Joseph had administered three tests for his brothers to help them reconcile with him and, more importantly, with God. The first test focused on honesty, the second on jealousy. Now Joseph would test his brothers’ loyalty. Under pressure, would they abandon their brother Benjamin to a life of slavery in Egypt as they had Joseph twenty years earlier? Or would they, like seasoned soldiers, follow through with a no-man-left-behind commitment? This band of brothers did, indeed, prove to be loyal under pressure. Our loyalty to others goes hand in hand with our loyalty to God. Genesis 44 presents this test of loyalty in three movements—desperation, confession, and intercession. |
