Story 67 In the Home of Joseph
As soon as they arrived at Joseph’s house, they saw his steward, the main servant of the household. He was standing at the entrance of Joseph’s beautiful and elegant home, a palace fit for the most powerful ruler serving the king. They went to him in a rush of fear and told him all about how they had found the silver on their way home to their father. They told him that they didn’t understand how it got in their bags. They insisted that they had meant to pay the Egyptians. They told him that they had not only brought all that silver back, they had brought even more to buy more food with.
Joseph’s steward knew exactly what was going on. Joseph had made special preparations for when this day would come. The steward spoke to calm their fears, “‘Don’t be afraid. Your God, the God of you father, has given you treasure in your sacks; I received your silver.’”
When the steward spoke of their Lord, does it sound like the God of Jacob was a stranger to him? No. It sounds like this Egyptian servant of Joseph had also become a servant of God.
When Joseph’s servant was done speaking peace to the brothers, he brought Simeon back to them. The brothers had shown great courage when they returned to Egypt. They came in the face of criminal charges for the sake of their brother, and they were quickly rewarded. Far from joining together to sell a brother into slavery, all the sons of Jacob had bound together to save him and the family.
Can you imagine how Simeon must have felt when he was set free from prison? Can you imagine how relieved he must have been to see the faces of his own brothers?
Jacob’s sons were treated with great courtesy in Joseph’s house. His servant brought water so they could wash their feet after the long, dusty journey. Their donkeys were taken and given plenty to eat.
How grand Joseph’s home must have seemed to them! It was a magnificent palace. They were used to living in tents!
As they waited for Joseph to come home at noon, they prepared the gifts that Jacob sent. The moment he came into the room, they bowed down low to the ground in front of the mighty and powerful man. Joseph’s first dream of the sheaves of wheat had come fully true. All eleven brothers were at his feet. Yet there was still one more dream.
The first thing Joseph asked was if they were at peace. His second question must have seemed strange to them. “‘How is your aged father you told me about? Is he still living?’” Can you hear the aching hope in his voice after all those years of separation from his beloved dad?
He looked around at the faces of each brother, and his eyes finally rested on Benjamin, the son of his own mother. “‘Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about it?’” he asked. “‘God be gracious to you, my son.”’
Joseph was so overwhelmed with the emotions of the moment that he turned and walked out of the room. He had spent so many years in prison and isolation, far from his own people that their closeness drove him to tears. He made his way to his own room where he could weep and cry, letting out year upon year of loss and pain. When his sobs died down, he gained control of himself and washed his face. He went to his servants and told them to serve the meal.
How long was Joseph going to wait to tell his brothers who he really was? Would he get final revenge on them for selling him into slavery? Would he let his father know that he was alive?