Life of Joseph - Week 13

Life of Joseph - Week 13

Joseph’s Conspiracy

Genesis 44:1-34

INTRODUCTION

Joseph had just fed his brothers and seated them in the correct order.

They may not have known his identity but they knew something strange was going on.

Joseph was attempting to see if they had changed.

Before they leave the palace Joseph hatches a conspiracy to test them.

I. The Conspiracy

A. Genesis 44:1-3

Genesis 44:1–3 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.

B. Joseph’s brothers conspired against him in hate, Joseph is conspiring in love.

C. Two things going on in Joseph’s conspiracy.

1. He is testing the greed of his brothers.

a. What will they do with the money?

b. They sold Joseph for 20 shekels of silver.

2. He is testing their attitude.

a. Joseph put his silver cup into Benjamin’s sack to find out if the others see Benjamin as a threat, just as Joseph had been a threat to them.

II. The Confrontation

A. Genesis 44:4-6 “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.”

1. Joseph sent his servants to confront the brothers.

B. Genesis 44:7-12 “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.”

1. When the last bag was opened and the cup fell out they felt terror.

2. They tore their clothes– sign of sorrow.

3. They returned with their brother to face Joseph.

C. Genesis 44:13-15 “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?””

1. Joseph was testing their jealous hearts.

2. They were willing to take up the cause of their brother.

3. They had their opportunity to let Joseph be carried away to Egypt.

a. A great excuse for their father.– Better than Joseph’s.

D. These men had changed.

1. As soon as Benjamin gets in trouble, they start back to Egypt to accompany Benjamin to his trial.

2. They go straight to Joseph to plead their case.

III. The Confession

A. Judah once again shows his new place of leadership over Reuben.

1. Judah makes a confession to Joseph.

Genesis 44:16 “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.””

2. Not confessing guilt of stealing the cup but something that happened years before.

3. They were innocent of stealing the cup, but guilty of stealing their brother’s life.

B. Judah retells the story to Joseph all the up to his father not wanting Benjamin to go.

1. Judah notes, Genesis 44:30-31 “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.”

2. Then offers, Genesis 44:33-34 “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.””

a. An incredible offer on behalf of Judah.

b. The former rebel, who had married a pagan and eventually committed incest, was now offering himself as a replacement for Benjamin.

C. Judah’s intercessory work for Benjamin is a picture of how we should intercede for our brothers before God.

4 Principles from Judah’s prayer in verses 18-34

1. A Reverence for Joseph’s Position

a. Genesis 44:17-18 “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.”

b. When it comes to praying, God is worthy of honor and praise.

c. Judah realized the power of Joseph over his life in the same way we should realize God’s power in our life.

2. A Review of Joseph’s Proposal

a. Genesis 44:19-24 “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.”

b. Judah review’s Joseph’s proposal and how they had obeyed it.

c. It adds power to our prayers when we are in the place to respond like Judah did. “God I have been obedient.”

Genesis 44:25-31 “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.”

3. A Restatement of the Problem

Genesis 44:25-31 “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.”

a. Judah laid out all the details to make sure they were clear.

(1) If they go back their Father will die.”

b. The best praying we can do is when we pour our heart out to God with all the details.

(1) yes, he knows the details, but talking through them changes the way we see the problem.

4. A Request for Pity

a. Genesis 44:32-34 “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.””

b. Judah lets Joseph know what he wants him to do.

c. Don’t be afraid to let God know what you want Him to do.

(1) “Let him go, and let me stay.”

(2) This request causes Joseph to burst into tears (chapter 45)

Why did Joseph take so long to forgive them?

1. The Genuineness of Their Repentance

(a) Easy to repent if they realize who Joseph is. He has the upper hand now.– fear not repentance.

(b) Judah showed that his heart had changed.

(c) The only way to receive the blessings of God is to admit our sin and repent of it.

(d) Joseph gave them time to see if they were genuine.

2. The Realization of Their Self-Centeredness

(a) Joseph was interested in how they treated each other

i) The family Joseph grew up was violet, cruel, and selfish.

ii) Now they were willing to sacrifice their own life for each other.

(b) They were no longer selfish.

(c) Nothing reveals our attitude toward God quite as much as our attitude toward other people.

3. The Response to Their Situation

(a) These men began to see that God was involved in their life.

(b) They realized the punishment of God for sin.

(c) God is always at work whether we acknowledge Him or not.

CONCLUSION

Joseph, in seeing that his brothers now understood the role God had played in their lives, was ready to reveal himself.