R.C. Sproul

This is the first truthful thing that they've said to Joseph in a long, long time.

And so far they are speaking the truth.

So Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him.

And Joseph remembered the dreams which he had dreamed about them and said to them,

You are my long-lost brothers, and you've just bowed down before me, and you fulfilled that dream I told you about so long ago.

Now let's all be friends.

That's not what he said.

He said to them, you are spies.

You have come to see the nakedness of the land.

That is, you've come from some enemy nation to spy out Egypt to see how weakened we have been by the ravages of this famine.

That's a reasonable part of this deception.

You can see that the brothers would understand why the prime minister of Egypt may be suspicious of them, particularly when they come in a band of ten.

Why don't we just have a single representative coming down there to make the request?

Ten of these Hebrews come into the court of Egypt, and they want to buy food.

Joseph says, no, no, no.

You're spies.

You've come here to see how weak we are.

And they said, no, my Lord, but your servants have come to buy food.

We are all one man's sons.

We are honest men.