This week’s reading: Genesis 44:1-34
Hi Friends,
Joseph has been testing his brothers to see if they have had any change of heart since they sold him into slavery out of jealousy some 22 years prior. So far, he is liking what he sees. They do keep their bargain and bring his brother, Benjamin, to Egypt so he can see him. And they do not seem to have trouble with Benjamin receiving five times the blessing that they had been given during their dinner feast at Joseph’s home. Everyone seems to be getting along fine, but Joseph is watching them closely. His brothers still have no idea who this governor of Egypt is, so Joseph must be sure of their humility before he reveals himself. So he puts them to the final test. Will they throw Benjamin under the bus or will they display a new heart attitude toward one another? We shall see. We are in Genesis 44, reading the whole chapter, that is verses 1 through 34. Listen to how Judah protects his youngest brother and laments about potentially causing any further misery to his father also. This is Judah speaking up on behalf of the whole group:
“Now then, please, let your servant remain here as my lord’s slave in place of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers. How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? No! Do not let me see the misery that would come upon my father.” Gen 44:33-34 NIV
The Steward
As I have said before, we can learn godly lessons from every person the Bible introduces us to. Take Joseph’s steward for example. In verses 1 and 2 of our reading this week, we hear how Joseph commands him to fill these brothers’ sacks to the brim with grain and to place the silver they brought back in their sacks as well. As before, I am sure the steward received their payment in full, so he does not question Joseph’s instructions. We know this is another gift from Joseph to his brothers, but the steward never questions Joseph’s motives. In addition, his master tells him to place Joseph’s own silver cup into the sack of the youngest brother. After having seen Joseph show special interest in these foreigners by welcoming them into his home, where he gave them a private and generous banquet, the steward knows that they must have fostered some kind of special favor with his master. Moreover, the steward probably saw all the extraordinary favor Joseph had bestowed on the youngest of these brothers, so when told to put his silver cup into that brother’s sack, again, he never questions Joseph’s orders. I am certain that Joseph had proved to be a great master. One who was fair and kind. One who literally understood what it was like to be in the very low position of a servant. I am sure Joseph lived and worked displaying his righteousness and reflecting the God he so loved and trusted. And this steward saw it all and felt like he could trust Joseph as well. Questioning Joseph never even occurred to this faithful steward. So he does exactly what he is told, he fills their bags to the max, replaces their funds and puts Joseph’s special cup into Benjamin’s sack. Then unaware of what the steward does, off to home the brothers go. All seems fine and well with everyone involved.
But then Joseph seems to change his mind. We read in verses 4 through 5, Joseph tells this steward to go after these brothers and accuse them of being thieves. Again, the steward simple obeys. Was this steward privy to the test Joseph was putting his brothers through? I really do not think so. After all, this steward was merely a servant. He did his job and never even thought his master was being mean or unfair. Perhaps if it was you or me, we would think, “What?! You just told me to give it all to them, including your favorite silver cup, and now you want me to arrest them?” We would be left confused, wouldn’t we? Unlike us though, I am sure this steward simply believed that Joseph had a good reason for what he was doing. It was just not for him to know. It was not his position to doubt his master. Unless Joseph explained things to him, it was just none of his concern. And he was ok with that. Are we?
Here is another one of our human problems: we feel like we need to know everything that is happening. This is Pride again, of course. We believe we are entitled to every detail of what those of higher ranking are doing. We do this with God all the time, don’t we? Or maybe it is just me then. I am a planner. The type of person who wants to see the whole plan, with every single detail laid out, before I step out and do anything. Of course, this is just not how life works. If you are like me though, we do think we have a right to know it all; yet there are times when, even if we did know it all, we would not completely understand it all anyway. Like this steward, it is better to trust God with the unknown than to complain or get frustrated at not knowing what is going on. For example, if I have known everything that was about to happen to my Baby Girl and our family, from the beginning of her trial to the end, I would not have been able to get out of bed in the morning. To know that she was going to suffer one crisis after the next for 7 & 1/2 years, and then still pass away? There is no way I would have fought so hard for her little, young life and there is also no way I would have witnessed the countless miracles I did. You see, my Beckie kept defying the medical community as she continued to survive what they told me was impossible to survive. And the growth I experienced through all of those hard and dark times? As well as all the great memories we were able to make through those tough years? They might never have happened. Again I say, sometimes it is better not to know.
There is great wisdom here for us, to be like this steward who learned through experience and years of serving Joseph, that he could trust his master. And my Friends, we can trust our Master even more so. We can be sure that if we need to know, God will explain it in a way we will understand. But if we ask and pray and do not receive any clarity, it is because of one of two things: 1- we would not understand anyway because God is still in the process of working it all together for our good. Or 2- God is testing our Faith. Will we trust God even if we have no idea what He is doing? Joseph did and look where that led him, second-in-command of the greatest nation in his known world. Ok, maybe we will not rise to that high a level, but the peace and joy we will experience in life, will make it seem like we are blissfully second-in-command…with God, of course, in His rightful place as Commander-in-Chief. Trust is such a vital part of any healthy relationship. Let us learn from this faithful steward to listen for instruction, to obey with a grateful heart, then to simply enjoy life, no matter what happens.
The Brothers
It would seem that these brothers are still a bit impetuous. After being accused by the steward, they quickly proclaim, “If you can find anything that is not ours, then that person will die and we will all become your slaves!” (my paraphrase, see Gen 44:9) Speaking without thinking things through. My Friends, it is so vital that we think about what we say before we say it. Our real enemy loves it when we act impulsively and mindlessly. Wisdom tells us to stop and evaluate the situations before we speak or do anything. And the Bible encourages us, of course, to pray before we act. These brothers are still in the midst of changing, I think…as we all are, right? So we must give them some mercy here. Yet this is such a vital lesson for us, isn’t it? Think social media here. Too many will read something, especially when it is upsetting to them, and rashly just speak out in response. When we talk from a place of emotions, often we will regret it later. It is better to take a moment. Think about what is being said, as well as who is saying it. For instance, we all should know by now that “both sides of the aisle” in our government would love nothing more than to incite rage and reaction from the citizens they are supposed to be representing. The more anger or fear they can elicit, the more power they can have over “we the people.” This is also true for the trendsetters of any other dividing topic. The more division the better. Why? Because it is untied we stand, but divided we fall. They cannot have both unity in the general population and their own individual power because the group would be the ones in power. And so they desire for the majority to be weak so they, the minority, will seem strong. This is not how it should be.
Divide and conquer. This is certainly a big tactic of our number one enemy. And we fall for it way too often, my Friends. The devil so enjoys watching those who claim to be Christians fight over the tiniest details of religion. Details that do not get you into Heaven nor keep you out, by the way. What if we learned this lesson from these patriarchs? What if instead of speaking impulsively, we stop long enough to pray and think about what is really going on? What if we, devil forbid, tried to empathize with “the other side”? Would we be able to resolve some potential problems before they began? Would we grow closer to one another, loving each other as Jesus commanded we do? (see Jn 13:34) Something to think about, right?
Again, we can learn from everyone in the Bible, those who got it right, and probably even more so from those who too often did not. Like these brothers though, we are all works in progress…or we should be anyway. Progress. This word can be so distorted. Godly progress is becoming more and more like God Himself. This is after all, the original image in which we were created, right? Sadly, we humans have gone so far off that sometimes it is difficult to even recognize any good in us. But God! He gave us Jesus to show us the way back to the Garden. First, Jesus came to this earth to be a living example of what a child of God should look like. The way we should think, speak and act are all clearly shown by our Savior as He interacted with all sorts of groups. To some He showed nothing but compassion. To others He gave instructions and entrusted them to do the right thing. To still others, He rebuked and attempted to soften their hardened heart with the truth of Scripture. As His followers, we are to do the same. The saying goes, we are to comfort the uncomfortable and make the comfortable uncomfortable. In this way, we can bring all people to our Christ so that He may make them who they were always meant to be, children of God. Yet each human must choose for themselves. But if we are all more concerned with our own opinions rather than God’s Truth, will we chose to humbly repent and come to Jesus? If we still insist on knowing everything that is going on, will we realize there are some things that we will just not understand? These brothers are probably still confused about what had just happened to them in Egypt. They had returned to Egypt filled with anxiety over what occurred on their first trip there. Then to be shown such honor and goodwill? They were probably flying high and thought nothing could mess up their successful journey now. So when the governor’s steward comes after them and accuses them of things that they know they did not do? That anxiety returned and turns into pure anger. As I said before, without thinking they make a pledge that could very well cause more grief and division in this already fragile family.
These worried and frustrated brothers really do not think they have done anything wrong. They are still clinging to their apparent innocence. They quickly try to defend themselves, claiming that they were not guilty, as they say, “We even brought back the money we got back last time, so why would we steal? Why are you accusing us of not being honest men?” (my paraphrase) The steward wisely lowers the sentence from death to the one who has the stolen silver cup and everyone else becomes a slave, (again see Gen 44:9) to only the one who has the cup will be a slave and the rest can head home, free of charge. (see Gen 44:10) The brothers quickly display their sacks and, lo and behold, Benjamin indeed has Joseph’s cup! Will the rest of these brothers let Benjamin take the fall? Or have they changed and will do all they can to protect him instead? It indeed seems like something has changed. We read in verse 13, how they all “…tore their clothes. Then they all loaded their donkeys and returned to the city.” (see Gen 44:13) Hallelujah! They choose not to abandon their youngest brother into slavery, as they had done to Joseph! They all, as a untied group, go back into Egypt to see what can be done.
Judah
As this band of brothers— because now they truly are banding together as one— travel back to Egypt with their heads hanging low, it is interesting to see how Judah is singled out among them. Gen 44:14 says, “Joseph was still in the house when Judah and his brothers came in, and they threw themselves to the ground before him.” (again Gen 44:13, my emphasis) Joseph continues to play his role in the investigation and basically asks them, “What were you thinking? Like I wouldn’t find out you stole from me?” (my paraphrase, see Gen 44:15) Judah is the one who becomes the speaker for the whole group of troubled brothers. Judah rightly admits, “God has uncovered your servants’ guilt.” (see Gen 44:16) Was he talking about the silver cup incident or was he thinking much further back to their guilt over what they did to Joseph? Judah throws himself at Joseph’s mercy, resigned to the fact that they could all now possibly be his slaves. Joseph, still feeling them out, says that only the one who was found with the cup will be led to captivity, the rest are free to go back home in peace. (see Gen 44:17) Joseph was giving them one more opportunity, one more way out, before he could see whether his brothers’ hearts had changed or not.
Once again, Judah steps up. Acknowledging the power and position this governor of Egypt had, Judah humbles himself further as he tries to save Benjamin. Judah then recounts the whole story about how Joseph had asked them if they had any other family members back home where they came from. They told him the truth about their father and his youngest son, whom he loved dearly as he was the only son left from his favorite wife. He says Benjamin’s other fully biological brother had died. As Judah continues, he reminds Joseph that he demanded they bring Benjamin to him, but their father was insistent that he should not go because he greatly feared losing him as well. Yet because the famine was still so severe, their father commissioned them to go buy more grain. But they said to their father they could only go if Benjamin went with them. To this their father answered, “You know that my wife bore me two sons. One of them went away from me, and I said, ‘He has surely been torn to pieces.’ And I have not seen him since. If you take this one from me too and harm comes to him, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in misery.” (see Gen 44:27-29)
I can almost hear Judah’s heart breaking as he pleads with Joseph to take him in Benjamin’s place because he does not want his father to be grieved to death. The respect and love that he now has for his father may have deepened because he understood the pain of losing two of his own sons. (see Gen 38:7-10) Or perhaps it was because he saw how anguished his father was with the presumed loss of Joseph. So much so that he was still greatly grieving 22 years later. He desperately tries to hold on to the youngest of his boys, his only tie to his beloved wife, Rachel. Can you see the eyes of these brothers? Can you sense their tears? They all are on their knees because this is the position of someone who has nothing left. Who realizes that they cannot save the day. Who understands that they need grace from the one they are appealing to. Each one of them guilty. Remorseful. Desperate. They are all fully aware of their sin. And as their representative, Judah is begging for mercy.
Does this scene make you remember anyone else? Perhaps we sinners, who finally realize we have nothing left? That we cannot save ourselves? That we are desperate for the Grace of the only One we can appeal to? So you see what I mean about learning lessons from everyone? These are indeed stories of real people who lived these very real events. And yes, this was thousands of years ago, yet humans are humans, right? Nothing has changed. Like I usually say, we are all a hot mess! We make terrible choices based on our sinful MMI mentality. Then we try to cover it up or deny it or blame others for the trouble we find ourselves in. It takes a changed heart to do what these brothers are doing here, can we see that? To humble ourselves and admit we have sinned. That we have no recourse other than to submit ourselves to the enslavement of our rightful master. These brothers, most especially Judah who is now in the place of the leader of this family, are out of options. My Friends, so are we, until we submit to Jesus as our Lord, that is.
When we surrender in this most humbling attitude then…are you seeing it? It is then that true Life is opened up for us. Jesus forgives our sins, since He already paid the grave penalty for all our sin debt, “nailing it to the cross.” (see Col 2:14) Jesus regenerates our hearts, from selfishly cold and hard as stone, to compassionate and transformable. (see Eze 36:26) Jesus renews our mind and shapes us into His own beautiful likeness. (see Ro 12:2 & 2Co 3:18) When we become painfully aware of our shortcomings and realize we can do nothing but plead for God’s Mercy, then just like these imperfect brothers, we too will get the surprise of our lives. God will bring us into His Forever Family, where He always wanted us to be, with Him forevermore.
Our reading today ends here, but if you are not familiar with what happens, by all means read on ahead. What is clear to see throughout this wonderful, yet very raw story, is that God never abandons any of these brothers. Not the one who quickly came to his senses and surrendered his life to God. Nor the ones who continued to mess up and were slow to humble themselves. God is with us all, my Friends. We can be assured of this truth and we can use it as a means to prompt, and propel, our praises to this God who is above and beyond anything we could ever have desired. His Mercy. His Grace. His Love. Nothing compares. Nothing.
Joseph
Is Joseph fully satisfied that his brothers have indeed become new men? Godly men? Humbled men? We will see next week. But before we go, I did want to make just one comment least someone misunderstand what the Bible is saying about Joseph. You see, it is plain that he never forgets who, and Whose, he was. So what do we do with the two verses that talked about Joseph having this silver cup of divination? What I want us to see is that the Bible never contradicts itself. There is a huge difference between seeking to find “secret truths” from sources that may be demonic, versus searching God’s heart to seek what He says is truth. God had blessed Joseph with the gift of interpreting dreams, remember? In essence, Joseph had a direct line to God and was able to discern what things meant. He had no need to fall into the magic arts of the Egyptian lifestyle that were so common.
Two things are possible here: 1- since divination was a common practice, these brothers would not have been surprised to hear this high official had his own divination cup. It would have lent credence to Joseph’s test of these brothers. It may have also brought them some serious fear. Not only was this silver cup something the governor used daily in a physical way, but if it was used spiritually, they were bringing so much deeper trouble to themselves by having it in their possession. 2- In the Bible, God never forbids using physical things as a means for discerning God’s Will. Listen to this excerpt from gotquestions.org: “Other examples include the casting of lots (Leviticus 16:7-10), the priest’s use of the Urim and Thummim (Numbers 27:21), and Gideon’s use of the fleece (Judges 6:36-40). If Joseph did practice divination with the silver cup, it was not divination in the pagan sense but seeking God’s will through a particular method.” I do not think God advocates for us to do such things, yet He understands us.
When we are desperate for answers, again while not condoning the behavior, God honors our hearts by allowing us to use the physical to connect with Him spiritually. For example, I have this necklace with a charm of an image of our Holy Jesus that I love and wear all the time. There have been so many times when I will hold on to this piece of gold just so that I can sense God’s Presence a bit deeper. God knows my heart and He knows I am not worshipping nor calling on that piece of jewelry for anything mystic. You see, there is also a huge difference between worshiping these lower, and useless items, versus just trying to engage all of who I am- sprit, soul AND body- in experiencing my God’s comforting Love. My point is that God knows our hearts. Here God leads Joseph to test his brothers, and to use whatever means he had to, to discern whether it was time for the healing of this broken family.
God
I am not sure any of these brothers knew healing was exactly what God had in mind. And He had this in mind even way back 22 years before, as they were acting immature, jealous and selfish. I remind us of the disparity between us tiny humans and our majestic God. We see our lives through moment by moment events. God sees all of Life through the lens of Eternity. We do not fully remember yesterday. Barely know what’s going on today. And have no idea what could possibly happen tomorrow. God sees and knows, intimately and intricately, every detail of yesterday, today and tomorrow. We tend to judge others by what they have done. God sees the potential in every human and treats them according to who they can be. And we are to become more and more like Him. Listen to this wise quote from Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary: “But we cannot judge what men are now, by what they have been formerly; nor what they will do, by what they have done.” God sees the the potential good because He is Good. May we endeavor to follow His example.
It is such a good reminder to know we really are tiny humans. A speck of dust. Here today and gone tomorrow. Like Moses, who will eventually come from the lineage of Jacob, the father of these brothers, we must ask, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (Ps 90:12) The more I live my life under the authority and Grace of my Lord and Savior, the more I value each and every day, and seek to live them as fully as I can. Do I get it right all the time? Well, let me ask you this: am I a human? No. I do not always act like the beloved, holy child of God that I now am in Christ. But when I do? Oh how marvelous this life is as I joyfully await the Eternal Life to come! Here is another thing that distinguishes God from humanity: as I mentioned above, we tend to look at the wrong things we do in individual instances, while God focuses on the right things His children have done throughout their lives. This is why the Bible can legitimately call King David blameless. God knew full well he would sin, and on more than one occasion of course. Yet God also knew full well that he would repent and return to God with his whole heart. God sees the whole life, and moreover, He sees it in light of every other human life too. In other words, God sees Humanity as a whole. Those who will refuse to be His, will only be bringing upon themselves the curse. But those who will humble themselves, like Joseph and his brothers did, will receive the free gift of the blessing, Everlasting Life.
Have you made this decision yet? If not, today is the day of your Salvation! (see 2Co 6:2) Confess your need for God’s Mercy; that you realize you are a sinner who cannot save yourself. Thank God for sending His Son to pay the penalty for your sin. Ask the Holy Spirit to enter into your heart, and then lead you all the days of your life. If you sincerely do this, then welcome to God’s Forever Family. And now, keep seeking God and growing in His Love and Grace. Read the Bible daily, or at least as often as you can. Find a Bible teaching church and take part in their services. Participate in Bible study classes with other sojourners. Then, leaning on the guidance of the Holy Spirit, simply live love. The more I seek God and learn from His Word, reading, studying and applying the lessons these past Saints endured and overcame, the more exciting and fulfilling my own life gets. Do you want that too? Then won’t you join me?
Until we meet again, keep lifting your eyes to God, He’s closer than you think.
<>< Peace, Diane
