After many long years Joseph again came into contact with his brothers.
Though they knew not him, the Bible says he knew them… If you were in
Joseph's position, what would be the first statement out of your mouth
should you come in contact with a family member or members you have not
communicated with for quite some time? What about when you haven't been
communicating with your heavenly Father in prayer for a while? What's
the first thing that you typically say to Him after such a time lapse?
Certainly the fact that these brothers were insincere in their past dealings
with Joseph made conversation a very delicate situation, requiring much
wisdom attached to every spoken word. Likewise, when we've not been doing
right it makes talking to the Lord an uncomfortable situation as well!
Turn with me to Genesis chapter 42 and let's read verses 9-17 and discover
what Joseph has to say to his brothers…
And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said unto
them, Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come. And
they said unto him, Nay, my lord, but to buy food are thy servants come.
We are all one man's sons; we are true men, thy servants are no spies.
And he said unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye are
come. And they said, Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one
man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest is this day with
our father, and one is not. And Joseph said unto them, That is it that
I spake unto you, saying, Ye are spies: Hereby ye shall be proved: By
the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, except your youngest
brother come hither. Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother,
and ye shall be kept in prison, that your words may be proved, whether
there be any truth in you: or else by the life of Pharaoh surely ye are
spies. And he put them all together into ward three days.
What an intense discussion! Is this the way you would expect Joseph to
treat his brothers upon seeing them again for the first time in about
20 years?? Three times he accuses them of being spies, of coming only
to see the nakedness of the land rather than to buy food. Would you have
believed the same? Considering their devious track record, I think Joseph
has dealt very wisely with the hearts of his brothers because the business
of conscience is to think back to things long since said and done. Like
any loving brother, Joseph was attempting to stir the consciences of his
brethren by challenging their sincerity. Ladies, don't mistake this as
a vengeful purpose but realize it to be a godly one - in order to bring
disregarded sins to the forefront of the mind and purify the heart. Likewise,
the Lord deals with us in much the same way! He tests our hearts with
His Word. Could it be that you and I are guilty of being spiritual spies
today? Let's take a closer look at the meaning of the word "spy" and perhaps
you'll see what I mean…
Webster's 1828 dictionary defines spy as: One who watches the conduct
of others, to explore; to view, inspect and examine secretly, to search
narrowly; to scrutinize.
Basically, Joseph accused his brethren of entering the land under the
pretense of buying corn but with a real desire to find out whether the
land was defenseless that they may attack it successfully in a time of
famine. While this may not have been their particular motive, I have seen
a lot of Christians act this way! You see, a spiritual spy is someone
who enters the presence of the Lord insincerely - only to narrowly view
the conduct of others; to pick apart what is wrong with everyone else
around him! Have you ever done that, dear lady? I have! For example, in
the past, I've sat under the preaching and teaching of the Word of God
hoping that my husband was listening to the message and would repent,
all the while disregarding my own life. I've even read my Bible many times
with the attitude that various people could stand to read the same portion
of scripture and learn a thing or two. But ladies, if we aren't careful,
this can become a very bad spiritual habit with us! We need to make sure
that whenever we enter the presence of the Lord it truly is to buy food
for our own souls!
Psalm 139:23-24
Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And
see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Like the psalmist, we must be sure it is our own hearts that we are intent
upon spying out, our own motives we are interested in exploring, our own
sin that we are diligent about examining, our own walk with the Lord we
are constantly inspecting! To behave otherwise would make us guilty of
coming to the Lord only "to see the nakedness of the land" as Joseph said;
to observe famine in other people's lives. You see, the goal of a spy
is to drive out the inhabitants of the land they are secretly examining
and then settle in it themselves… Is there a chance you've been spying
out a certain person with the same motivation? With what mindset do you
attend church? Are you really there to buy food for your own soul?? With
what inner posture do you examine the leadership of your church? Have
you been secretly watching for any opportunity to settle into someone
else's position yourself? How about your pastor's wife, a deacon's wife,
or that faithful Sunday school teacher you've been eyeing for so long?
Is there sincerity in ALL your relationships with these people, or do
you befriend them simply to spy out a famine and then make your attack?
Listen, if we're going to play "I Spy" we have to play by God's rules,
not our own! The Holy Spirit is the One with true searching power…
Jeremiah 17:10
I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according
to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.
1 Cor. 2:10
But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth
all things, yea, the deep things of God.
Ladies, scripture teaches that the heart of man is desperately wicked;
it is deadly! The nature of human wickedness is beyond our understanding.
We cannot know our own hearts, or even what they will do in an hour of
temptation. The Bible says - "Who can understand his errors?" This being
true, we must focus on yielding to the probing power of the Spirit of
God in order that we might identify that which is wrong in our own hearts
and repent of sin as quickly as possible! We must first and best learn
to scrutinize our own conduct in order to be the greatest help to others...
Have you had enough experience??
Psalm 139:23-24
Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And
see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
As human beings, when we spy after others, we seek to report back damaging
information; we seek to accuse the brethren like Satan does. While our
purposes are not always pure, the Lord's are! Through His Word He makes
diligent search of us in order to prove our words and actions to us, to
expose the insincerity that dwells within us, to extract lies and to establish
truth and wisdom deep within our souls…
Psalm 51:6
Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part
thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
Reflecting back on our main text, Joseph's brothers denied any accusations
of being spies in the land before this governor who was challenging their
hearts. In effect, they were quite certain of their own goodness! They
were even so bold as to call themselves "true men" before a man they did
not even recognize as their brother. This in itself was a lie, for Joseph
certainly knew the truth about them! Be careful what you call yourself
before God because He is the One who cannot be deceived…
Romans 3:10-12
As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none
that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all
gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none
that doeth good, no, not one.
What do you call yourself today, dear lady? Would you be so bold as to
entitle yourself a woman of truth? Are you honest with yourself when it
comes to all your dealings in life? Even if you might be able to fool
some people, God knows the real condition of your heart! Instead of conveniently
overlooking that which is not right in your life, better to face it, confess
it and be true in all your claims. Is there anything you should address
and confess before the Lord today that He already knows about? Are all
your deeds born of pure motives? Could you be doing what God wants the
wrong way? Just as Joseph required his brethren to surrender their youngest
brother to him to prove the validity of their business, God will require
submission to His requirements as proof in your life that you are sincere
in your dealings with Him - to provide evidence that you are not just
a spiritual spy or a phony. However, your submission must not be mixed
with a wicked mind…
Proverbs 21:27
The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination: how much more, when he bringeth
it with a wicked mind?
1 Chron. 28:9
… know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart
and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth
all the imaginations of the thoughts….
Ladies, there must be concrete proof in our own lives that we are sincere
Christians. When you bring what God requires, it must be offered with
a true heart. Pretending holiness but intending wickedness is an abomination
to God! Let us not be guilty of operating in this manner as believers!
In order to deepen their level of respect, Joseph put his brethren in
prison three days. So too, will our heavenly Father arrange our circumstances
in such a way so as to intensify our fear of the Lord - which is the beginning
of wisdom! By Joseph's brethren submitting to this particular arrangement,
we can see the blessing behind our difficulties, for detention also proves
to be a way of stirring our conscience by allowing time for reflection.
Observe in our main text how Joseph remained a stranger to his brothers
because they had not humbled themselves - they had not admitted their
own shortcomings. Arrogance stood between them like a tall wall! Yes,
relationships are stifled where meekness is missing, therefore we must
fully humble ourselves before the Lord. Are you ready to play "I Spy"
with Him today?
Lament. 3:40
Let us search and try OUR ways, and turn again to the Lord.
God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 2000 Pamela A. Iannello
Revised 2003