11/6/22 - Godly Guilt and Godly Sorrow - Genesis 42 - Pastor Jason Fritz

What a crazy plot twist!!! After 13 years, Joseph will see his estranged brothers (and they will bow), yet they do not recognize him. 

A lot has happened. God has placed Joseph in a position of tremendous power. He could easily have his brothers killed for their abuse. What stops him? Joseph understands where his power comes from. When he interpreted Pharaoh's dream, he was quick to say, “Hey! Don’t give me credit, God is the one who gave me the ability to do this.” When dealing with his brothers, he comes right out and says it, “I fear God!” He doesn’t want to do God wrong by taking revenge. The first step toward the misuse of power is to forget the source from which your power comes and to overlook the responsibility it brings upon you.

He puts the brothers to the test...
 
Is Joseph toying with his brothers now? Is he the cat to their mouse? I don’t think so. I think he wants to find out if they have changed, so he turns up the heat. Additionally - who is not with them? Benjamin, the youngest. Joseph wants to know if they mistreated him too. They respond in fear saying they are eleven brothers and the youngest is at home with dad. Joseph replies, “If it is true, bring the youngest to me.” This conversation is happening through a translator. The brothers speak Hebrew and Joseph is speaking Egyptian as part of his disguise.

On the third day Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God: if you are honest men, let one of your brothers remain confined where you are in custody, and let the rest go and carry grain for the famine of your households, and bring your youngest brother to me. So your words will be verified, and you shall not die.” And they did so. 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.” 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.” They did not know that Joseph understood them, for there was an interpreter between them. 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. 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. 
-Genesis 42:18-25

Remember, these brothers are hardened men. They know murder and adultery. But now something is happening in their hearts. You can’t bury your sins forever. The brothers make a confession that is tinged with sorrow. Joseph, understanding every word of it, is moved to emotion that he cannot control. This is a cry that remembers the pain. 

He is hearing an apology. 

They no longer call him “the dreamer.” They call him their brother and say, “We shouldn’t have done that to our brother. He was begging us to stop, and yet we continued to abuse him. We were wrong.” Joseph turns away and uncontrollably weeps. 

The admission that you have wronged another person is a crucial step in helping that person heal. It will also help you heal from the guilt you carry. Joseph will cry three more times in the next three chapters. His brothers display Godly fear and Godly sorrow. How do we know? Because it brings about Godly restoration.

I’m reminded of the two thieves on either side of Jesus. One orders Jesus to act and prove himself by screaming, “Save us!” Jesus actually was saving them, but not in the way he expected. The other thief confesses his wrongdoing and says to Jesus, “Wherever you are going, take me with you.” Which one is saved? The one who is repentant. There is a healthy form of guilt that invites God’s grace. This text is a great reminder of how our own guilt is covered by the grace of God through Jesus. Do you need to own a Godly sorrow that leads you to the discovery of God’s grace and mercy? If so, give in.