Joseph: Joseph Tests His Brothers

Joseph Tests His Brothers

What does reconciliation look like?

As humans that occasionally outside into the world and interact with other humans we’ve all had moments in our lives when we’ve needed to be reconciled with other people.

Illustration: I live in a house with 3 kids all under the age of 10. At this very moment my house is the most peaceful it will be all week… because no on is there. And i’m not just talking about it being quiet. There is a seemingly never ending cycle of restoration: friendship, hurt, broken relationship, repentance, forgiveness,

Joseph’s story is a story of reconciliation and salvation.

God could have saved Jacob’s family from this famine w/o Joseph being sold into slavery. Without Joseph suffering injustice and being thrown into jail. With out the pain of boken relationships with his brothers and separation from his father, but as with all scripture God isn’t just telling us this story from afar to give us a history lesson. He’s revealing something about himself.

Through all scripture, God is revealing himself. He’s revealing his heart, his character… his ways.

So here in Chapter 44, God is continuing to reveal his ways to Jacob and his family… and to us...

What’s your attitude when you meet new people? Better yet, what’s it like RE-meeting or re-uniting with someone. I’m coming up on the 20th year since I graduated High School. I’m a member of the last class of the 20th Century: Class of 2000. This coming school year is the 19-20 school year. It’s been 20 years since I’ve seen some of the people I went to high school with. I didn’t go to my 10 year reunion. What do you talk about? Where do you begin? How much do you share? Who can you trust? I’m probably not going to my 20th… just ‘cause those types of things aren’t my jam. I probably wouldn’t even recognize anyone.

I recently just learned that I attended a church service about a year ago with a guy I went to High school with. Let me say that a little more clearly. I went to a Church service at Sojourn Galleria. Believed I didn’t know anyone there, except the man preaching. Then just recently, like 2 weeks ago, learned that a guy I went to High school with (We even sat next to each other in English class our Jr. Year) was there at the same church service. I didn’t recognize him. He didn’t recognize me.

Over long periods of time, people change. And so here find ourselves we are in . The heading in my bible (the headings by the way, are not original. Those are added in. Mine says: Joseph Tests His Brothers. He’s not seen them. Maybe at first, he was legitimately unsure if these guys were his brothers. He tells them to come back with their youngest brother. They do about a year later. He questions them. He feasts with them. He’s about 98% sure (not really) these guys are his brothers. But then Joseph still feels the need to test them. Let’s read:

Chapter 43 ends with Joseph and his brother’s feasting at Joseph’s house

Chapter 43 ends with Joseph and his brother’s feasting at Joseph’s house

The brothers still have no idea that the person they are “serving” is their brother. They recognize his authority, power, and influence (even in their own lives) but they don’t understand who He is nor how they are connected to him.

We left off last week w/ Joseph’s brothers, including Benjamin, partying the night away

Genesis 43:34 ESV

34 Portions were taken to them from Joseph’s table, but Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as any of theirs. And they drank and were merry with him.

Genesis 43:

As Tyler preached last week. Joseph is a type of messiah. He is someone in scripture that points us to the type of messiah God would ultimately send his people: Jesus. Jesus is the true and better Joseph.

We’re going to read this whole thing!

As we look a this story, knowing we are not Joseph, we are not the central character in this story, we look to the 11 brothers, and find we can relate to them more than we realize.

For the rest of this series through the life of Joseph, we’ll be looking at the plight of Joseph’s brothers and asking our selves, how have we acted like this toward God? How have our hearts and our attitudes completely misunderstood the love of God in our own lives?

ends with Joseph and his brothers eating and drinking together. My translation says. “And they drank and were merry with him.”

Genesis

Genesis 44 ESV

1 Then he commanded the steward of his house, “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 and put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, with his money for the grain.” And he did as Joseph told him. 3 As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away with their donkeys. 4 They had gone only a short distance from the city. Now Joseph said to his steward, “Up, follow after the men, and when you overtake them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid evil for good? 5 Is it not from this that my lord drinks, and by this that he practices divination? You have done evil in doing this.’ ” 6 When he overtook them, he spoke to them these words. 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 that we found in the mouths of our sacks we brought back to you from the land of Canaan. How then could we steal silver or gold from your lord’s house? 9 Whichever of your servants is found with it shall die, and we also will be my lord’s servants.” 10 He said, “Let it be as you say: he who is found with it shall be my servant, and the rest of you shall be innocent.” 11 Then each man quickly lowered his sack to the ground, and each man opened his sack. 12 And he searched, beginning with the eldest and ending with the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. 13 Then they tore their clothes, and every man loaded his donkey, and they returned to the city. 14 When Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house, he was still there. They fell before him to the ground. 15 Joseph said to them, “What deed is this that you have done? Do you not know that a man like me can indeed practice divination?” 16 And Judah said, “What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak? Or how can we clear ourselves? God has found out the guilt of your servants; behold, we are my lord’s servants, both we and he also in whose hand the cup has been found.” 17 But he said, “Far be it from me that I should do so! Only the man in whose hand the cup was found shall be my servant. But as for you, go up in peace to your father.” 18 Then Judah went up to him and said, “Oh, my lord, please let your servant speak a word in my lord’s ears, and let not your anger burn against your servant, for you are like Pharaoh himself. 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 young brother, the child of his old age. 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 We said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.’ 23 Then you said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall not see my face again.’ 24 “When we went back to your servant my father, we told him the words of my lord. 25 And when our father said, ‘Go again, buy us a little food,’ 26 we said, ‘We cannot go down. If our youngest brother goes with us, then we will go down. For we cannot 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 One left me, and I said, “Surely he has been torn to pieces,” and I have never seen him since. 29 If you take this one also from me, and harm happens to him, you will bring down my gray hairs in evil to Sheol.’ 30 “Now therefore, as soon as I come to your servant my father, and the boy is not with us, then, as his life is bound up in the boy’s life, 31 as soon as he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die, and your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant our father with sorrow to Sheol. 32 For your servant became a pledge of safety for the boy to my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame before my father all my life.’ 33 Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the boy as a servant to my lord, and let the boy go back with his brothers. 34 For how can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? I fear to see the evil that would find my father.”

Pray

We’re going to talk about principles we can use in reconciliation. And how ultimately reconciliation affects our relationship, not only with others, but ultimately with God.

Use Caution in Reconciliation: Reconciliation isn’t as simple as Do you forgive me? I forgive you? Let’s play!

Joseph Still hasn’t told his brother’s who he is.

Forgiveness is not the same thing as reconciliation.

You can forgive someone, but not reconcile. I believe that’s where Joseph is with his brothers at this stage in the story

Don’t be a doormat in all your relationships

Forgive freely, but exercise caution in reconciliation.

Boundaries: Cloud & Townsend

Joseph is testing his brothers (vs. 1-5)

This is what my heading says, “Joseph test his brothers”

The text doesn’t tell us what he’s testing for

I believe, he’s testing them to see if they had changed, to know if it they’re safe people for him trust.

the brother’s he knew 20 years ago were not safe.

He’s testing to see if their hearts, their character had changed

Sumarrize verses 6-13

Genesis 44:6–13 ESV

6 When he overtook them, he spoke to them these words. 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 that we found in the mouths of our sacks we brought back to you from the land of Canaan. How then could we steal silver or gold from your lord’s house? 9 Whichever of your servants is found with it shall die, and we also will be my lord’s servants.” 10 He said, “Let it be as you say: he who is found with it shall be my servant, and the rest of you shall be innocent.” 11 Then each man quickly lowered his sack to the ground, and each man opened his sack. 12 And he searched, beginning with the eldest and ending with the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. 13 Then they tore their clothes, and every man loaded his donkey, and they returned to the city.

Read

Summary

Judah does most of the talking

Aside: Who is Judah - Judah, The one who suggested selling Joseph instead of killing him

not because he didn’t want his brother to die, but because there’s no “profit/money” in it for them if they just kill him ()

In , We’re given an entire chapter on Judah’s life… and it’s not pretty. He’s an evil and selfish man, who only cares about himself.

kids, only read that chapter with your parents permission.

Genesis 44:16

Genesis 44:16 ESV

16 And Judah said, “What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak? Or how can we clear ourselves? God has found out the guilt of your servants; behold, we are my lord’s servants, both we and he also in whose hand the cup has been found.”

The brothers view the Cup appearing in Benjamin’s sack as a work of God

They came to Egypt for food

If God can make their money appear in their sack he can certainly make a cup appear

Judah offers up the entire family to serve as slaves to Joseph. He says in God has found us guilty. We all bear the guilt. We’ll all serve as your slaves.

He doesn’t say what their guilty of.

Joseph Refuses (vs. 17) - and say, only Benjamin will stay.

The cup wasn’t the test. This is the test. Will the brothers sell Benjamin out as easily as they sold Joseph out. Have they changed.

He gives them their freedom.

Judah refuses freedom, because of his love for his father. (vs. 18-34)

Look for signs of Change before Reconciliation

What Joseph is doing here is looking for genuine heart transformation before he’s willing to be reconciled with his brothers.

vs. 18-34, 17 verses give us insight into Judah’s transformation in the last 20 years.

In , Judah _________ in Judah __________

was Opportunistic, is Sacrificial

was vengeful toward his father, loves his father

was selfish (only thinking about himself), is selfless (thinking about others)

Let the hurt party lead out in reconciliation, when they’re ready.

Don’t feel forced into it (don’t force others into it)

We’ll talk more about this next week, this chapter is a bit of a cliff hanger.

Gospel

As Tyler Ballew preached last week (and as we’ve said all along), Joseph is a type of messiah. He is someone in scripture that points us to the type of messiah God would ultimately send his people: Jesus. Jesus is the true and better Joseph.

As we look a this story, knowing we are not Joseph, we are not the central character in this story, we look to the 11 brothers, and find we can relate to them more than we realize.

Let’s look at the brothers in this story:

They’re set up, but they know they’re not innocent. (vs. 16)

They know they didn’t steal the cup, but their guilt weighs heavy on them. they have sinned.

They want to work off their debt. They want to make things right on their own terms: take us as your slaves.

This is the attitude that serves as the foundation for every other world religion other than Christianity.

Joseph doesn’t want slaves. He’s the 2nd most powerful man in all of Egypt.

This reminds me of the prodigal son (luke 15)

What ultimately saves Judah, and the other brothers, is their love of their father.

From the heading in this story we see that Joseph is testing his brothers. Testing them to what end? What result is Joseph looking for in his brothers. We’re told here in the first 5 verses, that Joseph has come up with this scheme. While his servants are packing up his brother’s bag, he tells them to put a silver cup into Benjamin’s bag. And then accuse Benjamin of stealing the silver cup.

from verse 18 to the end of the chapter Judah pleads with Joseph, to spare them for the sake of their father. “Do you have a brother or father?”

What is this a test of? How is it a test?

What is the first and greatest command in scripture?

Deuteronomy 6:4 ESV

4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.

Deuteronomy 6:4–6 ESV

4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.

Deuteronomy 6:4

Deuteronomy 6:

Jesus was asked this same question.

Matthew 22:26-38

Matthew 22:36–38 ESV

36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment.