Genesis 44: 1-34
The brothers have returned to Egypt, this time with their little brother Benjamin, and they have had dinner at Joseph's royal house as his guests. But they still don't know who he is.
(1) Then he commanded his house steward, 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) Put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his money for the grain." And he did as Joseph had told him. (3) As soon as it was light, the men were sent away, they with their donkeys. (4) They had just gone out of the city, and were not far off, when Joseph said to his house steward, "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 which he indeed uses for divination? You have done wrong in doing this.'" (6) So he overtook them and spoke these words to them.
Now Joseph is going to bring them back to him, by planting his silver cup in Benjamin's sack, to see the brothers' response to this. He is still testing them.
(7) They said to him, "Why does my lord speak such words as these? Far be it from your servants to do such a thing. (8) Behold, the money which we found in the mouth of our sacks we have brought back to you from the land of Canaan. How then could we steal silver or gold from your lord's house?
Now they have to defend themselves, and they remind him that they even returned the money from before, so why would they steal anything, they're honest men!
(9) "With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my lord's slaves."
Now they're so sure of themselves, they pronounce this severe sentence on themselves.
(10) So he said, "Now let it also be according to your words; he with whom it is found shall be my slave, and the rest of you shall be innocent."
Then the chief manservant of the vizier pronounced the just sentence, rather than the severe results they imagined.
(11) Then they hurried, each man lowered his sack to the ground, and each man opened his sack. (12) He searched, beginning with the oldest, and ending with the youngest, and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.
Of course, it was in Benjamin's, as Joseph told his servant to do.
(13) Then they tore their clothes, and when each man loaded his donkey, they returned to the city.
So they turned around and went back.
(14) When Judah and his brothers returned to Joseph's house, he was still there, and they fell to the ground before him. (15) Joseph said to them, "What is this deed that you have done? Do you not know that such a man as I can indeed practice divination?"
Joseph was waiting for them. He wants to hear what they will have to say, what are their attitudes toward him and their father and Benjamin.
(16) So Judah said, What can we say to my lord? What can we speak? And how can we justify ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants; behold we are my lord's slaves, both we and the one in whose possession the cup has been found."
Judah said that they would all be willing to be his slaves.
(17) But he said, "Far be it from me to do this. The man in whose possession the cup has been found, he shall be my slave; but as for you, go up in peace to your father."
Joseph presents the "reasonable" consequence. Will they go back without Benjamin?
(18) Then Judah approached him, and said, "Oh my lord, may your servant please speak a word in my lord's ears, and do not be angry with your servant; for you are equal to Pharaoh. (19) My lord asked his servants, saying, 'Have you a father or a brother?' (20) We said to my lord, 'We have an old father and a little child of his old age. Now his brother is dead, so he alone is left of his mother, 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) But we said to my lord, 'The lad cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.' (23) You said to your servants, however, 'Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.' (24) Thus it came about when we went up to your servant my father, we told him the words of my lord. (25) Our father said, 'Go back, 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 cannot see the man's face unless our youngest brother is with us.' (27) 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 in pieces," and I have not seen him since. (29) If you take this one also from me, and harm befalls him, you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.' (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) when he sees that the lad is not with us, he will die. Thus your servants will bring the gray hair of your servant our father down to Sheol in sorrow.
And Judah recounts the whole story of what happened since they got home the last time, with the whole situation with their father.
(32) "For your servant became surety for the lad to my father, saying, 'If I do not bring him back to you, then let me bear the blame before my father forever.'
Now he finds out that Judah is defending Benjamin, his brother. This is good.
(33) "Now, therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the lad 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--for fear that I see the evil that would overtake my father?"
Now Joseph can understand that his brothers are not persecuting his brother as they did him, that they treasure him and respect the bond their father has with him.
This is what he's been wanting to see. They are not wanting to get rid of Benjamin like they did him, and they are repenting of treating Joseph the way they did.
How will he now respond to this?
O my Father, You are so good to Joseph to show him how his brothers have grown, and You are so good to all of Your children. Even when it seems that there are years of waiting, and betrayals by those we love the most, You use it all for our benefit and our good, and You receive the glory.
O Father, grow up all Your children, and send us all out in our own ways to share with the world how much You love us all! Let every living person hear and know that You have already met their deepest needs, and let Your Love counteract all the hatred that is spewing out all over world.
Father, bring all Your children to the birth into Your family, and grow us up so that we all will attain to the stature of the Son of God.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, forever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!
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