by Wesley Blackburn
So now, the plot in our story is thickening.
As the famine in the land continues, Joseph's brothers (remember them? They thought about killing him earlier in the story but instead settled for selling him to slave traders going to Egypt) now must come to Egypt in order to buy food for their family. Upon arriving in Egypt, Joseph immediately knows they are his brothers, but they, of course, don't know it's their long-lost brother, Joseph.
Joseph decides to play a bit of a trick on his brothers, and to be honest, I'm not sure why. Maybe for revenge? Maybe to teach them a lesson? Maybe to make the eventual reunion that more amazing? I have no idea. But what I do know is that Joseph at first treats his brothers harshly, throwing them into prison. He eventually agrees to let them go, but they must bring back their youngest brother Benjamin who didn't come (apparently Jacob hasn't learned from his favoritism with Joseph) and leave another brother (Simeon) as collateral.
As this deal is brokered, I read one of the most hilariously ironic lines in the entire Bible in Genesis 42:21:
[Joseph's brothers] said to one another, "Surely we are being punished because of our brother."
Of course, they were thinking that God was getting back at them for the evil they had done to their brother. Little did they know that they were quite literally being punished by their brother!
Anyway, this sets the stage for one of the coolest family reunions the world has ever seen. Keep reading, and you'll see what happens tomorrow!
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