Joseph, sold as a slave by his ten older brothers, became mighty in power under the Egyptian Pharaoh through various God-ordained circumstances.

God gave Joseph the interpretation to Pharaoh’s two dreams.  Through those dreams, the Lord revealed He would send abundance for seven years followed by seven years of famine.

Joseph’s family in Canaan was affected by the famine and his ten older brothers came to Egypt, desiring to buy grain.

To buy grain, people had to appear before Joseph.  His ten brothers bowed down with their faces to the ground before Joseph.  He recognized them, he remembered the dreams he had as a teen-ager.  Joseph dreamed that his ten brothers would bow down to him and God fulfilled his dream from years ago.  (Genesis 42:8-9)

Joseph harshly accused these ten men of being spies, speaking through an Egyptian interpreter.

The ten brothers quickly said,
(NASB) Genesis 42:10-11 “… ‘No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food.
11 ‘We are all sons of one man; we are honest men, your servants are not spies.’”

Joseph continued to accuse them.  The ten brothers then gave a brief understanding of their family.  We are twelve brothers, all sons of one man and we live in Canaan.  The youngest son is with our father today, and one son is no longer alive.  (Genesis 42:12-14)

Joseph tested his brothers, without revealing his relationship to them.  He told them that they would not go back to Canaan until their youngest brother came to Egypt.  In fact, they would be imprisoned for the duration.  He plainly told them this was a test of their words, did they speak truth?  He again accused them of being spies and imprisoned all ten men for three days.
(Genesis 42:15-17)

Why would Joseph test his brothers?  Here is a possible reason: they had treated him harshly and hatefully as a teen-ager, selling him into Egypt as a slave.  Had they changed over the years?  What were their motives at this time?

Joseph had Godly wisdom and maturity and he wanted to determine what his brothers were now like.  They had been jealous, bitter and hate-filled.  Were they still?

By Joseph imprisoning them, they had three days to discuss and assess their situation, a time of soul-searching.  It must have been a time of evaluating their past actions with present circumstances.  This test was difficult.  This test was necessary.  How else could they prove that their attitudes and motives had changed?

~ Take it to heart ~

What test is God giving you to see yourself as you really are?  This is why you need Jesus as your Savior… to change you from the inside, giving you a life of new purpose.

Is this a time of evaluating your past actions with your present circumstances?