When Joseph’s brothers arrived in Egypt to buy grain during the famine, they did not recognize him, but he recognized them (Genesis 42:7–8). Instead of immediately revealing his identity, Joseph chose to test them. Genesis 42:9 says:
“Then Joseph remembered the dreams which he had dreamed about them, and said to them, ‘You are spies! You have come to see the nakedness of the land!’”
Joseph’s accusations and subsequent tests were not acts of revenge but were intended to discern their hearts. Years earlier, these same brothers had sold him into slavery out of envy and hatred (Genesis 37:28). Joseph wanted to know if they had changed. By demanding that they bring Benjamin to Egypt (Genesis 42:15), Joseph tested their honesty and their loyalty to their father.
Later, Joseph placed his silver cup in Benjamin’s sack (Genesis 44:1–2) to see how his brothers would respond. Would they abandon Benjamin as they had abandoned him, or would they stand together? Their reaction revealed true repentance. Judah pleaded for Benjamin’s life and offered himself as a substitute (Genesis 44:33–34), demons/”>demonstrating sacrificial love and concern for their father’s grief.
These tests prepared the way for reconciliation. When Joseph saw their changed hearts, he revealed himself and spoke words of forgiveness, saying in Genesis 45:5:
“But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.”
Joseph’s testing reminds us that true reconciliation often involves discernment. It shows the importance of repentance and the transforming work of God in the human heart. What began as a severe famine ended as a testimony to God’s grace and the restoration of a broken family.
