Genesis 43-45

“Now then, please let your servant remain here as my lord’s slave in place of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers. How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me?” (44:33). For weeks or even months, Joseph did not reveal his identity to his brothers. With test after test, he put pressure on them to see who they had become. These tests revealed that the once- murderous, jealous men now genuinely cared for their father and their youngest brother, and they repented their treatment of Joseph (42:21).

“It was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you” (45:5). Working through even the worst circumstances, God is the Redeemer who reconciles relationships and saves lives.