THE VALUE OF A HEALTHY CONSCIENCE

Genesis 42
Bob Bonner
September 23, 2007

Years ago, an individual sent the following note to the IRS: “Gentlemen: Enclosed you will find a check for $150. I cheated on my income tax return last year and have not been able to sleep ever since. If I still have trouble sleeping, I will send you the rest. Sincerely...” At one time or another, we have all felt the pangs of a guilty conscience. Some of us are willing only to go so far to relieve our guilt...but not far enough to make a clean break. When we are not committed to go for broke, as it concerns maintaining a healthy conscience, then in the end, our consciences will either go to sleep or be seared. Sadly, for some people, listening to their conscience has become like taking advice from a total stranger! A poet once wrote: “There is only one way to achieve happiness on this terrestrial ball, And that is to have either a clear conscience or none at all!”

This morning, you will see the value to having and maintaining a clear and healthy conscience, versus continuing through life with a seared conscience. In addition, we will see some necessary ingredients to helping ourselves and others resurrect a dead conscience and to encourage the ongoing growth of a healthy conscience. 

Please open your Bibles to Genesis 42. We are in that section of Genesis that deals with the results of Joseph’s life following his release from wrongfully being incarcerated in prison, and his sudden rise to prominence in Egypt. If you have not been following this story, 22 years before this point, Joseph’s jealous and embittered brothers kidnapped Joseph and then sold him into slavery in Egypt. As a series of unfortunate events take place, Joseph finds himself unfairly thrown into jail. Overnight, he has literally gone from being a slave to being the VP of Egypt. Joseph was appointed by the pharaoh of Egypt to run the country during that 14 year period that encompassed the Pharaoh’s dream of seven years of plenty which were followed by another seven years of famine. As we come to chapter 42, historically, we are into the second year of the famine that hit the entire Middle East. However, thanks to Joseph’s wise administration of and the storing up of grain for the coming famine, Egypt still had food at this time. In fact, Egypt had an abundance of food that allowed them to sell it to the rest of the surrounding countries which were starving and in need for food.       

Chapter 41:57, really sets the stage for chapter 42, when it states, “all the countries came to Egypt to purchase food.” Hence, following this verse, chapter 42 begins the story of how Joseph becomes reconciled to those same brothers who were responsible for having sold him into slavery.

As we begin this chapter, we can safely presume that because of Pharaoh’s vision about the breadth of the famine, Joseph knew that one day even those who lived in Canaan would be coming to Egypt for food. That meant that sometime in the future his own family would be forced to come to him to purchase food. Therefore, for several years, Joseph would have had the opportunity to think, pray and plan how he would deal with his brothers when they came. As we look at the next four chapters of Genesis, we will see that which was of the greatest concern to Joseph was not to get revenge against his brothers who had kidnapped him and sold him into slavery. Rather, what concerned him most was how could he bring about reconciliation for the whole family and how they could function more as a healthy family? We already know that he had forgiven his brothers for what they had done, even though they had never sought his forgiveness nor had they even admitted to doing wrong. Bitterness was not ruling Joseph’s heart, because he had learned that God, through these very difficult past 22 years had been working behind the scenes to use his brother’s evil ways against Joseph to produce something good in the end. So, at this point, Joseph just wanted to be God’s faithful agent in bringing about reconciliation with his family.

Let’s begin our study with reading verses 1-4, which concern Joseph’s brothers in Canaan, and their father sending them to Egypt for food. “Now Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, ‘Why are you staring at one another?’ He said, ‘Behold, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down there and buy some for us from that place, so that we may live and not die.’ Then ten brothers of Joseph went down to buy grain from Egypt. But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, ‘I am afraid that harm may befall him.’” 

What impelled Jacob to confront his sons about going to Egypt is that he had literally seen people returning from Egypt during this famine, carrying bags of grain for their families. And after watching this and realizing that his own boys weren’t doing anything to provide for the family, Dad confronts, or more like rebukes, them for not having taken care of the business of providing for the family sooner. Jacob’s statement, “why do you look at one another” are words of frustration coming from a father who seems to never see his boys do things right or to know when to take proper action. From Jacob’s point of view, there is something strange in the way that his sons are reacting in a time of crisis. 

I also would like to suggest that this drawing attention to the brothers standing around and just looking at one another hints at the reason for the sons not going to Egypt. Basically, they were delaying and hoping for another solution than the obvious one because they don’t want to go down there. The probability that they might run into their brother Joseph is slight, but nonetheless, they want their secret history with Joseph to stay buried. But now, with their father commanding them to go to Egypt, he has in effect begun to stir their memories of a wrong done to Joseph twenty-two years ago that they have yet to admit. At this point, I believe it is safe to say that with this famine God gets Joseph’s brothers’ attention. God uses this famine to provoke a spiritual crisis in their lives.

Sometimes God has to bring about a crisis to get our attention. Sometimes it is the pinch of material want in our lives that causes us to reevaluate our condition and causes us to confess our sin. Jesus told a story of the prodigal son, a young man who had to be put through just such a circumstance before he came to his senses, admitted his wrongdoing and returned home.

So the brothers are forced to worked together for the good of the family, probably something they haven’t done for 22 years. They put together a convoy of pack animals and set off on the one-week trek to Egypt.

Just one quick note from verse 4, concerning Jacob’s son, “Benjamin.”  This son has now taken his brother, Joseph’s place of affection in his father’s heart. Apparently, father Jacob has still not learned the problems that showing favoritism to one child can produce in the rest of the family.

The scene, beginning with verse 5, has the brothers in Egypt. We read, “So the sons of Israel came to buy grain among those who were coming, [meaning other foreigners] for the famine was in the land of Canaan also. Now Joseph was the ruler over the land; he was the one who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down to him with their faces to the ground. When Joseph saw his brothers he recognized them, but he disguised himself to them and spoke to them harshly. And he said to them, ‘Where have you come from?’ And they said, ‘From the land of Canaan, to buy food.’ But Joseph had recognized his brothers, although they did not recognize him.”

At last the day arrived for Joseph. When he recognized them, his heart probably beat so hard that he thought it was going to jump out of his chest. His ten brothers now find themselves standing before the VP of Egypt, a man of immense authority and wealth, who, by controlling the world’s food, held the power over life and death in his hands. Overwhelmed, they don’t just give a polite bow, but they bow down and put their faces in the dirt! And if you were with us when we were studying Genesis 37, you will remember that this is the fulfillment of Joseph’s God-given dream that one day predicted that Joseph’s brothers would bow down before him.

On the brothers’ part, if they had thought of Joseph at all when entering the land, they never would have expected to see him dressed in royal robes and in such a high position of authority. They would have been looking for him among the gangs of slaves manacled at work in the fields, or sweltering in the scorching brickyards preparing material for the pyramids. Furthermore, the last time they had seen Joseph, he was 17. He is now 39. As a lad, he wore a beard, but as an Egyptian he would have been clean shaven. Joseph’s voice would have matured and he is fluently speaking a foreign language, using an interpreter to translate his brother’s words would also have disguised him. Hence, it should come as no surprise that they did not recognize Joseph.

Verse 9 tells us that as soon as he saw them, it all came back to him, that he would one day rule over them. He didn’t mind that, but he didn’t want his rule over them to be a curse but a blessing. So now he begins to take steps that will bring about reconciliation. At first, these steps may appear to be harsh, but in reality, we will see that his moves all had a righteous purpose. He says to them, “You are spies; you have come to look at the undefended parts of our land. Then they said to him, ‘No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food. We are all sons of one man; we are honest men, your servants are not spies.’ Yet he said to them, ‘No, but you have come to look at the undefended parts of our land!’ But they said, ‘Your servants are twelve brothers in all, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and behold, the youngest is with our father today, and one is no longer alive.’” The frontier guards at Egypt’s Asian border routinely checked travelers to discover spies who might herald an imminent attack. Famine famished armies could be expected to seek out any weaknesses in the fortifications in order to plunder stockpiled grain. Hence, Joseph’s accusation would have seemed rational to his brothers and would have struck fear in their hearts, for spies were immediately executed. That’s why they were so forceful in trying to convince Joseph that they were honest men by explaining the details of their family situation.

Yet, Joseph continues to squeeze them. We read, “Joseph said to them, ‘It is as I said to you, you are spies; by this you will be tested: by the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go from this place unless your youngest brother comes here! Send one of you that he may get your brother, while you remain confined, that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you. But if not, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies.’ So he put them all together in prison for three days.”

Wow! Put yourself in their sandals. You make a trip to a foreign country to buy goods, and suddenly you are accused of spying and thrown into jail! If they or their father had ever thought they might be arrested in attempting to buy food, I doubt they would have made the journey. This is a shocking turn of events.

In the process of putting the squeeze on his brothers, in their defense, the brothers give Joseph the very information he wants. Having to explain that one of their brothers was dead put the sale of Joseph in the forefront of their thinking; then, having to spend three days in jail gave them time to think through all that they had done to Joseph and their family. Being wrongly accused and thrown into jail reminded them of taking innocent Joseph against his will, and thus, awakened their conscience to their own wrongdoing.

As verse 15, states, Joseph is putting them to a “test.”  They think it is merely a test to prove that they were honest men, that they would return home to retrieve Benjamin. But Joseph is testing them for more than that. He wants to see if they have come to the point of repentance and are ready to really tell the truth and to admit their wrongdoing towards him and their father. Right here, they have already told him a lie. They have told him that their “older brother” is dead, but they don’t know that for sure, even though that’s the line they had fed their father twenty-two years before. Joseph wants to create a desire within them to be completely truthful and to stop their lying. He wants them to so see their wrongdoing that they would seek to be forgiven so that reconciliation can take place. All the activities of Joseph were designed to bring the brothers to a point of remorse over their evil. If they could not come to the point where their consciences were made alive such that they would do the right thing, there would be no reason for Joseph to continue in his attempt to bring about reconciliation with his family.

Three days pass, and Joseph speaks to them again saying, “Do this and live, for I fear God: if you are honest men, let one of your brothers be confined in your prison; but as for the rest of you, go, carry grain for the famine of your households, and bring your youngest brother to me, so your words may be verified, and you will not die.’ And they did so. Then they said to one another, ‘Truly we are guilty concerning our brother, because we saw the distress of his soul when he pleaded with us, yet we would not listen; therefore this distress has come upon us.’”

The past three days in jail had done its job. Their consciences were made alive and they admit their guilt and they have tasted of the same “distress” that Joseph must have felt when kidnapped by them. The fact that this word “distress” is used twice in verse 21, once concerning Joseph and once concerning themselves, is a literary device that ties both events together; that one distress brought about the other.

Also, the keeping of one brother and not all is a sign that Joseph is not seeking revenge. Revenge is not a motivating factor. Joseph wants the truth. Also, notice the act of mercy on Joseph’s part. He gives them the amount of grain they will need to get home and to feed their family until they can return with Benjamin. Joseph is clearly not being mean.

Allow me to point out three important literary notes from verse 21. First, in the original language, the “we” in their conversation is emphatic! “We are guilty...we saw the distress of his soul...we would not listen....” This is a strong admission of their own personal sin and guilt.

Second: although there are many sins recorded in Genesis, this is the only time in the book of Genesis in which the guilty ones actually make a confession of sin.

Third, notice that they refer to Joseph here as their “brother.” Their whole tone has changed from twenty two years ago. Twenty two years ago, they did not refer to him as their brother. In the old days he was scornfully stigmatized as “this dreamer,” but now he is “our brother.” Their mocking attitude had been transformed to more of a sympathetic one. For the first time they manifest a feeling for the importance of family, or that they may be experiencing a little of the truth that “blood is thicker than water.”

Reuben, the oldest, suddenly speaks up: “Reuben answered them, saying, ‘Did I not tell you, Do not sin against the boy; and you would not listen? Now comes the reckoning for his blood.’ They did not know, however, that Joseph understood, for there was an interpreter between them. He turned away from them and wept.” 

Joseph, speaking to them through an interpreter, hears them admit their guilt and up to this point, Joseph never may have known that Reuben had tried to save his life. For twenty-two years, he had thought that all of them were against him. But now he finds out that they weren’t. Upon hearing this, he nearly breaks down in front of them. He has to leave the room and goes somewhere private so he could cry and regain his composure. Tears of relief, joy and sadness over all the lost time and broken relationships roll down his face. Again, this lets us know that what Joseph does next is not motivated by a desire for revenge, but to test his brothers to see how ready they are for reconciliation. He knew they were starting to break, just like God had broken him, in prison, for several years. Sometimes, prison can be God’s greatest schoolhouse. It was for all of these eleven brothers. 

Joseph returns to the scene just about as suddenly as he left. What he does next must have surprised them. But when he returned to them and spoke to them, he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes.

Taking Simeon and tying him up before their eyes and putting him back in prison was done to impress the others with the seriousness of his intentions and their situation. But, why did he chose Simeon? I don’t know for sure, but if you will allow me, I’d like to suggest this reason. Simeon is the one who had led the brutal attack on Shechem, years ago. He was probably responsible for binding up Joseph in preparation for sale as a slave. He was a ruthless man and needed this extra time of instruction in prison to deal with his cruel nature. 

I can’t help but believe the irony of the situation in that the other nine brothers must have noticed that this foreigner quite coincidentally had picked out the cruel ringleader of the group for this assignment of being left behind. Seeing him get bound up, the truth of their actions against Joseph twenty-two years ago is heightened in their consciences.

Again, this is also another test for the other nine brothers. Simeon probably wasn’t the most loved among the brothers. The fact that later in the story, when Jacob, the father of these men, on his deathbed could say nothing good concerning Simeon, while he spoke positively of all the other brothers is another hint of Simeon’s being the least admired brother of the twelve. Joseph wanted to see if the other brothers were really being changed in their thinking toward one another. Would they hurry to get back to rescue this ruthless, merciless brother, or would they permanently leave him there, take their money and run!?

Joseph sends them off in these next verses with an added surprise that will further test their honesty, and one that will continue to stir their consciences toward God. “Then Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain and to restore every man’s money in his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. And thus it was done for them. So they loaded their donkeys with their grain and departed from there. As one of them opened his sack to give his donkey fodder at the lodging place, he saw his money; and behold, it was in the mouth of his sack. Then he said to his brothers, ‘My money has been returned, and behold, it is even in my sack.’ And their hearts sank, and they turned trembling to one another, [literally, violently shaking] saying, ‘What is this that God has done to us?’”

Notice: For the first time, these brothers start speaking about God. Their consciences are truly coming to life and they are thinking about God and right and wrong. Note that later when they return, they bring back the money, because they want to be honest men! These brothers are being transformed before our eyes.  

When they finally return home, they face a dilemma: “How much do we really tell Dad? If we tell him everything, just as it happened, it may kill him. So let’s give him the gist of the matter.” And that’s what they do...they twist and limit the truth. “When they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them, saying, ‘The man, the lord of the land, spoke harshly with us, and took us for spies of the country. But we said to him, We are honest men; we are not spies. We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is no longer alive, and the youngest is with our father today in the land of Canaan. The man, the lord of the land, said to us, By this I will know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me and take grain for the famine of your households, and go. But bring your youngest brother to me that I may know that you are not spies, but honest men. I will give your brother to you, and you may trade in the land.’”  Notice, they didn’t tell Dad that Simeon was in jail, and they deliberately omitted the return of the money in the sack. Plus, they added the lie that “The Man, the Lord of the land” is inviting us to come down there and trade with him.

“Now it came about as they were emptying their sacks, that behold, every man’s bundle of money was in his sack; and when they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were dismayed.” Up to this point, Jacob had believed their story to be credible, until they all found money in their sacks. The money makes them look guilty and the father already knows they aren’t trustworthy. He even believes that they are lying to him about Simeon being alive. Hence his following intense response to his sons, “Their father Jacob said to them, ‘You have bereaved me of my children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and you would take Benjamin; all these things are against me.’ Then Reuben spoke to his father, saying, ‘You may put my two sons to death if I do not bring him back to you; put him in my care, and I will return him to you.’” What a foolish, cowardly and poorly thought-out plan, on Reuben’s part. What good will it do for a grandfather to have two dead grandsons on the top of two dead sons, Joseph and Simeon? Why didn’t Reuben simply put his own life on the line? Jacob strongly rejects Reuben’s plan, “My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he alone is left. If harm should befall him on the journey you are taking, then you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.”

Let’s pause the story right here and pick it up at the same spot next week. For now, let’s learn and apply something from these verses about how we can resurrect and encourage a Godly conscience, whether it is ours or someone else’s. Because: A healthy conscience is vital to an intimate walk with God.

When speaking about resurrecting a Godly conscience, there is God’s supernatural role in awakening the conscience or convicting the conscience, and there is a human responsibility also involved in the resurrection of one’s conscience. This morning, I am only speaking to our human role of encouraging the resurrection of a Godly conscience.

When we study the lives of Joseph’s ten stepbrothers, three things stand out as it concerns the transforming of their consciences and their recognizing their sin and coming to the point of repentance for their past wrong doings. When faced with their sinful past, they could do four things: ignore it, deny or rationalize it, or take responsibility for their actions. Up until this point in their lives, Joseph’s brothers did everything but take responsibility for their actions. But while in their spiritual schoolhouse of prison, they came to their senses and took personal responsibility for their own personal guilt.  If we want to get right with God and stay right with God such that we can hear His voice and bring honor rather than shame to His name, we must quit blaming others, whether they are one’s parents, kids, spouse, teacher or employer for our own failures. If the shoe fits, wear it. Take responsibility for your actions. Only then will you and I experience God’s returned blessings in our lives and will we sense His personal touch upon us. Someone else once said, “The best medicine for a guilty soul is to begin with being honest with ourselves and then with others about our failures.”

 A second lesson I take away from this passage concerning the resurrection of a healthy conscience has to do with those who want to encourage and help a struggling believer develop a Godly conscience. When dealing with others who are struggling to develop a Godly conscience, prime the pump with an undeserved expression of grace. Joseph had been thinking about this initial confrontation with his brothers for a long time. A lot of prayer went into what he would do when they finally showed up. While they were in jail for three days, Joseph probably spent time seeking God for wisdom as to how he could best be used to help his brothers see their wrong doings and be restored. He didn’t immediately reveal who he was and beat them over the head with a scolding to prove he was right and they were wrong. Instead, he provided them with a task or responsibilities that would allow them to learn en route. He graced them with food to get home and back. He did what he could to help them get the job done. He even gave them back their money...something they will try to return to him later, but it will be refused.

Likewise, when we confront a struggling Christian, we should prepare for the confrontation by asking God how we can wisely and graciously speak to them so that they don’t feel slammed, yet they see the need for confession. Be wise so as to not unnecessarily wound the already wounded.  Make it as easy as possible, and convinced of your love, so that they can freely admit their guilt, do what’s right and if necessary, provide restitution.

There’s a third encouraging observation to be made from this passage. It has to do with keeping a Godly conscience healthy and growing. When God activates a seared conscience, typically one’s conscience becomes more sensitive to those things we have been doing that are not morally right or godlike. God does this so that He can remove stumbling blocks from our lives that are unhealthy for us. When we are faced with those times, we need to be ready to continue to admit our mistakes and do what is necessary to make it right. When we do, we will start living more confidently with a guilt-free conscience.

There is nothing like possessing a guilt-free conscience. But sometimes, it takes awhile to “clean house” in one’s conscience. Allowing known old wrong doings to exist without any attempt on your part to right the wrong will not erase a guilty conscience, nor will it promote spiritual growth. Over time, it will put to sleep or deaden a healthy conscience. 

As you follow the rest of this story, you will see the brothers growing more sensitive to the many wrongs they had committed. They were not at first aware of all of their wrong doings. Their consciences had been seared. But as each day passed, they became more aware of the depth of their wrong doings. God made them aware, only as they were willing to face their wrong and admit their guilt. 

Likewise, if we admit guilt in one area of our lives and think that’s all that is necessary for developing or maintaining a clear conscience, we are fooling ourselves. God loves us and wants us to live with a completely clean conscience. In the beginning, God graciously shows us a little bit of our sin at a time. Over the long haul, he brings more to our attention as we can handle it. But if we don’t admit and confess our wrong when He brings it to us; if we deny or rationalize situations, then our conscience becomes less healthy, and over time will go to sleep. Remember: A healthy conscience is something to desire, because it breeds godly confidence to face the day without fear, rather than with distress.

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