01-99 Joseph’s Trickery
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Genesis 44:1-34
Genesis 44:1-34
Scripture Reading vv 1-17
Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 4976 Enough to Quit
4976 Enough To Quit
A Sunday school teacher once asked a class what was meant by the word “repentance.” A little boy put up his hand and said, “It is being sorry for your sins.” A little girl also raised her hand and said, “Please, it is being sorry enough to quit.”
—Donald Grey Barnhouse
What does repentance look like? How can you know someone has truly changed? That is after all, the heart of repentance—both OT & NT. The NT word is metanoia (with, behind, after) which carried the meaning of “changing one’s mind.” But biblical repentance doesn’t end with changing the way we think about sin—as though it were merely an issue of intellectual judgment. Repentance in the Bible is always refers to the changing of the mind with respect to one’s behavior. RC Sproul mentions that it has the idea of: “ruing. To rue something means to regret a particular action. It carries with it not only an intellectual assessment but also an emotional or visceral response. The feeling most often associated with repentance in Scripture is that of remorse, regret, and a sense of sorrow for having acted in a particular way. Thus, repentance involves sorrow for a previous form of behavior.”
After the sin of adultery with Bathsheba and murder of her husband, David expressed true repentance in Ps 51 (READ). There are several elements that mark genuine repentance:
Recognition of profound need for grace and mercy (vs 1)
Not only confession of sin (seeking pardon) but the strength to keep from committing that sin again (cleansing vs 2).
Will not try to minimize the sin (vs 3—I am guilty)
Awareness that sin is an attack on God’s holy character
Acknowledgment that God is blameless and has every right to judge
Longing to be pure
Repentance is a painful experience—no one enjoys going thru this process of confessing sin and acknowledging our guilt, but this is the path to true joy and reconciliation not only with God but also with man. And God restores that joy—He is faithful:
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
This issue of repentance comes up b/c this is what Joseph is drawing out of his brothers. He knows that sins and lies must be dealt with before there could be reconciliation b/t Joseph and his brothers. For 20 years the brothers had been living their lives without ever dealing with their sin against Joseph. On their 1st trip to Egypt to buy grain, they acknowledged their wrong doing (and Joseph knew that they had changed over the past 20 years). But they still had not yet dealt with that sin or covering it up over all those years. Joseph, with a great deal of wisdom, has designed the means to draw his brothers to this point of repentance which would lead to reconciliation. That’s what we’ll see in the 4 scenes of ch 44. It involves a little bit of trickery. Today we would say Joseph is guilty of planting evidence. But the purpose is to expose his brothers to the consequences of their sin so they would turn from it.
1. The Instigation
1. The Instigation
vv 1-5
house steward=chief of staff of Joseph’s house…Joseph commands him (this act of trickery is designed to be a test to determine, fully, the character of his brothers. The plan is to instigate the revelation of their character. “Fill…put money…silver cup…”
Send them off with all their money, as much grain as their sacks hold and put the silver cup in the youngest sack (Benjamin). Joseph has a strategy for what is about to happen. The silver cup was not just an ordinary cup. First, it belonged to the Prime Minister. This was Joseph’s cup, the one belonging to the ruler of Egypt. The one he was drinking from during the noon feast with his brothers (and anytime there would have been dignitaries in his presence). Second, this cup was silver—of course made it valuable. Third, cups like this were used in the practice of divination: oil and water were mixed in the cup and the patterns and movements of the liquids were interpreted by the diviner. Would there be peace/war, success/failure, progeny/no progeny, recovered health/prolonged sickness, etc.?
The house steward did as he was told. We have seen him on several occasions acting in swift obedience to Joseph—and it is possible that he has been converted to the worship of Joseph’s God. This was happening during the night, and as day began to break the brothers were sent on their way. And you can put yourself in their shoes. How they must have rejoiced and had a sense of peace and security as they began to head home. Simeon had been released from prison. Benjamin was with them. They had provisions for their families back home. It seemed like life was going to be easy from here on.
They didn’t get very far when Joseph said—vs 4 The house steward quickly overtakes the brothers and accused them of paying “evil for good” Mathews writes “does not describe merely ingratitude but describes malicious exploitation of a person’s kindness.” The psalmist reproached his enemies for that kind of treatment:
12 They repay me evil for good, To the bereavement of my soul.
20 And those who repay evil for good, They oppose me, because I follow what is good.
5 Thus they have repaid me evil for good And hatred for my love.
13 He who returns evil for good, Evil will not depart from his house.
Xns have a even higher standard: Romans 12:17 “17 Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men.”
vs 5…here it is, there is a valuable silver cup in your possession (though they didn’t know it) and “you have done wrong.” Now, I don’t think Joseph actually used this cup for divination. Divination was the practice of foreseeing the future or discovering hidden knowledge and it was very common in polytheistic nations. They believed their gods were helping them. This is a practice that would later be outlawed within Israel (Lev 19:26; Dt 18:10). Joseph was an interpreter of dreams and didn’t need the cup for divination but this was the ploy to entrap the brothers so as to get to the bottom of their truest character. And as the house steward accuses them, there is this cloud hovering over them all of the sudden, their joy is turned to fear. Everything was going great and yet this Egyptian ruler can see their deepest sins and hidden faults.
Now, of course there is no wrong doing in this. They didn’t steal the cup. Benjamin hadn’t taken it and put it in his sack. But this is part of Joseph’s instigation to bring his brothers to account for what they had done so there could be reconciliation b/t them.
2. The Incrimination
2. The Incrimination
vv 6-13
Once again we see obedience on the part of the house steward…he catches up to the brothers and spoke the words he was instructed to speak. That completely shocked the brothers. Here they were, thinking they were cleared of any wrong-doing (they vindicated themselves by returning extra money from the first journey), heading back home and now they are accused of evil. If you’ve ever been accused of doing something that you didn’t do—our typical response would be denial—to come to your defense. That’s precisely how the brothers respond to this accusation. In fact, there are 3 ways they defend themselves against the steward’s accusation:
Denial
Denial
vs 7a “why does my lord speak such words?” This was a preposterous charge, an unthinkable crime…and they’re ready to stand by their denial. Having a clear conscience is an important ingredient of peace. I mentioned a few weeks back how the conscience is God’s gracious gift to mankind. It alerts us of wrongdoing but also defends us when we are not guilty.
14 For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, 15 in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them,
It is the heart of the believer to live in such a way that accusations like this would never stick. To live with a clear conscience is truly a blessing…but you a responsible for confession of sin and repentance. The brothers had clear consciences knowing they did not do what they were accused of.
Oath
Oath
“Far be it from your servants…” This is a very strong expression that actually is calling down a curse on the one who committed that crime. This was a common way of introducing an oath…
16 The people answered and said, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods;
23 “Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you; but I will instruct you in the good and right way.
This is an oath, a solemn statement that calls down a curse if they are guilty.
Appeal
Appeal
The 3rd way they deny wrongdoing is be appealing to their character. vs 8 thieves don’t return merchandise in order to steal. If they were thieves, it wouldn’t make sense to return the money, and b/c they did, it was irrational for them to steal a silver cup now.
As they are defending themselves, so eager are they to prove their innocence that they unwisely, and overconfidently offered the guilty party to be put to death and themselves to become slaves (vs 9).
The steward responds (vs 10). Then they all began to empty their sacks and he searched them—from oldest to youngest, one-by-one, 8, 9, 10, nothing at all. Then # 11…the youngest, Benjamin’s sack had the silver cup.
vs 13—their response contained no words, only grief, sorrow and humiliation—for they had defended themselves even calling down a curse on them if they were found guilty. They tore their clothes. This is a sign of deep emotional distress. And they all tore their clothes, which is to their credit. The brothers were standing in solidarity with their youngest brother, Benjamin. If they wanted to, they could have thrown him to the wolves, saved their own skin. But 2 of the brothers had vouched for Benjamin: Reuben with the lives of his sons, and Judah with his own life—if they didn’t bring Benjamin back to their father.
So they (all) returned to the city—to face whatever consequences were demanded. This truly begins to demonstrate that they have changed.
3. The Indictment
3. The Indictment
14-17
It is still early that morning and when they came to Joseph’s house, he was still there (14). Moses is setting the scene to focus on Judah at this point. In just a moment, Judah is going to make one of the longest speeches in Genesis and Moses tells us “Judah and his brothers…” They fell to the ground before him once again. They are throwing themselves on the mercy of the court.
Joseph asks “what is this deed…?” Right there in his own palace he is indicting his brothers for stealing. Joseph is asserting his own power at this point. He has all authority over them and actually belittles them by thinking they could fool a pagan ruler who had divine power (divination abilities). And not just about the cup but the deeper issues of their hearts.
16—Judah speaks for the group “what can we say” (very respectful). He acknowledges that there is no way he can clear their name as the God of their fathers has found out their sins. Now, God never discovers anything. Omniscience is absolute knowledge of all things actual and potential. What Judah means is that as the cup had been found in Benjamin’s sack so too their secret sins are not hidden from Him and they are going to have to pay for those sins. And God will visit their past iniquities upon them. “We are slaves…”
Joseph’s response also uses the same oath formula the brothers spoke: vs 17. “It would be a desecration for me to do this…to enslave the innocent along with the guilty.” Only the guilty would remain a slave and the others could return home in peace.
Except—there really could be no peace if Benjamin doesn’t return with the others.
4. The Intercession
4. The Intercession
18-34
Judah approaches Joseph and delivers one of the greatest speeches in all of God’s Word. FB Meyer “In all literature, there is nothing more pathetic than this appeal.” (Pathetic actually means to arouse pity—to move one to show deep compassion—pathos). HC Leupold “This is one of the manliest, most straightforward speeches ever delivered by man. For depth of feeling and sincerity of purpose it stands unexcelled.” Donald Grey Barnhouse “The most moving address in all the Word of God.”
22 years earlier Judah counseled his brothers to sell Joseph into slavery (37:26-27). He wasn’t doing this to save the life of Joseph. That’s what Rueben did (37:21-22). Judah suggested selling Joseph to Midianite traders b/c there was no profit to them if Joseph was dead. This is just vile and heartless of Judah. But 22 years will change a man. And I think that past 2 years have seen the greatest growth in Judah—particularly since the brother’s first visit to Egypt and the initial encounter with Joseph (though they still don’t know it is he). Judah’s speech, in all of its grandeur has 5 simple parts to it:
Judah’s Respect
Judah’s Respect
vs 18. Judah comes before Joseph (the Prime Minister to him) with complete respect and submission to the authority of the Egyptian ruler. He recognizes the importance of this ruler, has no desire to encounter his wrath or kindle his anger. There’s humility in Judah and that is a necessary attitude if you want grace, right?
6 But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
Judah was coming to the ruler of Egypt. The # 2 in power and it is reasonable to conclude that Joseph was # 2 in the entire world—as Egypt truly was the major world empire at the time. Judah comes before a human ruler with submission, respect and humility, how much more should we come before the ruler of the universe—God Almighty? Due reverence is what we owe God.
Judah’s Reflection
Judah’s Reflection
19-23
Judah is reminding Joseph about his previous dealings with the brothers. He alludes to the questions that were asked of them and Judah is affirming the honesty of their answers by recalling the account to the prime minister. Evidently, Judah was beginning to win the compassion of this ruler as he continues.
Judah’s Report
Judah’s Report
24-29
Next, Judah simply reports what happened after the brothers returned home following their 1st visit to Egypt. Joseph would have had no way of knowing this interaction b/t his brothers and his father. It was helpful for Judah to recount all that was going on back home and how his father grieved over the occasion of Benjamin returning with his other sons. Joseph knows the agony of his father, his love for him and for his full-blooded brother Benjamin.
Judah’s Rationale
Judah’s Rationale
30-31
Remember, Joseph told the brothers that they could return home in peace, but Benjamin would stay as his slave. If the brothers returned without their youngest brother, surely Jacob would not survive. That’s Judah’s rationale. Jacob’s life is bound up in Benjamin’s life (lit. his soul is tied to his soul). There was an indissoluble love that resulted in the strongest bond possible b/t 2 people.
1 Now it came about when he had finished speaking to Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as himself.
Judah probably didn’t have any way of knowing that this ruler had 2 sons of his own and he knows the depth of a love that a father has for his children. Judah is not saying these things just to play on the emotions of the prime minister but Judah has changed. Not only does he see the love his father has for the youngest, instead of bitterness, Judah has a profound love for his father and cannot bear to see him in such agony if the brothers returned without Benjamin.
Judah’s Request
Judah’s Request
32-34
This is Judah at his absolute best. He tells Joseph how he pledged himself to Jacob for the safety of his brother. This is how Jesus described the greatest love.
13 “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.
That is what Judah did for his father. “If I do not bring him back…bear the blame forever” He was saying, my life for his. Substitution.
Judah is changed b/c that’s what God’s love will do. Dr. Barnhouse summarizes this:
Genesis—Beginning and Blessing Judah’s Substitution (vv. 33, 34)
Here was the eloquence of true love.… Love so burningly manifest, so willing to take full responsibility before God, love which thought only of Jacob and Benjamin, melted the heart of Joseph. Such love moved Moses to ask God to blot his name out of the book of life (Exodus 32:32); such love prompted Paul to wish himself accursed for his brethren if only they could be saved. Judah was transformed by divine love.
Judah then offers to become Joseph’s slave in place of his youngest brother. This is his personal plea, his request. And it melted the heart of Joseph so much, he can’t control himself and begins weeping and sobbing. He sends every Egyptian out of the room until it is Joseph alone with his 11 brothers and he’s ready to reveal himself—45:1-3.
Judah is a picture of what the LJC does for us. He is the surety for those who trust Him…the personal guarantee of the rich promises made by God.
22 so much the more also Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant.
What Jesus did at the cross, securing atonement for sinners—taking their sin upon Himself and absorbing God’s wrath fully, He has taken full responsibility for us to make sure that we will come to the Father.
Hebrews 2:10 (NASB95)
10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings.
And He will see to it that each of them arrives safely. Warren Wiersbe:
Be Authentic 2. Confession: Brotherly Concern Displayed (Gen. 44:14–34)
Judah was willing to take Benjamin’s place and separate himself from his father, but Jesus actually took our place and died for us on the cross, crying, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46). He is our Surety and He cannot fail.
Have you been transformed by the love and grace of God? Turn from your sin in repentance and fall on the mercy of God.
1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
12 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.