As we ended the last chapter, Joseph’s brother passed the test of jealousy with flying colors. The joy of brothers must have been great. This Egyptian, whom they feared not only not cast them into prison but instead turned out to be a kind host. Now, They would be able to return home with ample food supply. But, there is still one more test they need to pass. The joy is about to change into shock. Let’s look at this final examination together. Joseph wants to see what their reaction would be when forced to make a decision between their well being and that of Benjamin.
And he commanded [a]the steward of his house, saying, “Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man’s money in the mouth of his sack. 2 Also put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his grain money.” So he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken. 3 As soon as the morning dawned, the men were sent away, they and their donkeys.
Once again Joseph instructed his steward to fill their sacks and return their money. But, this time he also asked the steward to place his silver cup in Benjamin’s sack as a part of the final test. The next morning, the brothers founded their donkeys loaded and ready to go for the return journey home.
4 When they had gone out of the city, and were not yet far off, Joseph said to his steward, “Get up, follow the men; and when you overtake them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid evil for good? 5 Is not this the one from which my lord drinks, and with which he indeed practices divination? You have done evil in so doing.’ ” 6 So he overtook them, and he spoke to them these same words. 7 And they said to him, “Why does my lord say these words? Far be it from us that your servants should do such a thing. 8 Look, we brought back to you from the land of Canaan the money which we found in the mouth of our sacks. How then could we steal silver or gold from your lord’s house? 9 With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my lord’s slaves.”10 And he said, “Now also let it be according to your words; he with whom it is found shall be my slave, and you shall be blameless.” 11 Then each man speedily let down his sack to the ground, and each opened his sack. 12 So he searched. He began with the oldest and [b]left off with the youngest; and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.
As the plan unfolds, we see Joseph send his servant after the brothers and he accused them of stealing the divination cup. Of course, the brothers proclaimed their innocence and in reality, they had not stolen the cup. They had nothing to fear thus without hesitation, they opened their sacks. Once again steward opens the sack in order of oldest to youngest. And, you can imagine how the suspension must have built up as he started opening one after another. Finally, the last sack and the cup is found in Benjamin’s sack. Why did Joseph do that? He was to see their reaction of having another brother as a slave down in Egypt. This is what they did the first time with Joesph. Have they changed in 21 years or will they leave Benjamin as a slave and make up another story for the father?
13 Then they tore their clothes, and each man loaded his donkey and returned to the city. 14 So Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house, and he was still there; and they fell before him on the ground. 15 And Joseph said to them, “What deed is this you have done? Did you not know that such a man as I can certainly practice divination?” Look at Judah’s response. No excuses, no cover-up, no story like 21 years ago. He realized God was paying back for what happened 21 years ago. Judah has changed. Judah was not going to abandon Benjamin like he did Joseph. Please remember, it was Judah who suggested selling Joseph for slavery. He saw the evidence of Benjamin’s guilt was overwhelming and there was really no way he could prove his innocence. It is significant that, even though Benjamin was the only one charged, Judah recognized that all were equally involved. Even though they were innocent in this case, they were a surely guilty sinner, and “God had found out the iniquity” of them all. He and his brothers were deeply burdened with the guilt of their deed in selling Joseph into bondage. There was a radical change in the brothers. Before they didn’t care about the favorite son or father’s pain but not to them hurting benjamin and causing pain to Jacob is equal to the death of a loved one.
The first indication of changed heart comes in verse 13. They tore their clothes which is a sign of great regret and remorse. When Jacob heard Joseph had died, he tore his clothes. When Job heard his children were dead, he tore his clothes. It is a symbol of respect and a sign of grief. Before we go further, Let me say something about the divination cup. In Egyptian culture, they used such cups for the purpose of predicting, professing to see future events in reflections of water in the cup. It may seem strange that a man like Joseph, knowing the true God as he did, would have used such a cup. He did not need to. Likely explanation for Joseph having the cup is simply to continue playing the part of the Egyptians ruler. Look at Judah’s response. No excuses, no cover-up, no story like 21 years ago. He realized God was paying back for what happened 21 years ago. Judah has changed. Judah was not going to abandon Benjamin like he did Joseph. Please remember, it was Judah who suggested selling Joseph for slavery. He saw the evidence of Benjamin’s guilt was overwhelming and there was really no way he could prove his innocence. It is significant that, even though Benjamin was the only one charged, Judah recognized that all were equally involved. Even though they were innocent in this case, they were a surely guilty sinner, and “God had found out the iniquity” of them all. He and his brothers were deeply burdened with the guilt of their deed in selling Joseph into bondage. There was a radical change in the brothers. Before they didn’t care about the favorite son or father’s pain but not to them hurting benjamin and causing pain to Jacob is equal to the death of a loved one.
18 Then Judah came near to him and said: “O my lord, please let your servant speak a word in my lord’s hearing, and do not let your anger burn against your servant; for you are even like Pharaoh. 19 My lord asked his servants, saying, ‘Have you a father or a brother?’ 20 And we said to my lord, ‘We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, who is young; his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother’s children, and his father loves him.’ 21 Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him.’ 22 And we said to my lord, ‘The lad cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.’ 23 But you said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall see my face no more. 24 “So it was, when we went up to your servant my father, that we told him the words of my lord. 25 And our father said, ‘Go back and buy us a little food.’ 26 But we said, ‘We cannot go down; if our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down; for we may not see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’ 27 Then your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons; 28 and the one went out from me, and I said, “Surely he is torn to pieces”; and I have not seen him since. 29 But if you take this one also from me, and calamity befalls him, you shall bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave.’ 30 “Now therefore, when I come to your servant my father, and the lad is not with us, since his life is bound up in the lad’s life, 31 it will happen, when he sees that the lad is not with us, that he will die. So your servants will bring down the gray hair of your servant our father with sorrow to the grave.
Joseph, however, tested them one more time by repeating the offer of letting them go and just keeping Benjamin as a slave. They once again thought of what would happen to Jacob if they returned. They would rather not go back at all than to see the bitter and hopeless grief of their beloved father. Judah spoke again, this time on behalf of Benjamin. Judah recounted to Joesph all the events that had led up to this confrontation. Verse 18-34 is a remarkable plea and one of the profound texts of the Old Testament. Judah clearly demonstrated that whatever may his earlier weakness may have been, he now was a strong man of godly character and compassion. He begged for mercy, pleaded for Benjamin and Jacob. By the way, this is the first time Joseph is finding out what they told Jacob about his disappearance. Judah assured Joseph that the very life of his father was intimately bound up with Benjamin’s life. He knew that when his father saw them returning without Benjamin the very shock would kill him.
32 For your servant became surety for the lad to my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame before my father forever.’ 33 Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the lad as a slave to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brothers. 34 For how shall I go up to my father if the lad is not with me, lest perhaps I see the evil that would [c]come upon my father?”
Finally, Judah came to the climax of his plea. Judah was willing to follow through on his promise to his father. Judah’s intense love for his father is exhibited most of all in his final plea “How shall I go up to my father and the lad be not with me? How can I see the evil that shall come on my father?” In his willingness to take punishment in place of his brother’s, for the sake of his father, Judah becomes a beautiful type of Jesus. I believe it is for this reason Judah rather than Joseph was selected to be the ancestor of Jesus. Judah, in his willingness to sacrifice himself, the innocent for the guilty, had become the most christlike of all his brother.
There are some important lessons to learn from this chapter. Many have criticized Joseph and all the tests he put his brothers through but let me remind you, Joseph is the first man in the Bible for whom it is said, God spirit abides in him. He was led by the Holy Spirit. This is what happens in our life. Many times, the Holy Spirit leads us into storms and tests to bring a change in our life. The radical change in brothers did not come easy. They went through 20 years of struggles, killing Joseph did not solve their problems. Actually, it created further distance in relationship with the father. As we go through our sanctification process, it is painful but necessary to make us new creatures in Christ. Earlier their focus was on Jacob’s love for them and Jacob did not treat them well. They would have been justified to harness bitterness for Jacob but instead, they were horrified by the thought of hurting their father. Now, it wasn’t about Jacob loving them but their affection for him. This is what Christ does for us. He teaches us to love others despite what the hurt and pain they may have caused us. Like Joseph’s brother, we too realize we are guilty in front of God, and our brother Jesus, took our punishment that we may be freed. Has someone treated you unfairly as Jacob did his sons? You must find forgiveness in your heart. And as we look at the next chapter Joseph will teach us a wonderful lesson on how to forgive and accept God’s plan. Amen
only savior jesus 