Year 7, Day 43: Genesis 44

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Joseph’s moment comes.  He has been building this moment from the very beginning.  He has lavished grace upon the Hebrew brothers.  He let them return with food and their money after the first trp.  He has treated them with honor, bringing them into his own house to feast, even.  He gave Benjamin a great portion, even more than his brothers.  He has given the Hebrew brothers every luxury.

The brothers have in turn respected the grace they’ve received.  They did return with Benjamin as requested.  They did come into the place of feasting with humbleness, admitting that they didn’t actually pay for the first load of food.  They did stick up for Simeon and returning to Egypt against their father before the food ran out.  They have demonstrated that they trust Joseph.

However, Joseph requires more than trust.  He wants to hear repentance.  Joseph is happy to be in a position to save his family.  That alone is remarkable.  Many humans, after being sold into slavery by their own family, would be content letting them starve!  Not Joseph.  Joseph is overjoyed to be in a place to help them.  But he wants to hear their repentant heart. Thus, he plants a gold cup in his brother’s sack so that he will have every reason to put the brothers under great stress.

Judah comes through.  When Benjamin is made to look guilty, Judah could easily have easily turned on Benjamin.  However, Judah volunteers to give up his own life to save Benjamin.

Before we get to the conclusion of this post, let’s look at a detail as to why this scheme might have been devised in the first place.  As Judah recounts the story, he tells us a detail that was omitted as the narrator of Genesis told the story.  Apparently tin the first visit to Egypt, the brothers told Joseph that one of their brothers was dead.  It is likely that Joseph would feel the need to correct this little lie.  One of their brothers isn’t dead, he was sold into slavery.

In any case, Joseph now sees what he wants to see.  The brothers are humble.  Judah is even willing to trade his own life for the life of his brother.  These brothers have some maturity underneath them now.  They have a bit of repentance.  They have honored Joseph after dishonoring him horribly so many years ago.  It has taken a while for these brothers to mature and be able to put it on display, but God has been with Joseph through it all.  Joseph is now ready to unfold the whole story.

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