Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
"Now Joseph gave these instructions to the steward of his house: "Fill the men's sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each man's silver in the mouth of his sack. Then put my cup, the silver one, in the mouth of the youngest one's sack, along with the silver for his grain." And he did as Joseph said. As morning dawned, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys. They had not gone far from the city when Joseph said to his steward, "Go after those men at once, and when you catch up with them, say to them, 'Why have you repaid good with evil? Isn't this the cup my master drinks from and also uses for divination? This is a wicked thing you have done.' " When he caught up with them, he repeated these words to them. But they said to him, "Why does my lord say such things? Far be it from your servants to do anything like that! We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan the silver we found inside the mouths of our sacks. So why would we steal silver or gold from your master's house? If any of your servants is found to have it, he will die; and the rest of us will become my lord's slaves." "Very well, then," he said, "let it be as you say. Whoever is found to have it will become my slave; the rest of you will be free from blame." Each of them quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it. Then the steward proceeded to search, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. At this, they tore their clothes. Then they all loaded their donkeys and returned to the city. Joseph was still in the house when Judah and his brothers came in, and they threw themselves to the ground before him. Joseph said to them, "What is this you have done? Don't you know that a man like me can find things out by divination?" "What can we say to my lord?" Judah replied. "What can we say? How can we prove our innocence? God has uncovered your servants' guilt. We are now my lord's slaves—we ourselves and the one who was found to have the cup." But Joseph said, "Far be it from me to do such a thing! Only the man who was found to have the cup will become my slave. The rest of you, go back to your father in peace." Then Judah went up to him and said: "Please, my lord, let your servant speak a word to my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, though you are equal to Pharaoh himself. My lord asked his servants, 'Do you have a father or a brother?' And we answered, 'We have an aged father, and there is a young son born to him in his old age. His brother is dead, and he is the only one of his mother's sons left, and his father loves him.' "Then you said to your servants, 'Bring him down to me so I can see him for myself.' And we said to my lord, 'The boy cannot leave his father; if he leaves him, his father will die.' But you told your servants, 'Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.' When we went back to your servant my father, we told him what my lord had said. "Then our father said, 'Go back and buy a little more food.' But we said, 'We cannot go down. Only if our youngest brother is with us will we go. We cannot see the man's face unless our youngest brother is with us.' "Your servant my father said to us, '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.' "So now, if the boy is not with us when I go back to your servant my father and if my father, whose life is closely bound up with the boy's life, sees that the boy isn't there, he will die. Your servants will bring the gray head of our father down to the grave in sorrow. Your servant guaranteed the boy's safety to my father. I said, 'If I do not bring him back to you, I will bear the blame before you, my father, all my life!' "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. Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, "Have everyone leave my presence!" So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh's household heard about it. Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph! Is my father still living?" But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence. Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Come close to me." When they had done so, he said, "I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. "So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt. Now hurry back to my father and say to him, 'This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; don't delay. You shall live in the region of Goshen and be near me—you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have. I will provide for you there, because five years of famine are still to come. Otherwise you and your household and all who belong to you will become destitute.' "You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, that it is really I who am speaking to you. Tell my father about all the honor accorded me in Egypt and about everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly." Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced him, weeping. And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers talked with him." Genesis 44:1-34, 45:1-15
After finishing treating his brothers to a meal, Joseph sends them back toward Canaan with a new supply of grain. He orders his steward to once again, return their silver coins to the sacks but orders one other thing. He tells the steward to place his "cup, the silver one, in the mouth of the youngest one's sack, along with the silver for his grain." This would make it appear that the cup had been stolen from Egypt and would be viewed as a terrible crime, especially in light of the hospitality shown to the Hebrews by the Egyptians. So the steward carries out Joseph’s command and the brothers are sent on their way home.
After they departed, Joseph then orders his steward to, "Go after those men at once, and when you catch up with them, say to them, 'Why have you repaid good with evil? Isn't this the cup my master drinks from and also uses for divination? This is a wicked thing you have done.' So the steward does as he is told. He goes after the brothers and, after catching up to them, he accuses them of stealing the sacred silver cup of his master. The brothers deny the charge and say, ""Why does my lord say such things? Far be it from your servants to do anything like that! We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan the silver we found inside the mouths of our sacks. So why would we steal silver or gold from your master's house? If any of your servants is found to have it, he will die; and the rest of us will become my lord's slaves." The steward agrees to their challenge but modifies it because Joseph would never want to see his youngest brother die. So the steward says, ""Very well, then," he said, "let it be as you say. Whoever is found to have it will become my slave; the rest of you will be free from blame." The stage is set for the final testing of Joseph’s brothers.
For Joseph was interested in seeing if his brothers would repeat their mistakes of the past. He had seen some signs that they may have earned their lesson but there was more at stake now. If one of the brothers had the silver cup, then they would be enslaved while the others brothers would return home. Would the brothers actually allow another brother to be taken off into slavery? How would they respond when it is Benjamin who is discovered to have the cup, especially after they had vowed to their father to ensure his safety? Would they return to Jacob and lie about what happened to Benjamin like they did with Joseph? Remember that Jacob still believes Joseph is dead and this is why he was so adamant about not allowing Benjamin to leave his side. What would happen? Well, our scripture holds the outcome.
For the steward does find the silver cup and it’s in the sack of Benjamin. The brothers’ response is a first great indicator that their hearts and attitudes have greatly changed. For they immediately "tore their clothes", a sign of deep mourning, sorrow and repentance. No doubt, the brothers believed God was still punishing them for their sins against Joseph. So by the prior decree, Benjamin was to return with the steward as a slave. But the brothers didn’t abandon him. Instead, we read that "they all loaded their donkeys and returned to the city" where they entered the house of Joseph and "threw themselves to the ground before him." Once again, Joseph’s dream had come true but even more significantly, the brothers were proving that they indeed had changed.
After Joseph chastises them for what has occurred, Judah makes a heartfelt appeal to Joseph. He recaps all that has happened, reiterating that one brother was already dead (the assumed death of Joseph himself) and that the death of Benjamin would leave his father ready to die. Judah then explains that the father was reluctant to send Benjamin to Egypt on this trip but Judah assured him he would protect the boy. To repair the situation, Judah asks to take Benjamin’s place. He would agree to remain as a slave and allow his youngest brother to return home to his father. This was the depth of Judah’s love and willing sacrifice for his brother…the love and sacrifice that was not present when Joseph was sent off to slavery. This was the final indicator for Joseph that all had changed. The brothers had not only passed his test…but God’s test as well.
Joseph sends his Egyptian servants out of the room and then reveals his true identity to his brothers who "were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence." The man they had treated so harshly and condemned to a life of hardship now was in a position of power that could have them all killed. They realized the precarious situation they were in but they received something completely unexpected…something that had to complete the transformation of their hearts and souls.
For Joseph tells them to "Come close to me" and then restated that "I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you." What awesome words of comfort and grace and wisdom. Joseph is saying that the events that happened were all part of God’s greater plan…that God had intended to send Joseph ahead to save lives, including those of his own family in Canaan. He seals this amazing passage with the following words: "God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God." The brothers were vindicated by Joseph’s words. He saw their actions as part of the journey God had him on. A journey that had now reunited him with all his brothers with his particular love for his father and Benjamin coming through as Joseph says, "Tell my father about all the honor accorded me in Egypt and about everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly." Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced him, weeping. And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers talked with him." The family was restored, better than it was before and ready to move forward in the spirit of love and unity.
Question: As you have gone through trials in life, have you ever stopped to think that it might be part of God’s plan for you? Have you ever considered that even when someone does wrong to you, it may be a part of a greater plan God has in store? In the story of Joseph, we can see that sometimes we will go through many trials and also many rewarding times to reach our final destination…the place where God wants us to be to carry out His will and way. Through our scripture today, we’re reminded to stay patient, keeping our eyes wide open to all possibilities that God may have for us. Never underestimate what He can do in and through you. Know and trust He has a purpose for you.
In Christ,
Mark
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