Genesis 44 - They Got Set Up!

 

Joseph told the steward of his house to fill the men's sacks with as much food as they could carry and to put their money back in their sacks. Joseph also told him to put his silver cup in Benjamin's sack with his grain money. The steward did exactly as he was told.

The brothers left at the dawn of morning with their donkeys. When they were not that far out of the city, Joseph told his steward to catch up with the men and ask them, "Why have you repaid evil for good?" He was to accuse them of having Joseph's drinking cup and it being the cup with which Joseph practiced divination. What?! Joseph, being a man of God practicing divination? So, yes, I googled. Google sources say that the practice of divination in this manner was an Egyptian custom. So, the Egyptians, including the steward, more than likely determined that this is how Joseph was able to interpret dreams. However, in Genesis 40:8, Joseph acknowledged that the interpretations came from God. In Genesis 41:16, Joseph tells Pharaoh that it was not in him to interpret his dreams, but the answer would come from God. Joseph still had not revealed himself to his brothers, so they thought he was an Egyptian. So, in essence, Joseph told the steward to tell the men (his brothers) something that they all believed anyway. Other Google sources indicated that Joseph may have conformed to the Egyptian customs. With Joseph being a believer of the One True God, this is highly unlikely. Now, as far as the set up of Benjamin, Google sources and my Study Bible indicate that Joseph did this to test the character of his brothers and to see if they felt about Benjamin, the same way they felt about him. Would they easily have allowed Benjamin to stay without an "argument" and just tell their father some made up lie? Or, would they try to defend him? When the steward caught up with them, he spoke the same words to them as instructed by Joseph. The brothers questioned the reason the steward would make such an accusation. They exclaimed that they would not do such a thing. After all, they returned the money that was put in their sacks when they returned to Canaan the first time. So, why would they return the money just to steal silver or gold from his master's house? Then, they said that with whomever the cup was found, to let that one die and that they would be slaves of his master (based on The Message Bible). Other versions of the Bible state that the brothers, said "my lord's slaves", indicating they would be slaves of the steward. In any case, they just did not realize the magnitude of what they said. Have you ever said something that you would later regret, knowingly or unknowingly? I tend to agree with The Message Bible's interpretation because the steward appears to agree with what they said, but he changed it. Instead, the one with whom the cup was found would be the steward's slave and the other brothers could go free. Remember, the steward is the one who put the cup in Benjamin's sack. Obviously, he didn't know the true relationship Joseph had with these men. Otherwise, he would have known that Joseph would not allow his full-blooded brother to become the steward's slave. Each of them quickly put their sacks on the ground and opened them. The steward searched each sack starting with the oldest to youngest. The cup was found in Benjamin's sack. In despair, they tore their clothes, loaded their donkeys and headed back to the city.

When they got to Joseph's house, he was still there and they fell before him on the ground. They are bowing, yet again. Here is the manifestation of the dream once more. Joseph also accuses them of the theft and asks them, "Did you not know that such a man as I can certainly practice divination?" Again, Joseph is playing the part of being an Egyptian in front of his brothers. Judah speaks up and basically asks, "how can we explain this and prove our innocence?" He is begging for Joseph's mercy thinking that their past sins had caught up with them when he said, "God has found out the iniquity of your servants..." The sin of selling Joseph and lying to their father about it keeps haunting them. Is there something that you have done that you just can't move beyond? It just keeps being brought up by someone or you feel that you're still paying for the mistake. Judah says, "here we are, my lord's slaves, both we and he also with whom the cup was found." Joseph tells them that he will not make all of them his slaves, just the one who had the cup in his sack. The rest of them can return in peace to their father. Well, they definitely would not have been returning in peace without Benjamin.

Judah intercedes for Benjamin by coming nearer to Joseph asking him not to be angry with him because he is similar to Pharaoh. He wanted to speak to Joseph "one on one". Judah recalls the events that led them to this point. He states that Joseph asked them about their father and if there was another brother. They told him about Jacob, their father being an old man, and their youngest brother, Benjamin, a child of Jacob's old age. They expressed how much Jacob loved Benjamin because he is the only one left of his mother's children. Notice that Judah conveniently leaves out what happened regarding Joseph. Judah reminds Joseph that he told them to bring the youngest brother to him and they explained that if he left his father, it would be the death of his father. However, Joseph said that the brothers could not see him again if they didn't bring Benjamin. When they returned home, they told their father about the situation. Jacob told them to go back and buy more food, but they explained that they couldn't go back to see the man without Benjamin. He told Joseph how their father would be in anguish if something happened to Benjamin, because he was the second son of his wife (Rachel) and the other son left and was killed, not to be seen again. If Benjamin was taken from him and something happened to Benjamin, he would go to his grave gray-headed and in deep sorrow. So if they returned without Benjamin, their father would die because his life was bound up in Benjamin's life. In other words, Benjamin was Jacob's reason for living. Do you feel that way about anyone in your life? Then Judah tells the man (Joseph) that he guaranteed his father that he would take care of Benjamin or he could be blamed forever. He offered to be the one to stay instead of Benjamin, because if he went back without him, he would see the evil that would come upon his father. If you recall, Judah's name means praise. So, if you ever feel that you have been set up for destruction, let your praise (and prayers) to God intercede on your behalf.

The next stop on this Biblical Journey is Genesis 45.

To God Be The Glory!

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