On Monday, we looked at Genesis 37-39 and began a story about Joseph in which his brothers conspired to rid themselves of him. The first plan involved murder, then it was modified to leave Joseph in a cistern to die and finally the plan was revised to sell him as a slave to leaders of a caravan heading to Egypt. We were left with a predicament of fairness. This was so unfair to Joseph, and he had no recourse. Further we learned of the lie the brothers told their father as they led him to believe Joseph had been killed by a ferocious animal. How unfair to Jacob, left with no other recourse than grieving.

I’ve titled today’s devotional with a quote not from Shakespeare’s MacBeth, but from Sir Walter Scott’s poem “Marmion: A Tale of Flodden Field.” What does this quote mean? It means that when you lie or act dishonestly, you are initiating problems and a domino structure of complications that eventually run out of control. Isn’t that a perfect description of what we see in Genesis 42? The adventure of the brothers comes full circle when they are encouraged to go find food in Egypt and bring it home. I can only imagine the gut-wrenching feeling of realizing everything is spinning out of control and their collective deceit is soon to be made known to everyone. First, they must face Joseph face-to-face, then they must come face-to-face with their father and ultimately, they must come face-to-face with their guilt. Oh, what a tangled web they have woven.

Have you ever felt their level of guilt and shame? What’s been your tangled web? Peter had a tangled web of deceit that began as a denial of knowing Jesus. The web building started, then the second denial and finally the web is complete when he denies Jesus a third time. Just like Joseph’s brothers, Peter had to come face-to-face with his guilt and then face-to-face with Jesus. With our tangled webs, if we haven’t done it already, we too must come face-to-face with our guilt and then face-to-face with Jesus.

Lord, you know us and you know all our tangled webs. May we acknowledge our webs of deceit through confession and repentance and renewal as we once again accept your merciful gift of forgiveness. Amen

David Blythe