Joseph’s test deepens, and the brothers begin to feel the weight of both provision and suspicion. Joseph secretly returns the silver each brother used to buy grain, placing it back in their sacks. He also loads them with food for their journey and releases all but Simeon, who remains in custody until they return with Benjamin. When the brothers discover the silver in one of their sacks during a rest stop, they’re terrified. They say, “What is this that God has done to us?” A moment of spiritual reckoning. Joseph is testing their hearts, not just their honesty. By returning the silver, he’s creating a situation that will reveal whether they’ve changed or if they’ll abandon Simeon like they once abandoned him. The brothers are beginning to see God’s hand, not just coincidence. Their fear isn’t just about being accused of theft, it’s about guilt rising to the surface. They’re starting to connect their current troubles with their past sin. God is working through famine and fear to bring about repentance and restoration. Joseph’s actions may seem harsh, but they’re guided by wisdom and a longing for reconciliation. reminder that sometimes, grace comes wrapped in confusion. That God can use even the return of silver to stir a soul awake.

It reads in Genesis 42:25-34:Then Joseph told his servants to fill the brothers’ bags with food. He also told them to put each man’s money back into his bag. He told them to give the brothers enough food for their journey. The servants did what Joseph told them. Then the brothers put the bags of food on to their donkeys. Then they left.They travelled until they reached a place to sleep that night. One of the brothers opened his bag to get food for his donkey. Then he saw his money inside his bag, at the top. He said to his brothers, ‘They have given back my money! Here it is in my bag!’ All the brothers were upset and frightened. They asked each other, ‘What has God done to us?’After some time they arrived back in Canaan. They went to their father, Jacob. They told him everything that had happened to them. They said, ‘We met the man who is lord over Egypt. He spoke strong words to us. He thought that we were enemies who had come to find a way to attack Egypt.But we said to him, “We are honest men. We are not your enemies. We belong to a family of 12 brothers, all the sons of one father. One brother is not with us any more, and the youngest brother is at home with our father in Canaan.” Then the man who is lord over Egypt said, “I want to know if you are honest men. This is what I will do. You must leave one of your brothers here, with me. Then take food for your hungry families and leave Egypt. But then you must bring your youngest brother here to me. If you do that, I will know that you are really honest men. I will know that you are not our enemies. Then I will give your brother back to you. You will be able to stay in Egypt and you can buy and sell things here.”’