This was Joseph’s second part of the final exam. First came the vertical test. Had his brothers gotten to the place where they read the hand of God into their daily life? Yes. They had demonstrated this in their attitude. Next came the horizontal test. Which would they choose, themselves or Benjamin? Had there been any change in their hearts over the years?

The sons of Jacob were not far from the city when they looked back and saw the prime minister’s steward overtaking them. Once he caught up, he accused them of stealing from the Egyptian leader. “How could you do such a deceitful deed, after having been treated so well?”

Suddenly, this great man, this strong-hearted and efficient prime minister of a mighty nation, collapsed inside. Like the rest of us, great men and women encounter those times in life when they can no longer restrain their emotions. Composure flies away, and feelings take control.

Guilt always does a number on us. It certainly did on Joseph’s brothers. Though standing before an unnamed, soft-spoken servant from Egypt, whom they had never really known throughout their lives, they poured out their confession.

When we’re on our journey from Canaan to Egypt, we tend to be negative rather than positive. We tend to view life horizontally rather than vertically. We tend to be resistant rather than open to that which is new and unexpected. We need some course-correction techniques to break those habits!

Judah put it on the line. “You can’t continue to delay and deny the situation. I’ll take responsibility for Benjamin’s life. If anything happens to him, I will bear the consequences for the rest of my days. Come on, Dad, let’s cooperate. If we hadn’t delayed this long, we could already have been down there and back twice with food.”

When Jacob learned what had happened, the old gentleman shriveled in fear. Rather than saying, “Thank God, He is at work. Men, He loves us and watches over us. In His care we are all safe,” he responded negatively and horizontaIly.

Joseph’s brothers wanted to get out of Egypt, like, fast. When the sacks of grain were loaded on their donkeys, they immediately began their journey back to Canaan. But something happened on the first night they stopped to rest and feed and water the animals.

When you have done wrong to someone and haven’t gone through the necessary process to make things right with them and with God—when you haven’t fully dealt with your transgression—you become the victim of the very distress that you put that person through. “We feel the same distress that we caused him and saw in his face.”