I Am Joseph!

 

 Genesis 44:1 - 45:3

Good morning!  This week, we come to the big reveal in the story of Joseph.  However, most of today’s passage will still be a lead up to that moment.

 

Two weeks ago, we were in Genesis 42 where Joseph’s ten older brothers first came down to Egypt to buy grain because of the severity of the famine in all the world.  Because Joseph had been lost to him years before, Jacob would not let Benjamin, his youngest son and Joseph’s full brother, go down to Egypt.  Joseph immediately recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him because he was dressed as an Egyptian.  Since they did not recognize him, Joseph then pretended he was a stranger and spoke to them through an interpreter.  During that visit, the brothers were questioned harshly by Joseph and accused of being spies.  In the end, Joseph allowed the brothers to return loaded with grain, except for Simeon.  Joseph had Simeon imprisoned and told the other brothers to return with their youngest brother Benjamin to prove that they had told the truth.

 

Last week, we were in Genesis 43, where after several months, the grain from Egypt had been exhausted.  Based on the conversation, it seems that the brothers had been talking to their father repeatedly about returning to Egypt with Benjamin.  Only when the danger of starvation is upon them, Jacob relents and sends them back to Egypt with Benjamin.  When Joseph sees them and Benjamin, he sends his steward with the brothers to his house that he might dine with them.  At this time, Simeon is restored to them.  Joseph receives them warmly and provides a banquet where they feasted and drank freely.

 

In these last two chapters, Joseph has tested his brothers in a variety of ways to see if they have changed from the days where they had sold him into slavery.  Upon their first visit to Egypt, Joseph accused his older brothers of being spies which they denied.  This caused them to tell of their family to prove that they were not a threat to Egypt.  After “learning” they had a younger brother, Joseph took Simeon from them and demanded they only return with Benjamin.  The brothers regarded this turn of events to be punishment from God because of how they had treated Joseph all those years earlier.  

 

When they did return with Benjamin, they passed that first test.  Then, they banqueted together.  At the banquet, Benjamin is given five times as much food as the other brothers.  There is no record of judgment, jealously or harsh treatment of Benjamin.  The brothers seem to have passed another test.  But now, they will face their greatest test.  Let’s pray and jump into Genesis 44.

 

Father God, teach us from Your Word, we pray.  Help us to see the truth that You want us to learn this morning.  Guide us in the way in which we should walk.  Thank You, Jesus.  Amen.

 

So, the banquet has wound down.  It is time for the brothers to begin their journey home to their near starving families.

 

Now Joseph gave these instructions to the steward of his house: “Fill the men's sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each man's silver in the mouth of his sack. Then put my cup, the silver one, in the mouth of the youngest one's sack, along with the silver for his grain.” And he did as Joseph said. – Genesis 44:1-2

 

Joseph begins with the same instructions as their first trip.  They receive grain as much as they can carry.  Additionally, their money is placed back in their sacks like before.  I thought of mentioning getting their money back the first time as another test, but I wonder if Joseph just wanted to be sure that they would have money enough to return and buy more food.  I am certain he did not want them to be impoverished amid the famine, unable or unwilling to return because they had no more money.

 

The big test though is placing Joseph’s sliver cup into Benjamin’s sack.  With the sacks of grains prepare, the eleven brothers start the trek back to Canaan.

 

As morning dawned, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys. They had not gone far from the city when Joseph said to his steward, “Go after those men at once, and when you catch up with them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid good with evil? Isn't this the cup my master drinks from and also uses for divination? This is a wicked thing you have done.’ ” When he caught up with them, he repeated these words to them. – Genesis 44:3-6

 

I don’t guess anyone has a special cup to the point that if someone else used it or took it that it would become an international incident.  In these royal or near-royal situations though, there are items which are attributed a special status.  This accusation of theft of this cup is of the highest severity as we will see from the response of the brothers.

 

But they said to him, “Why does my lord say such things? Far be it from your servants to do anything like that! We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan the silver we found inside the mouths of our sacks. So why would we steal silver or gold from your master's house? If any of your servants is found to have it, he will die; and the rest of us will become my lord's slaves.”

 

“Very well, then,” he said, “let it be as you say. Whoever is found to have it will become my slave; the rest of you will be free from blame.” – Genesis 44:7-10

 

Joseph has sent his same steward that the brothers have met before.  They try to use their honest behavior about the first time that they found silver in their sacks to prove their innocence in advance.  This accusation doesn’t make sense to them.

 

More than that, they are willing to put their lives on the line.  If any one of them has it, then that person should be put to death.  And, on top of that, the other ten brothers shall be slaves of Joseph.

 

Joseph’s steward modifies their extreme judgment and says that only the guilty person shall be a slave.  The rest can go.  The steward’s words confirm that he knows what is about to happen.

 

Each of them quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it. Then the steward proceeded to search, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. At this, they tore their clothes. Then they all loaded their donkeys and returned to the city. – Genesis 44:11-13

 

As at the banquet, when the brothers were seated according to their age, Joseph’s steward searches through their sacks from oldest to youngest.  

 

I’ll mention the brothers’ ages here since we are talking about them again from oldest to youngest.  The uniqueness of Joseph’s family is also apparent in their relative ages.  We know that Jacob had two wives who had two maidservants.  The twelve brothers were born to four different mothers.  Joseph and his ten older brothers were born during the second set of seven years that Jacob worked for his uncle Laban.  Jacob then worked another six years for his Uncle Laban at which time he left.  During the journey back to Canaan, Benjamin was born.  We don’t know their exact ages, but based on the facts we do have here is a reasonable approximation.

 

Reuben,    son of Leah, 24 years old*, 46 years old**, Genesis 29:32

Simeon,    son of Leah, 23 years old*, 45 years old**, Genesis 29:33

Levi,          son of Leah, 22 years old*, 44 years old**, Genesis 29:34

Judah,       son of Leah, 21 years old*, 43 years old**, Genesis 29:35

Issachar,   son of Leah, 19 years old*,  41 years old**, Genesis 30:18

Zebulun,    son of Leah, 18 years old*,  40 years old**, Genesis 30:20

Dan,         son of Bilhah, 21 years old*, 43 years old**, Genesis 30:6

Naphtali,   son of Bilhah, 20 years old*, 42 years old**, Genesis 30:7

Gad,          son of Zilpah, 19 years old*, 41 years old**, Genesis 30:11

Asher,       son of Zilpah, 18 years old*, 40 years old**, Genesis 30:13

Joseph,    son of Rachel, 17 years old*, 39 years old**, Genesis 30:24***

Benjamin, son of Rachel, 11 years old*, 33 years old**, Genesis 35:18

 *The first age listed is the age when Joseph was sold.

**The second age listed is the age when they came to Egypt for food.

***Genesis 30:24, Genesis 37:2 (17 years old), Genesis 41:46 (30 years old) + 7 years of plenty + ~2 years of famine

[Note:  Genesis 29:20, Jacob had served Laban for seven years to marry Rachel.  He was tricked to marry Leah first.  Rachel was given as his wife one week later at the cost of seven years additional work.  Leah had four sons before Rachel’s jealousy prompted her to give her maidservant Bilhah to Jacob to have a child.  After Joseph’s birth, Jacob asks to leave Laban’s service saying I have been with you twenty years.  Genesis 31:38]

 

Being able to get them all in the right age order is no easy feat.  I could imagine that Jacob might have trouble doing it.  So, it’s no wonder they were shocked at the banquet that they had been seated in age order.  You can also see that they’re not that far apart in age.  When they sold Joseph into slavery, I have a picture of rowdy college aged guys hazing the freshman, Joseph.  Remember, Reuben the oldest intended to rescue Joseph, so he seemed to be “aging out” of that moment.  Now, in Egypt, they’re not young men anymore.  They’re grown.  I think all are fathers and two are grandfathers at this point.

 

As each bag is pulled down and searched, it might seem like the suspense would be increasing, but I imagine the opposite.  As each brother’s bag is found to be without the silver cup, their sense of exoneration rises.  We are “not guilty.”

 

Finally, at the end, the eleventh time, the servant reaches into Benjamin’s sack.  And, here is the cup.  Tearing your clothes is an outward sign of distress and the deepest grief or regret.  Interestingly, Reuben had torn his clothes when he went back for Joseph when they had dropped him in the cistern all those years before.  When the cistern was empty, Reuben tore his clothes.  Now, all ten brothers tear their clothes at the appearance of Benjamin’s guilt and the sentence that he should be taken from them and made a slave.  That Benjamin is gone.

 

It is a complete reversal of their behavior when they sold Joseph into slavery.  When they did that, they created the deception that Joseph had been killed by wild animals and no one had told Jacob their father what had really happened to Joseph.  Once he had been sold, no one tried to rescue Joseph.

 

Here, the situation is quite different.  Benjamin has been made to appear guilty.  The brothers have not betrayed Benjamin, and in fact, they are free to go.  But they all loaded their donkeys and returned to the city and to Joseph.  They have passed the first part of the test.  They did not abandon Benjamin.

 

Joseph was still in the house when Judah and his brothers came in, and they threw themselves to the ground before him. Joseph said to them, “What is this you have done? Don't you know that a man like me can find things out by divination?” – Genesis 44:14-15

 

Remember, the brothers had gotten up early and were already underway by dawn.  Joseph hasn’t even “left for work.”  It has been only an hour or two since the brothers departed.

 

This is the third time that the brothers have bowed down to Joseph reinforcing the fulfillment of the dream God had given to Joseph and with which Joseph had annoyed his brothers all those years ago.

 

All bow.  All seek mercy.  And yet, we see that Judah is leading the way.  The way it is written, I wonder if Judah has even outstripped Joseph’s steward.  He goes immediately and boldly and throws himself to the ground before him.

 

Joseph makes use of this word divination twice.  He tells his servant to use it in describing the cup to the brothers, and then, he turns around and uses it here when talking directly to his brothers.  Old Testament Law and other passages later make it abundantly clear that divination is prohibited.  Based on the passage, I don’t think we can say definitely what Joseph’s use of this cup is.  Since God later prohibits divination, it seems unlikely that Joseph used it for that purpose.  Joseph did specifically tell his steward to mention divination, so it is possible that the steward never saw Joseph engage in divination with the cup.  Joseph had to go out of his way to put those words in his steward’s mouth.  Then, since Joseph is already playing the role of an Egyptian before his brothers, it is possible that he makes a bigger deal of the cup and divination in trying to keep his brothers from breaking through his disguise.

 

Joseph’s question hangs in the air.  “What have you done?!  Don’t you know that a man like me can find things out?!”

 

“What can we say to my lord?” Judah replied. “What can we say? How can we prove our innocence? God has uncovered your servants' guilt. We are now my lord's slaves--we ourselves and the one who was found to have the cup.” – Genesis 44:16

 

This is a powerful moment.  Judah confesses.  There is nothing to be said.  God has uncovered your servant’s guilt.  It’s a small sentence, but it is the truth.  Judah and his nine brothers are guilty.  They threw Joseph in a well.  They wanted to kill him.  They moderated their plan and instead sold him into slavery to turn a profit.  They took his coat and smeared it with the blood of a goat and then lied to their father about what happened.  Then, they let that lie stand for 22 years.  They had already thought that Joseph’s earlier requirement to bring Benjamin to Egypt was “punishment” for how they had treated Joseph.  This is a different level.  They are now subject to Joseph as slaves, all of them, Benjamin and his brothers.  The full level of the older brothers’ guilt has been uncovered, and they have taken Benjamin with them into their own deserved judgment.

 

But Joseph said, “Far be it from me to do such a thing! Only the man who was found to have the cup will become my slave. The rest of you, go back to your father in peace.” – Genesis 44:17

 

Joseph gives them one more chance to extricate themselves from their self-assigned bondage.  You can go back and be free.  Only Benjamin must be left behind.  I can imagine that Joseph was thinking that this situation could still go either way.  I think he expected his brothers to abandon Benjamin.  At least in that case, Joseph would have recovered his brother.

 

The brothers are not running or hiding any more.  I’m going to read a healthy passage now, from verse 18 till the end of the chapter, verse 34.

 

Then Judah went up to him and said: “Pardon your servant, my lord, let me speak a word to my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, though you are equal to Pharaoh himself. My lord asked his servants, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’ And we answered, ‘We have an aged father, and there is a young son born to him in his old age. His brother is dead, and he is the only one of his mother's sons left, and his father loves him.’ ”

 

“Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me so I can see him for myself.’ And we said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father; if he leaves him, his father will die.’ But you told your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.’ When we went back to your servant my father, we told him what my lord had said.”

 

“Then our father said, ‘Go back and buy a little more food.’ But we said, ‘We cannot go down. Only if our youngest brother is with us will we go. 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. One of them went away from me, and I said, “He has surely been torn to pieces.” And I have not seen him since. If you take this one from me too and harm comes to him, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in misery.’ ”

 

“So now, if the boy is not with us when I go back to your servant my father, and if my father, whose life is closely bound up with the boy's life, sees that the boy isn't there, he will die. Your servants will bring the gray head of our father down to the grave in sorrow. Your servant guaranteed the boy's safety to my father. I said, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, I will bear the blame before you, my father, all my life!’ ”

 

“Now then, please let your servant remain here as my lord's slave in place of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers. How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? No! Do not let me see the misery that would come on my father.” – Genesis 44:18-34

 

Judah has a great combination of boldness and humility in this address.  He goes up to Joseph.  That physical approach, that drawing near to the Pharaoh’s equal is bold.  But his words are contrite, “pardon your servant,” “let me speak a word to my lord,” “do not be angry with your servant,” “you are equal to Pharaoh himself.”

 

Judah recounts the story of their circumstances and their encounters with Joseph to Joseph.  Keep in mind that this story has played out over two encounters months apart.  Judah does not know that this is Joseph.  He does not realize that Joseph could recite every moment of their meetings back to him.  Judah only knows that Joseph is responsible for the entire land of Egypt and now people coming from foreign lands as well.  Joseph must have audience after audience, all day, every day.  Judah has now twice stood in that queue with his brothers waiting to talk to this powerful man and ask him for food to save their families.  It should not be overlooked that Judah handles this encounter with Joseph wisely.  Judah explains the situation thoroughly but succinctly.  And then, he appeals to Joseph’s compassion for Benjamin’s release not knowing how he will respond.

 

Think about it for a moment from Joseph’s side.  Every day since his brothers had left from their first visit, Joseph has been waiting for them to return.  As Judah had lamented to his father in chapter 43, they had waited to return until enough time had passed for them to have made the journey twice in both directions.  Every day for months, Joseph had been waiting to see his brothers return.  Knowing Joseph’s incredible gifts at organization, he had probably calculated the likely window of the necessity of his brothers’ return.  He knew how much grain they had.  He could at least estimate how many were in the family.  He knew the severity of the famine.  Every day, he was waiting for them to come.  And then, he knew the critical time when they must return.  His anticipation of their return must have been a constant companion.  In the meantime, he has seen thousands of people who were not his brothers.   

 

Thousands of small disappointments accompanied by some number of more disappointing maybes.  Is that, could that, be them?  And, it was just the day before that Joseph saw his brothers return that second time and saw Benjamin for the first time in 22 years (since Benjamin was 11 years old).

 

It has been common for centuries for people to observe rank closely in how they process in formal settings.  You can imagine that the brothers would likely have walked in from oldest to youngest.  Benjamin as the youngest would have been in the back.  There could have been this moment when Joseph knew his brothers returned, but he didn’t know for sure that Benjamin had come.  And then, the certainty, here is my younger brother Benjamin who I never thought I would see again.  It is hard to underestimate the amount of emotion between these brothers at this encounter.

 

What is Judah’s request of Joseph, the powerful leader of the Egyptians?  “Please let your servant remain here as my lord's slave in place of the boy.”

 

Can you think of a movie scene where someone is transported in a moment back to a past experience?  The Pixar film Ratatouille has a good one where the food critic Anton Ego eats this perfect dish of ratatouille, and he is transported back to this experience when his mom served him ratatouille as a little boy.

 

I can just imagine that Joseph is standing here and Judah is right there, so close he can touch him.  Then, suddenly, Joseph is back in that dried up cistern looking up at Judah.  But, it’s not Judah’s young, cruel, laughing face that he sees.  It’s the sun-baked, lined face of the mature shepherd asking Joseph’s permission to take the place of the boy and become the slave.

 

And in an instant, Joseph is back in his palace with all of them together.  Judah still before him, the ten other penitent faces not far behind.  Tears now streaming down Judah’s face, and the unbelievable words coming from his mouth, “Let the boy return with his brothers.”  Take me instead.

 

It’s the prodigal son’s story, and yet it is even more than that.  My lord, let me be a slave in your house so that my younger brother who appears to be guilty can be set free.  “How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? No! Do not let me see the misery that would come on my father.”

 

Judah and his brothers have seen the misery that they brought upon their father when they sold Joseph as a slave and then covered it up with a lie about his death.  They cannot live that misery any longer.  Please, please, make me your slave.  Judah is asking Joseph’s permission to let him become his slave.  Have mercy on me and make me your slave.

 

Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, “Have everyone leave my presence!” So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh's household heard about it. Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?” But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence. – Genesis 45:1-3

 

Joseph had wept before the banquet.  When he saw his brothers altogether and heard that his father was yet alive, he excused himself to weep.  He wept enough then that he needed to wash his face, but he was able to control himself and return to the banquet without drawing attention to himself.

 

This time Joseph is completely overcome by the emotions he has held in check for months and arguably years.  His declaration, “I am Joseph,” is as much for his brothers as for himself.  “I am Joseph!”  I am not Zaphenath-Paneah (the name Pharaoh had given him).  I am not whatever Potiphar or the warden or the baker or the cupbearer called him.  I am not “that Hebrew” or “the young Hebrew.”  Reading back through the account of Joseph, I cannot find any time that anyone in Egypt called him by any name (except for Pharaoh’s decree of Zaphenath-Paneah).  How long even had it been since Joseph had spoken Hebrew instead of Egyptian.  I am Joseph!  I am part of another family!  This family!

 

Joseph’s question, “Is my father still living?” might sound odd, but again this is an outpouring of years of longing and wondering.  How many times had Joseph asked himself or God that question, “Is my father still living?”  Will I ever see him again?  Joseph’s heart is completely open and the emotions just tumble out.

 

If you’ve ever been around someone who is releasing pent up emotions like a torrent, it can be uncomfortable and sometimes even scary.  Joseph’s brothers had to be terrified on a multitude of levels.  It says they were terrified by his presence.  Terrified by the explosion of emotion.  Terrified in disbelief that Joseph could even be alive.  Terrified by Joseph’s great authority and power over them.  I know we’ve had some cliffhanger messages in the past, but this one has to be in the top five and maybe is the biggest suspense moment between messages.  And yet, that is where our passage ends today.

 

There are several takeaways from this passage:

 

The brothers demonstrate a sense of unity that they did not have in their youth.

They all take responsibility for seeking to return Benjamin to their father.

Judah boldly approaches Joseph seeking mercy.

Judah acknowledges that God has uncovered their guilt.

The brothers don’t run away even when given the chance to abandon Benjamin.

Judah speaks with care and humility not knowing what could happen and courageously seeks mercy for Benjamin with his own life.

 

We had a men’s meeting yesterday.  Carl shared II Corinthians 7:8-11.  It’s about godly sorrow and repentance.  I think that passage calls out several key attributes of what we see Joseph’s brothers living out here in chapter 44.  Paul explains that he does not regret the sorrow that the Corinthians felt in response to the previous letter he had written them.  Then verse 11 says …

 

See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. – II Corinthians 7:11

 

Those points are each an example of what godly sorrow looks like.

 

Earnestness – coming with or from an intense, serious state of mind

Eagerness to clear yourselves – not trying to get out of something that we’re guilty of, but eager to make things right as much as it depends on us

Indignation – righteous anger at sin and wrongdoing

Alarm – not ignoring or shrugging off a problem

Longing – desire (for change)

Concern – taking a problem seriously

Readiness to see justice done – eager to help make things right

 

Colossians 2:6 is a short verse, but it has a big message.

 

Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him. – Colossians 2:6

 

Take some time today or this week to read a little more of the following verses to get a deeper look at what it means to live our lives in Him.

 

None of us has done what Joseph’s brothers did, but there will be chances and times where we must repent and change our direction.  That will be a necessary part of living our lives in Him.

 

And, we can see Joseph, Benjamin, and Judah as Christ figures in Genesis 44.  Joseph was sold as a slave.  Benjamin was innocent but found guilty because of his brothers’ sin.  Judah, though found innocent of stealing the cup, was willing and sought to offer his life so that his brother could go free.  What an amazing Savior we have in Jesus Christ who “sacrificed for our sins once for all when He offered Himself.” (Hebrews 7:27) and “the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, [will] cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!” (Hebrews 9:14) Seek Him!  Let’s pray.

 

Lord Jesus, help us to be humble and to live our lives in You.  In Jesus’ Name, we pray, Amen.