 22 And Reuben answered them, “Did I not tell you not to sin against the boy? But you did not listen. So now there comes a reckoning for his blood.” 23 They did not know that Joseph understood them, for there was an interpreter between them. 24 Then he turned away from them and wept. And he returned to them and spoke to them. And he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes. 25 And Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, and to replace every man’s money in his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. This was done for them.
26 Then they loaded their donkeys with their grain and departed. 27 And as one of them opened his sack to give his donkey fodder at the lodging place, he saw his money in the mouth of his sack. 28 He said to his brothers, “My money has been put back; here it is in the mouth of my sack!” At this their hearts failed them, and they turned trembling to one another, saying, “What is this that God has done to us?”
29 When they came to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them, saying, 30 “The man, the lord of the land, spoke roughly to us and took us to be spies of the land. 31 But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we have never been spies. 32 We are twelve brothers, sons of our father. One is no more, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan.’ 33 Then the man, the lord of the land, said to us, ‘By this I shall know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me, and take grain for the famine of your households, and go your way. 34 Bring your youngest brother to me. Then I shall know that you are not spies but honest men, and I will deliver your brother to you, and you shall trade in the land.’”
35 As they emptied their sacks, behold, every man’s bundle of money was in his sack. And when they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were afraid. 36 And Jacob their father said to them, “You have bereaved me of my children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and now you would take Benjamin. All this has come against me.” 37 Then Reuben said to his father, “Kill my two sons if I do not bring him back to you. Put him in my hands, and I will bring him back to you.” 38 But he said, “My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he is the only one left. If harm should happen to him on the journey that you are to make, you would bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.”
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
The brothers recognise that they are facing a reckoning for what they did to Joseph. They acknowledge their guilt amongst themselves but they have not repented. Remorse is not repentance, but it is a necessary first step. Reuben’s response is interesting. He asks, “Did I not tell you not to sin against the boy? But you did not listen. So now there comes a reckoning.” He had prevented them from killing Joseph but he had not stepped up enough to keep Joseph safe. He had a weak plan to come back later and help Joseph but when he came back it was too late (Gen 37:21-22, 29-30). If we are to stand up for the marginalised then we must do it completely. If you find yourself in a group picking on someone weaker, don’t make a few quips in their defence and then leave the group to continue, thinking you have done right by them. Stand up for them completely.
Joseph had Simeon (the second eldest) bound in front of them and taken to prison. Then they were given the grain they had come to buy but Joseph had their money returned to them hidden in their sacks. On the way home one of the brothers found his money in his sack as he was feeding a donkey. Again they find themselves trembling and asking what God has done to them. Perhaps they are scared that they will be accused of stealing the money, which will validate Joseph’s accusation that they are spies. When we carry unconfessed guilt around with us, then even blessings can cause our guilt to rise. Unconfessed sin festers inside you as you constantly question everything that happens, wondering if you are about to be found out or ultimately pay for what you have done. It is far better to bring sin into the light, confess and ask forgiveness (Psalm 69:5; Proverbs 28:13; 1 John 1:8-10).
Back in Canaan the brothers told their father what had happened. They had been accused of being spies but they had replied that they were honest men. When they opened their sacks each one had money fall out. “When they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were afraid.” Perhaps Jacob thought they had sold their brother Simeon. Jacob is grieved because now he has lost two sons and they are asking to take away Benjamin, the only other son of Rachel. Reuben tries to promise to keep Benjamin safe but the promise carries no weight because he failed to keep Joseph safe all those years before. Jacob won’t hear of it. If something were to happen to Benjamin he would die of sorrow, the same thing he said when he heard about Joseph’s “death” (Gen 37:35). What will happen to this torn family?