Be Sure Your Sins Will Find You Out - Part 2 - Genesis 44:1-34
INTRODUCTION:
Last Sunday we left Joseph’s brothers feasting in the house of Joseph full of false peace and joy. They believed that because circumstances seemed to have turned in their favor that everything was going to be fine. They had made peace about the money they had found in their sacks, Simeon had been released and returned to them, and the ruler had seemed to take a liking towards Benjamin and had treated him as a guest of honor. What they did not know was all that peace and all that joy was going to vanish in an instant. Joseph had one final test for his brothers to see if they had truly changed and he would know for sure because it would involve Benjamin, how would they respond?
Way back in January when we learned how the brothers had sold Joseph into slavery I had entitled my sermon “Be Sure Your Sins Will Find You Out” and that message ended looking very much like Joseph’s brothers had gotten away with their sin, they had gotten rid of Joseph and had successfully deceived their father into believing that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal, this morning we come to part 2 of “Be Sure Your Sins Will Find You Out.” The guilt of what they had done can no longer be contained and we will see the confession. Let’s pray and then get into our passage for this morning
--PRAY--
SCRIPTURE:
Turn in your Bibles this morning to Genesis 44. Again, like last week we are going to take on the whole chapter, verses 1-34. Please, if you are able, stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word.
Genesis 44:1-34,
“Then he commanded his house steward, saying, ‘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. Put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his money for the grain.’ And he did as Joseph had told him. As soon as it was light, the men were sent away, they with their donkeys. They had just gone out of the city, and were not far off, when Joseph said to his house steward, ‘Up, follow the men; and when you overtake them, say to them, “Why have you repaid evil for good? Is not this the one from which my lord drinks and which he indeed uses for divination? You have done wrong in doing this.”’ So he overtook them and spoke these words to them. They said to him, ‘Why does my lord speak such words as these? Far be it from your servants to do such a thing. Behold, the money which we found in the mouth of our sacks we have brought back to you from the land of Canaan. How then could we steal silver or gold from your lord’s house? With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my lord’s slaves.’ So he said, ‘Now let it also be according to your words; he with whom it is found shall be my slave, and the rest of you shall be innocent.’ Then they hurried, each man lowered his sack to the ground, and each man opened his sack. He searched, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest, and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. Then they tore their clothes, and when each man loaded his donkey, they returned to the city. When Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house, he was still there, and they fell to the ground before him. Joseph said to them, ‘What is this deed that you have done? Do you not know that such a man as I can indeed practice divination?’ So Judah said, ‘What can we say to my lord? What can we speak? And how can we justify ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants; behold, we are my lord’s slaves, both we and the one in whose possession the cup has been found.’ But he said, ‘Far be it from me to do this. The man in whose possession the cup has been found, he shall be my slave; but as for you, go up in peace to your father.’ Then Judah approached him, and said, ‘Oh my lord, may your servant please speak a word in my lord’s ears, and do not be angry with your servant; for you are equal to Pharaoh. My lord asked his servants, saying, “Have you a father or a brother?” We said to my lord, “We have an old father and a little child of his old age. Now his brother is dead, so he alone is left of his mother, and his father loves him.” Then you said to your servants, “Bring him down to me that I may set my eyes on him.” But we said to my lord, “The lad cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.” You said to your servants, however, “Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.” Thus it came about when we went up to your servant my father, we told him the words of my lord. Our father said, “Go back, buy us a little food.” But we said, “We cannot go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down; for we cannot see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.” Your servant my father said to us, “You know that my wife bore me two sons; and the one went out from me, and I said, ‘Surely he is torn in pieces,’ and I have not seen him since. If you take this one also from me, and harm befalls him, you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.” Now, therefore, when I come to your servant my father, and the lad is not with us, since his life is bound up in the lad’s life, when he sees that the lad is not with us, he will die. Thus your servants will bring the gray hair of your servant our father down to Sheol in sorrow. For your servant became surety for the lad to my father, saying, “If I do not bring him back to you, then let me bear the blame before my father forever.” Now, therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the lad a slave to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brothers. For how shall I go up to my father if the lad is not with me—for fear that I see the evil that would overtake my father?’” (Genesis 44:1–34, NASB95)[1]
DEPARTURE (Genesis 33:1-5)
Joseph commands the steward of his house to once again fill his brothers’ sacks with grain and return their bundles of money into the mouth of each sack, but along with the money in Benjamin’s sack the steward is told to put a special silver cup belonging to Joseph. Early the next morning the brothers load their donkeys and are off. They are overjoyed that the meeting with the ruler of the land went so well this time. They had reason to be joyful, they had not been arrested for stealing the grain money, Simeon had been released, and Benjamin was traveling safely with them. They had nothing to fear everything had worked out. But their joy, their peace was not authentic, because real joy and true peace cannot be built on lies, it must be founded on truth. It is like building a house on sand, with no firm foundation it will crumble with the first storm. They had found their joy and their peace in the good fortune of their circumstances, not in the goodness of the Lord that comes through repentance. False joy and false peace are fleeting when your circumstances change and the sons of Israel were about to find that out.
ACCUSATION:
Joseph had given his brothers just enough time to get far enough out of the city to think that they had made it, that they were home free. Then Joseph told his steward to go after them and overtake them and accuse them of returning evil for good. Joseph’s steward must have been privy to all that was going on, he must have been the only one that Joseph had confided in or he would have thought Joseph was going mad. Joseph’s test was to see if the brothers would give Benjamin up for slavery as easily as they had sold him into slavery.
The brothers must have been surprised when they saw Joseph’s steward and possibly some of Joseph’s guard coming toward them. Little did they realize that their sins were about to find them out and their peace and joy was going to vanish. The brothers must have been stunned when the steward accused them of rewarding good with evil and then he shocked them even more by announcing that one of them was a thief and had stolen his master’s special silver cup. The steward goes on to say that this cup is the one which his master drinks from and uses for divination. I want to seek to bring some understanding here, this has always bothered me and in verse 15 it is mentioned again, Joseph says, “Do you not know that such a man as I can indeed practice divination?” (Genesis 44:15b, NASB95)[2] Notice that Joseph does not come right out and say that he practices divination, but that he can or could. We know that later on when the Law is given to Moses that God forbids any such practices that involve magic, or sorcery, or divination. So, the question is was Joseph practicing divination and if he was not, why did he have a cup that was used for that purpose? In answering this question, let me say first that everything that we have learned about Joseph points to the fact that he was a godly man and for this reason I do not believe that he was practicing divination, but, secondly, remember that he was a very high official in the land, his wife was the daughter of a pagan priest, he had interpreted dreams for Pharaoh which none of the magicians in the land could interpret. For these reasons he could have had a cup like this, it could have been a gift from his wife’s father, it could have been a gift from Pharaoh. Joseph knew what it could be used for, but he used it simply as a vessel to drink from; but his brothers did not know that and by saying that he could use it for divination it helped to disguise his true identity; possibly it helped the brothers surmise that this is why he knew so much about them. But a godly man of faith like Joseph would not use any form of divination, nor would he need to. You can read lots of different opinions on this aspect of this passage, it is also interesting to note that there is some question as to whether the word translated “divination” is a correct translation of the word, it is not the usual word used for divination in Hebrew. I do not believe that Joseph used this cup for divining, and I base that mostly on the fact that he said he could use it for that purpose. I hope that brings some clarity to what may seem confusing. The fact is this is a special silver cup and Joseph’s steward accuses Joseph’s brothers of stealing it.
Joseph’s brothers were so sure of their innocence that they sought to defend themselves against this accusation. First, they reminded the steward that they had returned with the money for the grain that they had found in their sacks the first time they had returned home from Egypt, if they were dishonest men they would have just kept the money. They went so far as to rashly say that if they had it the one found with it would die and the rest would become slaves. The steward rejected that offer, he said the one who was found with it would become a slave of his master, the rest of the men would be free to go. The brothers wanting to quickly prove their innocence lowered their sacks of grain to the ground to be opened and searched. The steward already knew where the cup was, he had put it there, but beginning with Rueben and going according to age he went through each man’s sack finding nothing until he came to Benjamin and there in his sack was the silver cup. Nothing is said about the fact that each man’s bundle of money was again in the mouth of their sacks, this was of no concern to the steward, he only wanted the cup. I am sure that when he pulled the cup from Benjamin grain sack that the brother’s thought it was the end for them, immediately their peace and joy vanished. Benjamin must have been speechless because he knew that he had not taken the cup and put it in his sack. He did not know how it had gotten there. The brothers quickly loaded their sacks on their donkeys and turned around and headed back into the city, going immediately to Joseph’s house.
REPENTANCE (Genesis 44:14-17)
When verse 14 begins with, “When Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house…” it alerts us to the fact that Judah is the spokesman for the family. Remember this was the man who had suggested that they sell Judah into slavery, this was the man who had went away from the family and then unwittingly committed incest with his daughter-in-law, but by the grace of God, people can change and make new beginnings. Let’s remember Judah for his courageous and compassionate speech, and not for his foolish sins. Arriving at Joseph’s house he was there to meet them and again the 11 brothers bowed down before him. Joseph asks them why they have stolen his cup. Judah knows that Benjamin is innocent, but he does not even try to defend himself and his brothers before Joseph. It is when guilty sinners recognize that they are sinners and their mouths are shut and they stop defending themselves that God can show them mercy. Listen to his confession, he is repenting before Joseph, “What can we say to my lord? What can we speak? And how can we justify ourselves?” Then Judah says, “God has found out the iniquity of your servants…” Judah is not talking about the discovery of the silver cup, he knows Benjamin is innocent, and if he was talking about the cup he would have said God found out the iniquity of Benjamin. Judah is saying that God has found out, has made known the sins they have hidden for so many years, the sin of how they treated Joseph, their hatred of him, their throwing him into a cistern, their selling him as a slave. Be sure your sins will find you out! They confess that they were wrong, this judgment has nothing to do with a silver cup, God has brought them to a place of repentance. All that has happened to them is the consequences for their sin against Joseph and their father. On their first visit to Egypt they had expressed this feeling of guilt and had moved Joseph to tears. Now they were repenting before him not even knowing it is Joseph. Judah expresses that they are ready to become Joseph’s slaves, to pay the consequences for their sin all of them including the one who was found in possession of the cup.
Joseph was still testing their attitude toward Benjamin, and he refused to make them all slaves. Joseph said that only the one who was found with the cup would become his slave, the rest of the brothers were free to go, he told them to go up in peace to their father.
APPEAL (Genesis 44:18-34)
At these words, Judah come to Benjamin’s defense in the longest speech by a human found in the book of Genesis and one of the most moving speeches found anywhere in the Bible. Eight times in this speech he refers to Joseph as “my lord” and thirteen times he uses the word “father,” and twenty times he refers to his brother Benjamin. He was reaching out to the heart of the man who held their future in his hands. Judah reminded Joseph of what had transpired in their family since the first time they had come to Egypt. His aim was to make a case for Benjamin to go home to his father. He reminded Joseph that Benjamin was only there because Joseph had required him to come. Their families would starve to death if he had not come to Egypt with them. Judah’s greatest fear was that if Benjamin remained in Egypt as Joseph’s slave then their father would die. Judah even quoted his father’s words about bringing his gray hair down to Sheol or the grave in sorrow. Judah told Joseph that he had given himself as a guarantee that the young man would return to his father. Judah then willingly offered to become Joseph’s slave in place of Benjamin so that he might return to his father. Next week we will see that this appeal touched Joseph’s heart. Judah was sure that he had been the cause of Joseph’s death and the cause of the great grief that it had brought his father, and he did not want to be the cause of Jacob’s death. He remembered his father’s deep grief over twenty years earlier at the loss of Joseph, and he had no desire to see this or worse repeated at the loss of Benjamin. Judah clearly reveals his deep concern for both his aged father and his youngest brother. Judah had brought enough grief to his family and did not want to bring anymore. Judah begged to become Joseph’s slave in place of the boy. It was clear to Joseph that a new Judah stood before him, one whom Joseph knew could be trusted. How would Joseph respond? You will have to read ahead or wait until next week to find out.
CONCLUSION:
A few weeks ago, I said that there can be no true repentance without the inward admission of sin and the outward confession of it. Over the past couple of weeks we have seen the brothers of Joseph coming to that place of inward admission of sin and this morning Judah speaking for all his brothers made the outward confession of it to Joseph. The next step had to come from Joseph, was he willing to forgive his brothers and be reconciled with them. That is for next week.
Judah’s appeal for Benjamin is a beautiful picture of one who would come from his line. The Messiah would come from the line of Judah. Judah like the coming Savior was willing to bear Benjamin’s guilt and take his place in punishment. Jesus Christ is the surety, the guarantee for those who have trusted in Him. Jesus has made it His responsibility to make sure that we will come to the Father. Jesus is bringing many sons to glory and He will see that each arrives safely. Judah was willing to separate himself from his father and take the punishment for Benjamin. Jesus Christ actually took our place and died on the cross taking our punishment for sin. We will never understand fully what took place on the cross that had never taken place before in all eternity and will never happen again in all eternity when God the Father turned away from His Son as He bore all the sins of the world upon Himself. His anguished cry, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” was a cry from the One who had always known perfect communion, perfect equality, and perfect unity with God the Father and God the Spirit, but at that moment with all the sin of the world upon Him felt alone and forsaken by God the Father. Jesus Christ the One who became sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. Jesus’ resurrection is our guarantee as believers that we will be with Him in the presence of God the Father for all eternity. Do you have this hope? If you do not, you can by admitting that you are a sinner and by believing that Jesus died for your sin, was buried and rose from the dead three days later. Jesus made this promise on the night he was betrayed, “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.” (John 14:1–3, NASB95)[3] That promise is yours if you have put your faith in Christ.
--LET’S PRAY--
[1]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[2]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[3]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995