“We are all sons of one man; we are honest men, your servants are not spies.”
Honest men? Really? They have been holding up a lie about Joseph for years now. They chucked Joseph into a pit, sold him to some slave traders and then made up an awful lie about his death to report to Israel. Honest men? Certainly Joseph must have at least chuckled or cringed a little inside whenever they presented themselves as honest men. They were anything but such. To say something does not necessarily make it true. Who we are is displayed by what we do. Words begin in the mind exit via the mouth and are authenticated in our lives.
In an act of grace, Joseph proceeds in his drawn out plan to bless them in spite of their evil work in his past. We often prolong our deception until we finally come face to face with its consequences. These consequences can be quite painful; yet, Father God loves us enough to bless us in spite of our inherent dishonesty. Joseph is the picture of God’s forgiving nature, although we do seem to see a little of his human side in the prolonging of the process. Ultimately however, he loves and forgives his brothers in spite of who they truly are and what they have done. Ditto Father God.
It is truly a miracle of grace.
Ventanas 
Well said. Thx
Sent from my iPhone
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