Genesis 42:28

"And as one of them opened his sack to give his ass fodder in the inn, he discovered his money; for, behold, it was in his sack's mouth. And he said unto his brethren, My money is restored; and, lo, it is even in my sack: and their heart failed them, and they were afraid, saying one to another, What is this that God hath done unto us?"

There was a severe famine in the land of Canaan. It was the famine that the LORD told Pharaoh of through his dreams, interpreted by Joseph. Under Joseph's direction the Egyptians had saved enough food during the seven years of plenty so that now, in the seven years of famine, they had enough to feed themselves, and those of neighboring countries.

And so Jacob sent his ten sons to Egypt to see about buying some grain with which they could sustain themselves. From the moment that they arrived Joseph recognized them. However, he did not make himself known to his brothers. Some 20 years earlier they had shown their disdain for him by selling him to slave traders, who took him to Egypt. By the mighty hand of God, he was now the king of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh. So he acted as if he didn't know them. He even spoke to them through an interpreter. He wanted to find out if their hearts had changed. Of course, Joseph knew that the worst of the famine was yet to come. And he had every intention of meeting their needs.

From the moment that Joseph started speaking to them, they started thinking back to the time that they sold him to the Ishmaelites. They perceived that the reason that this man was being so hard on them was because of how they had treated Joseph that day. As he listened, they talked to each other of their harsh treatment of Joseph. They recalled his pleas for mercy as they bargained for his person. They now concluded that this time of hardship, though many years later, was because of what they had done to Joseph. Joseph heard and understood every word.

As they journeyed back from Egypt, with a good load of grain, they made a stop at an inn. There they found that the money with which they had intended to buy the grain had been put back into the sacks. Unbeknownst to them, Joseph had commanded it to be done. Consider their reaction to the discovery, "What is this that God hath done unto us?" They concluded that they had been set up. This man who had treated them so harshly, who had accused them of being spies, was now in a position to also accuse them of being thieves. "What is this that God hath done unto us?"

Ultimately, they were warmly received into Egypt by their brother, and by Pharaoh. And this is the point. That night in the inn they were on the verge of a warm reception. But they perceived nothing but doom. They were in reality only a few months away from all of the food they could possibly eat. But in that cold, dark night in the desert they wondered at what would be their fate. "What is this that God hath done unto us?"

So it is with all of us. It is said that the darkest hour is that just before dawn. When the dawn comes it is glorious light. It is also inevitable. Nothing will keep the sun from rising over the horizon. But in the darkest hour we worry about what will be next. We suffer that hour, longing for its end. And when it comes, it is glorious. In what dark hour are we? As sure as the rising of the sun, God has glorious plans for those that are His, either here, or there! "... only trust Him now."

HJK