I’ve always assumed Joseph made his decisions in a stellar manner, without doubting or questioning God’s way. But testing his brothers’ motives, and hiding his true identity are clues that he may have harbored a lot of emotional baggage. Was God changing Joseph’s heart through his brothers’ visit? Was Joseph’s main theme in life “I’ll never let someone hurt me again!” Did he want to control as many factors to his life as possible, protecting himself and his position? Gaining wisdom is usually a 20/20 hindsight experience
“It is always hard to see the purpose in wilderness wanderings until after they are over.” - John Bunyan, The Pilgrim's Progress: From This World to That Which Is to Come
I looked up the following in the Message translation:
“Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track. Don’t assume that you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil! Your body will glow with health, your very bones will vibrate with life! Honor God with everything you own; give him the first and the best. Your barns will burst, your wine vats will brim over. But don’t, dear friend, resent God’s discipline; don’t sulk under his loving correction. It’s the child he loves that God corrects; a father’s delight is behind all this.”
Proverbs 3:5-12 MSG
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