Genesis 44 - Joseph Tests His Brothers

http://www.believetrust.com/bible/genesis-44-a-silver-cup-in-a-sack/

Summary https://marksbiblejourney.blogspot.com/2019/10/genesis.html
"After the feast, Joseph fills his brothers' bags with grain and gives them their money back.  Joseph plants a silver divination cup in Benjamin's bag.  When the brothers leave to go home, Joseph has his guards search their bags for the planted stolen cup.  It's a set up.  Benjamin is framed, and it appears as though he stole the cup.  Joseph says that Benjamin must now be his slave, and the rest of the brothers can return back home to their father.  Judah pleas for Benjamin's freedom.  He tries to convince Joseph that if the boy stays as a slave in Egypt, their father will die of sorrow.  Judah is even willing to trade places with Benjamin and become Joseph's slave if Joseph releases Benjamin."

Some key verses from the Amplified Bible (AMP) version..

• "And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, “Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man’s [grain] money in the mouth of the sack. Put my [personal] cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, with his grain money.” And the steward did as Joseph had told him." v.1-2

• "For your servant became security for the young man to my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then let me bear the blame before my father forever.’ Now, therefore, please let your servant (Judah) remain here instead of the youth [to be] a slave to my lord, and let the young man go home with his brothers. How can I go up to my father if the young man is not with me—for fear that I would see the tragedy that would overtake my [elderly] father [if Benjamin does not return]?” v.32-34

My personal observations and reflections...

• SILVER CUP. After the lunch of Joseph with his brothers, it is now time to return to Canaan. Joseph put his brothers into another test again. He told the steward of his house to put his personal silver cup in the grain sack of the youngest, who is Benjamin. Joseph wanted to see how his brothers will respond to the situation. With everything that has happened, we can say that it was also God's way of teaching a powerful lesson (some kind of restitution) to the brothers who have hated, envied, and betrayed Joseph before. Repentance, and restoration are all God's work. The enemy, our sins, seeks to destroy us-- but God seeks to heal us.

* Study Guide Commentary from David Guzik:
"c. Some wrongly think that Joseph did this simply to use his position of power to torment his brothers in revenge for their cruelty towards him. Yet knowing the character of Joseph, this wasn’t the case. Guided by the hand of God, Joseph tested the hearts of his brothers and brought them to complete repentance."
d. He indeed practices divination: We know from other sources that ancients did use sacred cups as divination devices. It is possible Joseph did also, because there was not yet specific revelation from God that such a practice was forbidden. Yet, it was not Joseph who said he used the cup for divination, but his servant, who may have wrongly assumed Joseph’s spiritual insight and wisdom were more due to this cup than to his relationship with the living God." 

• FALSELY ACCUSED AS THIEVES. As all the 11 brothers were on their way, they were stopped by the steward and Joseph's men-- as per Joseph's order. Confident that they did not stole anything from Egypt, they said "With whomever of your servants your master’s cup is found, let him die, and the rest of us will be my lord’s slaves." (v.9) But the steward said that whomever the cup will be found will be his slave, and the rest will be blameless, and can go back to Canaan. These Hebrew brothers were at the mercy of the Egyptians, maybe that's why they did not bother to check their sacks before leaving Egypt. Less talk, less trouble. Anyway, when their sacks were checked, from eldest to youngest, the cup was found in Benjamin's. I could not imagine the look in their faces. They were all being truly humbled by God. They tore their clothes in grief, showing how devastated they were in the moment. Maybe for them, it seems all was lost. They're as good as dead. But we all know (from the reader's viewpoint) that God was in control of everything, He has a great plan for Israel, and all the people of the world.

* Study Guide Commentary from David Guzik:
"a. Far be it from us that your servants should do such a thing: The brothers confidently stated they did not have the cup. This showed that they had a healthy trust in each other. If they did not trust each other they would have immediately wondered which brother stole the cup. 
b. With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my lord’s slaves: They were so confident they did not have the cup (and trusted each other so much), they declared the thief should be killed and all the others taken as slaves." 

• RETURN TO EGYPT. This time, the brothers bow down and fell to the ground before Joseph out of fear. Judah (Leah's 4th son), who promised surety and safety (security) for Benjamin to their father Jacob, spoke out in behalf of his brothers. Judah said that because of their sins, they should all be Joseph's slaves, along with Benjamin. But Joseph said that Benjamin will only be his servant, and all the brothers were free to go back to Canaan.

* Study Guide Commentary from David Guzik:
"a. The cup was found in Benjamin’s sack: The reaction of the brothers showed that for them, this was the worst thing imaginable. Not only was the cup found among them, but that it was in Benjamin’s sack – their father’s favorite son, the one he worried about the most. Now Benjamin was sentenced to a life of slavery in Egypt, if not death.
b. Each man loaded his donkey and returned: When Joseph was taken as a slave the brothers allowed him to go and thought nothing of it. Now they were willing to stand with Benjamin as he faced slavery or death. This demonstrated a significant change in the heart and attitude of Joseph’s brothers."  

"b. God has found out the iniquity of you servants: With these words, Judah revealed God’s work among the brothers. In Judah’s mind, the bothers were now destined to live the rest of their lives as slaves in Egypt because they sold Joseph as a slave some 20 years before.
i. The brothers were innocent of the sin of stealing the cup but were guilty of far greater sins. In the same way, we might take pride because we are innocent of some sin or another, yet we are guilty of far greater. You can’t hide from your sin. Time does not erase the guilt of your sin; only the blood of Jesus can.
ii. This resignation to slavery in Egypt was all the more significant considering these were middle-aged men who came from lives of relative privilege, wealth, and status."

• JUDAH'S HONOR. Judah wanted to honor what he promised to his father Jacob. Judah seems to have learned the lesson of keeping his word, this time-- unlike before when he kept his youngest son Shelah to his daughter in law Tamar. Judah asked a word in private with Joseph, wherein he pointed out, detail by detail, how Benjamin was loved by his father-- and how his father will be bereaved in case his (youngest) son won't come back to him. Judah's narration was on point and complete, even including about Joseph himself and his mother Rachel: "Your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife [Rachel] bore me [only] two sons. And one [son] went out from me, and I said, “Surely he is torn to pieces,” and I have not seen him since. If you take this one also from me, and harm or an accident happens to him, you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.’" (v.27-29)

* Study Guide Commentary from David Guzik:
"a. Then Judah came near to him and said: Judah’s impassioned appeal to Joseph is a model of a heartfelt, desperate appeal.
i. Of Judah’s speech, F.B. Meyer wrote: “In all literature, there is nothing more pathetic than this appeal.” H.C. Leupold wrote, “This is one of the manliest, most straightforward speeches ever delivered by any man. For depth of feeling and sincerity of purpose it stands unexcelled.” Barnhouse called it “the most moving address in all the Word of God.” 

b. Surely he is torn to pieces…I have not seen him since: With these carefully chosen words, Judah did not say that Benjamin’s brother was dead – only that Jacob said, “Surely he is torn to pieces” and that Judah had not seen him since."

c. When he sees that the lad is not with us, that he will die: 20 years before, Joseph’s brothers showed a callous disregard of their father when they reported Joseph’s supposed death (Genesis 37:31-33). Judah showed they were now greatly concerned for the feelings and welfare of their father. This was more evidence of a change of heart."

• SACRIFICE. To make sure Benjamin could return to his father Jacob, Judah (as Benjamin's security) volunteered himself in place of Benjamin to be Joseph's slave in Egypt. We heard no response from Joseph by the end of this chapter, but he must have been touched and moved by Judah's response. It is one of humility and sacrifice, just like what Jesus (Judah's descendant) did for all of us-- he took our place and bore our sins on the cross. Jesus is our only SECURITY!

"But [in fact] He has borne our griefs,
And He has carried our sorrows and pains;
Yet we [ignorantly] assumed that He was stricken,
Struck down by God and degraded and humiliated [by Him].
 

But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our wickedness [our sin, our injustice, our wrongdoing];
The punishment [required] for our well-being fell on Him,
And by His stripes (wounds) we are healed.
 

All of us like sheep have gone astray,
We have turned, each one, to his own way;
But the Lord has caused the wickedness of us all [our sin, our injustice, our wrongdoing]
To fall on Him [instead of us]." Isaiah 53:4-6

* Study Guide Commentary from David Guzik:
"a. Please let your servant remain instead of the lad as a slave to my lord: Judah dramatically offered to lay down his life for the sake of Benjamin. This was a dramatic change from 20 years before when the brothers did not care about Joseph, Benjamin, or even their father Jacob.
i. Judah distinguished himself as the one willing to be a substitutionary sacrifice, out of love for his father and for his brethren.

b. How shall I go up to my father if the lad is not with me: Judah was the one who suggested selling Joseph 20 years earlier. (Genesis 37:26-27) Here he sensitively offered to lay down his life for the favored brother. This display of sacrificial love was another example of transformation in the brothers.
i. Moses was willing to offer himself for the salvation of Israel (Exodus 32:31-32), and so was Paul (Romans 9:1-4). Sacrificial love is evidence of our transformation (John 13:34).
ii. Through this chapter there is remarkable evidence of the changed hearts of Joseph’s brothers.
    · They did not resent it when Benjamin was given the favored portion (Genesis 43:34)
    · They trusted each other, not accusing each other of wrong when accused of stealing the cup (Genesis 44:9)
    · They stuck together when the silver cup was found. They did not abandon the favored son and allow him to be carried back to Egypt alone (Genesis 44:13)
    · They completely humbled themselves for the sake of the favored son (Genesis 44:14)
    · They knew their predicament was the result of their sin against Joseph (Genesis 44:16)
    · They offered themselves as slaves to Egypt, not abandoning Benjamin, the favored son, their brother (Genesis 44:16)
    · They showed due concern for how this might affect their father (Genesis 44:29-31)
    · Judah was willing to be a substitutionary sacrifice for his brother out of love for his father and his brethren (Genesis 44:33)"

*Bible Footnotes: Genesis 44:22 The Hebrew word for “young man” does not indicate extreme youth. Benjamin was about thirty-three years old at this time. 

- Judah is around 43 y/o; Joseph is 39 y/o

Judah, a picture of Jesus❤️  
https://marksbiblejourney.blogspot.com/2019/10/genesis.html
"Jesus Christ comes from the Israelite tribe of Judah.  Jesus Christ laid down his life to save all the people in the world from their sins.  Christ is the propitiation for our sins, and he is our surety!  Likewise, in this gripping tale in the Bible, Judah is willing to lay his life down for his brother Benjamin.  Benjamin is the one guilty of stealing the silver cup, not Judah.  Judah is blameless just like Jesus Christ.  Judah is trying to guarantee Benjamin's freedom by taking on his guilt and taking his punishment.  Jesus did the same for us on the cross.  He that knew no sin became sin.  Therefore, our sins have been covered by the blood of the lamb, and we, the guilty have become pure, innocent, and free from sin.  Romans 5:8 states, "But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us!"   This is absolutely amazing!  This is literally the perfect story unfolding before our eyes.  God's hand is writing this story, yesterday, today, tomorrow, and forevermore!"


Read the Bible here:
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+44&version=AMP

Reference and credits to https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/guzik_david/StudyGuide2017-Gen/Gen-44.cfm ©2013 David Guzik