I once saw a billboard which read, “A clear conscience makes a great pillow.” How true that is. When the restless burden of a guilty conscience has been removed we feel freer and sleep sounder. This reminds me of a story of the story I read about a man who had cheated the government out of income tax. He wrote to SARS to try and alleviate his guilt: “I have cheated on my income tax. I can’t sleep. Here is a check for R1,000.00. If I still can’t sleep I’ll send the balance!”

I recently read a Wall Street Journal article, dated 15 April 2002 (tax-filing day in the USA), which reported that there is an account held by the US government called the Conscience Fund for this very purpose.

The Conscience Fund receives donations from Americans who feel guilty for ripping off the government, sometimes decades earlier. “My younger brother, while working for the government in Washington, D.C. stole a pair of scissors,” wrote one woman recently. He had given the scissors to her and later died. She sent $10. Another letter reads: “Please find enclosed a money order for $500.00 which should be returned to the Treasury of the United States. This should more than compensate the government for that which I have taken in the form of materials over the years.”

Religious piety motivates many of these letters. One person felt guilty for “occasionally using typing paper, envelopes, pens or pencils” and wrote, “Since I am a Christian, this has bothered me although the people I worked with said I was foolish.” That letter included $50. Others admit more serious transgressions. One anonymous veteran felt guilty for taking money from the cash register at a military snack bar. “I am a Christian,” he wrote, “however, I was not always so.” He sent $500 and wrote: “Should I feel the need to send more, please rest assured that I will.

I would presume that by doing so he has “rest assured.”

Yes, guilt is a plague on the conscience. And as we will see in this study (as well as in future studies) Joseph’s brothers would, by grace, be forced to deal with their guilty consciences.

As we open our Bibles to Genesis 42 we need to remember that at least twenty years have transpired since Joseph was so mercilessly sold into slavery by his brothers. In fact, since the famine is well into effect (after the initial seven years of plenty) some 22 years have probably passed. In all that time the brothers have been confronted by a guilty conscience concerning how they had treated their younger brother Joseph. I have no doubt that there were many days when they had forgotten their sordid treatment of him and some of them may have even enjoyed the solitude of a seared conscience for some time. And yet there were no doubt also moments when their consciences were horribly and painfully restless as they remembered Joseph’s cries for help which they had so callously ignored (see v. 21). In fact, like Judas, they may have even have sought to get rid of the twenty shekels received at the hand of the slave-trading Midianites (37:28). They didn’t like the mercenary reminder of their evil deed. If a Conscience Fund existed in Canaan, perhaps they sent the silver to it!

In Genesis 42 we read of Joseph’s wise handling of his guilty brothers, and as we do so we learn something of God’s grace in dealing with our guilt. I think that you will agree that we need this lesson, for without a doubt there are many times when our consciences condemn our behaviour.

The word “conscience” literally means “with” or “alongside knowledge.” That is, alongside the knowledge of a moral action we experience either peace or guilt. And so, as we remember a certain sinful act, a painful feeling of guilt and unease comes “with” or “alongside” that knowledge. This is the work of conscience, in a negative sense. But conscience is a gift of God. For when we are made to realise that we have done wrong we are then in a position to experience the grace of forgiveness and reconciliation.

Perhaps as you read these words your conscience is bothering you. The good news is that there is hope. There is grace available to all of those who will place their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Saviour, the One who saves us from our sins.

But perhaps your conscience feels free. That might be a good thing, or perhaps not. Perhaps your conscience is clear because it should be; that is, you are not guilty. But, on the other hand, perhaps your conscience is not bothering you and yet it should be! May today be the day in which your slumbering (seared) conscience is awakened with the result that you experience God’s saving grace through the Lord Jesus Christ.

In recent studies we have been challenged to live by the promise inherent in the name Jesus: “He shall save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). But if we will be saved, delivered from our sinful behaviour, then we must take sin seriously. After all, unless we feel the weight of how serious sin is, we will not be serious about crying out for deliverance from it. And thus for some, our consciences must be awakened. We must be confronted with the evil sin of which we are guilty that we might experience the grace of forgiveness and deliverance. Conviction of the conscience is painful but it is also gloriously fruitful. May this be our experience today as we consider the story of Genesis 42 and draw some relevant applications from it concerning God’s grace to a guilty, yet repentant, conscience.

A Suspicious Father

The opening verses of this chapter take us into what was probably the first couple of years of the seven year famine. This famine (true to the prophecy of ch 41) was severe, not only in Egypt, but in all the surrounding nations as well. Jacob observes that the barns are empty and that his family is in dire need of food. He has heard a report that there is surplus grain in Egypt (thanks to the master stroke of their now famous Prime Minister) and thus he summons his sons to send them to buy food.

Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another? And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die. And Joseph’s ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt. But Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said, Lest peradventure mischief befall him. And the sons of Israel came to buy corn among those that came: for the famine was in the land of Canaan.

(Genesis 42:1-5)

Jacob’s opening words are very significant, for they reveal something, I think, of his suspicion about Joseph’s “death” and his sons’ involvement. “Why do ye look one upon another?” he asks. The suggestion is that their indolence in this matter of securing food from Egypt is strange. Certainly they have heard the reports of the availability of grain and yet they have made no movement to go to Egypt in order to secure life-sustaining supplies for their own families. Why are they merely standing around looking at each other?

I think that Jacob suspected there was something sinister going on. This is substantiated by his refusal to allow Benjamin to go along with them to Egypt (see v. 4). He had no doubt had his suspicions all along about his sons’ involvement in Joseph’s supposed demise. I like what Derek Kidner said: “Under a father’s eye their actual crime might be covered up, but not their character.” He knew more than his sons realised, even though there was much that he did not yet know!

Some observations need to be made here. First, these brothers (grown men) were hesitant to go down into Egypt for the simple fact that they were probably fearful that by some chance they might run into Joseph. After all, they had sold him to Midianite salve-traders who at the time were on their way to ply their wares in Egypt. To quote Shakespeare, “Conscience doth make cowards of us all.” These brothers were seemingly paralysed by the guilt on their consciences, a guilt that they had carried for over twenty years! Let us learn from this that conscience does not have a shelf life. Even when the deed is forgotten the underlying conscience can be fanned into flame at any moment. And thank God for that! For when that happens then grace and thus forgiveness and reconciliation is possible. This story proves that very point.

But related to this, please note the paralysing and thus debilitating effects of a guilty conscience. As stated, these men had families for which they were responsible (see chapter 46) and yet their guilty consciences were apparently hindering them from fulfilling these responsibilities. Instead of acting manly they were standing around doing nothing—simply looking at one another. What a pathetic sight! sadly, it is one that is often repeated in our own day.

All too often individuals drop out of life because they are fearful that their past will catch up to them. I wonder how much depression is triggered by guilt? How many hospital beds are filled with people who have not properly, biblically dealt with their sin? I wonder how the pharmaceuticals would be affected if people properly dealt with their guilty consciences? How many churches would be revived with active members if we all dealt biblically with our sin? How many dead relationships would be resurrected if we would stop just standing around in atrophied paralysis and rather actively deal with our sin?

Second, it appears to me that the behaviour of these brothers over the past twenty-some years had given some evidence to substantiate their father’s suspicion that they were carrying guilt. Perhaps it was by the fact that they did not look him in the eye. Perhaps they at times slipped up in their story of what they claimed had happened to Joseph. It could have been a number of evidences, but the point that I wish to make is that a guilty conscience can certainly alter a personality. Our conscience affects our character and can lead others to justly question our trustworthiness. Dear reader, if you are guilty of sin then confess it and find cleansing in the One who saves you from your sins! Let us be the kind of believers that Jesus commands us to be: those who are pure of heart. May we be transparent before God and others and thus not give anyone any reason to question our character. May we be the kind of people whom others can trust their loved ones with. That is, may we be believers who confess and repent of their sin and thus who live with a manifestly clear conscience.

A Fruitful Strategy

In the long and major section of the chapter that follows we have the almost incredible (if it wasn’t providential!) account of Joseph’s encounter with his brothers. How Joseph responds to them is illuminating as to his wisdom. But it also teaches us how the Lord often works in our lives to awaken our conscience.

And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph’s brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth. And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food. And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him. And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said unto them, Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come. And they said unto him, Nay, my lord, but to buy food are thy servants come. We are all one man’s sons; we are true men, thy servants are no spies. And he said unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye are come. And they said, Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not. And Joseph said unto them, That is it that I spake unto you, saying, Ye are spies: Hereby ye shall be proved: By the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother come hither. Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother, and ye shall be kept in prison, that your words may be proved, whether there be any truth in you: or else by the life of Pharaoh surely ye are spies. And he put them all together into ward three days. And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live; for I fear God: If ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your prison: go ye, carry corn for the famine of your houses: But bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so. And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us. And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required. And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spake unto them by an interpreter. And he turned himself about from them, and wept; and returned to them again, and communed with them, and took from them Simeon, and bound him before their eyes. Then Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn, and to restore every man’s money into his sack, and to give them provision for the way: and thus did he unto them. And they laded their asses with the corn, and departed thence. And as one of them opened his sack to give his ass provender in the inn, he espied his money; for, behold, it was in his sack’s mouth. And he said unto his brethren, My money is restored; and, lo, it is even in my sack: and their heart failed them, and they were afraid, saying one to another, What is this that God hath done unto us? And they came unto Jacob their father unto the land of Canaan, and told him all that befell unto them; saying, The man, who is the lord of the land, spake roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country. And we said unto him, We are true men; we are no spies: We be twelve brethren, sons of our father; one is not, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan. And the man, the lord of the country, said unto us, Hereby shall I know that ye are true men; leave one of your brethren here with me, and take food for the famine of your households, and be gone: And bring your youngest brother unto me: then shall I know that ye are no spies, but that ye are true men: so will I deliver you your brother, and ye shall traffic in the land. And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that, behold, every man’s bundle of money was in his sack: and when both they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid.

(Genesis 42:6-35)

Before explaining some of the details it is important that we understand the historical, emotional and psychological backdrop of this scene, for if we do not then we may draw some unwarranted conclusions about Joseph.

We should note that there was a good reason that Joseph recognises his brothers but they did not recognise him. Joseph, at least externally, had been Egyptianised. Among other things, this means that he would have been completely shaven whereas the brothers, despite their greying hair, would have appeared as Joseph remembered them: beards and all.

Furthermore, the last place that the brothers would have expected to see Joseph was in the position of the second highest ranking official in Egypt. They were not at all prepared, psychologically, for this. On the other hand, Joseph was probably wondering if perhaps he would one day encounter them in Egypt seeking grain in light of the reports that the famine was being felt in nearby Canaan. The story is fully credible.

It is at this point that some may question Joseph’s behaviour. Why he did not immediately reveal himself to his brothers? Was he being unjustly deceptive? On the contrary, I believe that he was fully justified in not doing. Consider some extenuating circumstances.

First, as far as Joseph knew, his brothers were largely cold-hearted unbelievers. Simeon and Levi had led an unjust massacre against the Shechemites. Reuben had slept with his father’s wife. All the brothers had conspired to kill him, and only at the last minute they had been persuaded (by mercenary motives) to sell him into slavery. He well remembered crying out to them for help from the bottom of the cistern, only to be mercilessly ignored. He was thus very wise to withhold information concerning his identity. He had no way of knowing whether his brothers had changed.

This brings us to the second justification for his ruse: He was testing their conscience and character. Joseph wanted to discern whether or not his brothers were trustworthy before giving them his trust. And thus he employed this particular strategy to prove them.

A third reason also suggests itself in v. 9. According to the dreams which the Lord had given to Joseph (chapter 37) all of his brothers and his father would bow down to him. And in this initial meeting there was missing one brother along with his father and his wives. Thus Joseph exercised the patience to wait upon the Lord. He had waited over twenty years—a little while longer would not be a problem.

Finally, this was all in accordance with the will of God. As indicated Joseph was patiently awaiting the full realisation of the dream and by God’s providence this had not yet come to pass. Thus I see the hand of God in this. The Lord no doubt was putting these brothers through this test under Joseph in order to bring them to repentance. As we shall see, there is good evidence to suggest that this is exactly what happened. Now, back to the details.

Verse 7 tells us that when Joseph recognised his brothers he “spoke roughly to them,” and according to v. 9 he accused them of being spies. Why such behaviour? Along with F. B. Meyer I believe that Joseph was reliving the treatment that he had received from his brothers many years ago. You will remember that Joseph had (rightly I think) reported back to his father that his brothers were not properly doing their jobs (37:3). Subsequently Jacob sent Joseph to check up on them while they were tending the flocks in Shechem (37:12ff). One can imagine that this had bothered them and that somewhere along the way they had accused him of “spying.” Now Joseph turned the tables. Perhaps he was thinking, “Well, brothers, how does it feel to have your motives questioned?” Now, not for a moment are we to believe that Joseph was being petty or vindictive. Rather, he was being used by the Lord to help his brothers (future events will prove that he loved them) to feel the weight of their guilt and to repent. They needed to feel the pain of being mistreated.

The fact of the matter is that hard, painful words are often used of the Lord to get our attention. The ministry of Jesus proves this. He said some hard things for the very purpose of getting beyond the surface and to penetrate the heart so as to heal. That is why we need to speak straight to people as various situations lend themselves to the necessity of tough love. Sometimes the only way that one’s conscience will be pricked is if they are made to eat the bitter fruit of their own wrongs.

The brothers, of course, protested at the accusation that they were spies and sought to prove the folly of such an allegation. After all, how many spies operate as a family of ten brothers? Further, to show the authenticity of their claim to be brothers, they told Joseph that their father was yet alive, that one brother “is not” (Joseph must have been tempted to recoil at this) and that their youngest brother was at home. At least up until this point, Joseph could see that the brothers were speaking with some integrity.

Joseph then demanded that they send one of them to bring this alleged younger brother back with them. Perhaps at this point Joseph was questioning in his heart whether they had mistreated, or even killed, the youngest and most favoured of the sons, Benjamin. Perhaps he was thinking, “Have my brothers changed their hostile and jealous attitudes?” And he proceeded to incarcerate them for three days to give them time to think about his mandate. Note, once again, that Joseph was causing his brothers to repeat something of his own experience: Not only had Joseph been slandered but he had also been imprisoned. Indeed these brothers were being given a taste of their own medicine. But more so, God was no doubt using this solitude of prison to work on their consciences.

Imagine the scene: As they were imprisoned in Egypt they doubtless began to question all of the misfortune that had come their way. They had not wanted to come to Egypt in the first place, and now they really wished they had not come! Trouble upon trouble! Why? No doubt the penny was beginning to drop, as subsequent details will show.

It doubtless came as a surprise to them when, after their three days in prison, Joseph released them and exclaimed, “I fear God” (v. 18). Thus far in the biblical record, these patriarchal brothers had not even mentioned the name of God, but now an Egyptian official did! Joseph explained that he would be merciful and allow them to travel back home as long as one of the brothers stayed in Egypt. I would assume from the words of vv. 20 and 24 that the brothers themselves had chosen Simeon to remain behind—he was the most despicable of the lot—but this is not what interests us the most. What we are struck by is their verbalisation of their guilt as recorded in vv. 21-22. Joseph’s strategy seemed to be bringing forth some fruit.

Please don’t miss this: These brothers did not know that Joseph was their brother, and I would guess that the name “Joseph” hadn’t been on their lips for twenty years. They were all the time seeking to forget their evil treatment of their younger brother, and yet they could not forget. The pain of hunger, Joseph’s piercing words and the trying solitude were bringing their guilt to the surface. They could suppress it no longer. And accompanying this haunting conscience was a renewed tenderness. There was hope for them indeed.

What tenderness is this? Remember that the last time that they had seen Joseph they derisively called him “that dreamer” (37:19), but now they thoughtfully referred to him as “our brother,” and Reuben called him “the child” or “the boy.” They owned the relationship and were apparently in great grief over their horrific treatment of him.

It is at this point in the narrative that we find some details not mentioned in chapter 37. Here the brothers recalled Joseph’s desperate pleas for help; pleas which were ignored by these calloused souls. They had lived with this for some twenty years and they now confessed their guilt. Upon reading this I reflect upon the times that I have carried unconfessed guilt and when bad things happened I immediately have felt that it was a divine punishment for my sin. Yes, a screaming conscience will not leave us alone. And thank the Lord that He doesn’t either!

Joseph was deeply moved by this scene (vv. 23-24). He could see that his brothers were remorseful, that they were sorry for their sinful treatment of him. He could see that their consciences were not seared and thus there was hope for them. So why then did he not immediately reveal himself to them? Why, on the contrary, did he proceed to seemingly behave harshly towards them by binding Simeon before their eyes? I would suggest that he did so because he knew something of the difference between the sorrow of the world and godly sorrow (cf. 2 Corinthians 7:10-11). Yes, they were sorrowful over how they had treated Joseph, but how was their relationship with Benjamin, and what was their affection and respect towards their father? He still needed to know the answers to these questions and thus he continues with his strategy.

Joseph consequently ordered that their grain sacks be filled but that their money be put back into each man’s sack. The brothers went off on their merry way, leaving Simeon behind, uncertain as to how their father would take all of this news. At least they were safe and sound, and for the moment that appeared to give them comfort even though their consciences were alive and painfully well. As they journeyed they took a break after awhile to feed their donkeys. Horror upon horrors: One of them found his money back in his sack. And note their response. “What is this that God has done to us?” Joseph’s, rather God’s, strategy was bearing good fruit. For the first time they mentioned God and it seems as if their sorrow recorded in vv. 21-22 was indeed a godly one. They realised the fear of the Lord. Perhaps there was hope for them after all. Grace was apparently leading them to repentance.

After several days they arrived back home and recounted the events of the recent weeks to Jacob. They left out the part about being imprisoned, and about the Prime Minister’s threat to execute them (vv. 18, 20). Neither do they tell of their lamentation over their two-decade old sin regarding Joseph, nor did they mention the finding of the money in one of their sacks. It would appear that they were seeking to paint a scene which would be conducive to Jacob allowing Benjamin to return with them. Perhaps Jacob was beginning to warm to the idea—at least until the next event.

Upon opening their sacks of grain each man discovered that his money is there. Terrified, their consciences no doubt flared up again. To add insult to injury, these brothers now looked like thieves before their father. And thieves, especially ones who had already been accused of being spies, would probably not fare to well before the Egyptian Prime Minister. Things were looking pretty grim.

A Faithless Sorrow

If Jacob was about to be persuaded to allow his youngest to return then these larcenous-looking grain sacks quickly dissuaded him. There was no way that he would risk the life of Benjamin. He already had been entertaining suspicions about the character of his sons, and the evidence of theft was the final proof that Benjamin, like Joseph, would not be safe in their company. Thus he refused to release Benjamin, and resigned himself to live with the heartache of losing Simeon in addition to his prior loss of Joseph.

And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me. And Reuben spake unto his father, saying, Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee: deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to thee again. And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if mischief befall him by the way in the which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.

(Genesis 42:36-38)

It is noteworthy that Jacob laid the blame squarely where it belonged: on the shoulders of his sons. “Me have ye bereaved” (v. 36). How right he was, and how these men needed to hear this! They needed the constant conviction if they would ever come to the point of confession and forgiveness. Yes, they were making some progress and yet note that they still had not confessed their sin to anyone outside the circle of those involved in the cover up. There was still work to be done. They needed to come clean. And God in His patience would do this work.

At this point Reuben made a rash and ludicrous offer: “I promise to bring Benjamin back and if I don’t then you may kill my two sons.” How this was to be any kind of surety is beyond me! How could Jacob take any comfort in two of his grandsons being killed alongside losing both Joseph and Benjamin? But let’s give Reuben some credit for his passionate promise to care for his youngest brother. This is a good sign that Reuben’s conscience was doing its work. Reuben appears to have been a changing man, for the better.

Jacob, however, refused to budge. He would not let Benjamin go. He was willing to live without the company and life of Simeon, but he had experienced so much sorrow that he didn’t think he could survive more. This is a sad scene and its sadness is intensified by Jacob’s words as recorded in v. 36: “All these things are against me.” What a pathetic statement by a man to whom the Messianic promises had been made! In point of fact, all things were not against him but rather they were being moved around for him! God was doing a marvellous work of redemption for the purpose of redemption! And Jacob should have seen this.

How do we explain this fearful, faithless sorrow of Jacob? In a previous study (chapter 37) I made the point that when the brothers brought the report of the death of Joseph, with the report came the death of Jacob’s dream. He (mistakenly) saw Joseph as the one through whom the Messianic promises would come. Thus when he thought that Joseph had died his faith must have been rattled, if not shattered. It is for this reason that Jacob was here so fearful. It is because he was faithless. And the ten brothers must take responsibility for this. It was perhaps for this reason that the Lord allowed Jacob to refuse to send Benjamin. These guilty brothers were in need of their consciences being fully convicted concerning their evil deed. And thus to see the sorrow of their father would no doubt be a means of this coming to pass. The greyer their father’s hair became, the more guilt they would feel.

A Faithful Story

This chapter is in fact far more than merely a narrative of Joseph’s first encounter with his brothers. As interesting as these details are this is not the focus. Because this is a biblical story we know that it says something to us about God and His relationship to us. Since we know that all Scripture points to the Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 24:27) we can be sure that there are hints of Christ here in this story. Let me suggest a few as we draw this message to a close. (I am heavily indebted to James Montgomery Boice for the seed thoughts for much that follows.)

First, we see that as God allowed famine to be the cause of getting these guilty brothers to begin to deal with their sin, so God does in the lives of those who will experience forgiveness from Christ. If we will experience salvation from our sins then we too will need to at first feel hunger pangs: the hunger for righteousness. Just as the prodigal son only came to his senses as he fed of pig slop and hungered for proper sustenance, so we will only experience salvation from our sins as we hunger and thirst for righteousness.

Sometimes God may allow us to experience the famine of relationships, health or prosperity. Sometimes it will simply be the gnawing emptiness of a life lived apart from God. Pain precedes pardon and we should not be surprised when the Great Physician pricks our conscience by the pain of famine.

Second, the pain of hard words is another tool used by our Lord to deal with our guilty conscience. Just as Joseph spoke “roughly” to his brothers sometimes our Lord does so with us. Preaching can be like this. Biblical preaching is His Word to us. Don’t despise straightforward exposition and application. A spade must be called a spade if we will dig out the sin in our lives.

But again, sometimes the Lord may even use the sinfully harsh words of others to get the attention of our conscience. No, Jesus doesn’t cause the sin but He may use the sinful treatment by others to highlight our sin and thus cleanse our conscience. Even in the worst of slanders there may be a kernel of truth. In our Lord’s all wise providence He often awakens our conscience and by His grace begins to save us from our sins—sins that apart from a harsh word may have never been brought to our attention.

Third, the Lord will often use the “press of solitude” (to quote Boice) to awaken our conscience. As these brothers were imprisoned no doubt it was there where the Lord began to seriously get a hold of their consciences. As they were alone with their thoughts, perhaps they began to seriously confront the sin in their lives. Perhaps they contemplated what Joseph must have suffered while he was in the pit and then sent off, alone, to Egypt in the custody of the slave-traders. This dose of reality may have been used in a huge way to awaken their guilt and to begin to seek forgiveness.

Think of how the Lord allowed Peter to suffer at the hands of solitude. After his denial of Jesus the Lord looked upon him and he went out alone and wept bitterly. For several days Peter was in a place where he felt abandoned because he had forsaken the Lord. And yet no doubt it was while in this place of remorseful solitude that Peter began to deal with his sin; namely that of pride. And after the solitude the Lord graciously restored him.

And you? Have you not found that oftentimes it is when you are in solitude that the Lord gets your attention? Perhaps we find ourselves in a sad solitude caused by sickness, or by a broken relationship, or for some other reason. It is then when we often begin to reflect on our behaviour. The conscience is pricked and the guilt surfaces. Thank God! For now we are getting to the place, by God’s grace, where we can deal biblically with such guilt.

Fourth, let us note that this strategy of Joseph, like the strategy of Jesus, is to get us to the point where our conscience becomes conscious of God.

When you study the book of Genesis it becomes clear that, at least up until this chapter, the ten sons of Jacob were not known for their piety. In fact, as Boice points out, and as has been noted above, the name of God has yet to be spoken by any of them. But in v. 28, for the first time, the brothers were fully conscious of God. And it was no vague reference to God. They were not seeking to be religiously correct. They had come to realise that the God of their father(s) was indeed real—very real. Whether all of these brothers came to saving faith is not known to us. But certainly we can take comfort that they began to take God seriously at this point. And this is precisely where a guilty conscience should lead: to God.

It is not enough to feel bad about what we have done. We must be God-centred in our guilt. It is Him whom we have offended, and it is from Him that we need forgiveness. We thus need to seriously consider God, not merely when our conscience is bothered but long before we defile it. As we live God-centred lives our conscience will be dealt with early as we seek God’s forgiveness and resultant grace.

Finally, let me make the observation that grace can be confusing. Is it not interesting that, upon finding the silver in their grain sacks, these brothers immediately assumed the worst? They assumed that they would be accused of thievery when, in fact, Joseph had given them back their money as an act of grace! But guilty consciences feel the convicting weight of grace. Paul told us that it is by God’s goodness that we are led to repentance (Romans 2:4).

Many a guilty sinner responds to God’s grace much like these brothers did to Joseph’s act of kindness: they think the worst. They assume that God plays by their rules and thus they are sceptical about God’s offer of free pardon. Nevertheless, this is the gospel offer! And the more gracious that God manifests Himself to be, the more guilty we feel until we cry our, “God be merciful to me a sinner.” And, like Joseph (though infinitely more so), God hears our cries and saves us from our sins.

The brothers saw Joseph, upon this initial meeting, as a hard and demanding authority and thus when they discovered the returned money they thought worst case scenario. But they did not realise the compassion that he felt toward them, a compassion that was too strong to risk revealing his full grace until they were ready. And so it often is with sinners and Jesus.

The Lord Jesus Christ knows how to woo sinners, and thus at times He is distant. But He is never disinterested. Rather, He pierces us with the demands of His law and makes us to feel the weight of our sin. And this is all by grace! Aren’t we glad that He awakens our conscience? It is only when this happens that we are ready to receive the fullness of His grace in the gospel. O, may we cry out, “Saviour, do not pass me by. While on others Thou art calling, do not pass me by.” O, for the grace of an awakened conscience that leads us to God thereby finding mercy in His Son through whom we are saved from our sins.