Genesis 44:1-13 – In God’s perfect hand

God was working both in the lives of Joseph as well as his brothers, but in very different ways. For Joseph, God saw him through all the hard times, to keep him level headed. The years of difficult times get him ready to handle the position he would take in his later years. Like Paul’s thorn in the flesh, what Joseph went through kept him humble. Through those difficult times God honed his administrative skills, and he became so wise in his dealings, especially with his brothers. By the help of God, Joseph was able to arouse their guilt, awaken their conscience and help them to take steps to repent from the wicked past. After a hard and difficult negotiation, the brothers managed to convince daddy Israel to allow them to bring Benjamin with them, for their second trip to Egypt to buy grains.

At Egypt the brothers met with Joseph’s steward. Speaking through his steward, Joseph invited them to his home for lunch at noon. There they realized that their initial fears and trepidation were totally unfounded. As their father had prayed, El Shaddai, the God Almighty, was indeed merciful to them and Joseph dealt with them kindly. They all had their fill but Benjamin had five times more food from Joseph. He loved and favored him more than the other brothers because they shared the same mother. When they had finished their meal and about to take their leave, Joseph had his steward set them up. It was in fact a test to see how much they had transformed since the time they sold Joseph to Egypt. Verses 1-2 said, “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.” The silver cup was probably his recollection of how his brothers had sold him into slavery for twenty pieces of silver.   

When morning came, the brothers set out for Canaan with their donkeys all saddled up. Happy that they had everyone on their journey back, including Simeon and Benjamin. But hardly had they gone too far from the city that Joseph sent his steward after them to deliver to them pin-pointed accusation. Calmly, the steward delivered the order saying, “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.” The brothers quickly responded, “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?” They assured the steward by insisting that they were honest people. To prove their innocence, they pointed to the fact that they brought back the money they found in their sacks in their previous trip. And with much confidence, they told the steward, “With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my lord’s slaves.” 

The steward, who knew of the scheme, calmly played along. He must have smiled to himself inwardly as 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.” The brothers did not realize that all Joseph was interested in was his brother Benjamin. He was keen to know how the brothers would react over Benjamin. They all lowered their sacks for the steward to inspect. There was none found in the sacks until they came to Benjamin’s. They were horrified when the steward pulled out the silver cup from his sack. Notice their reaction. “They all tore their clothes.” When they sold Joseph to Egypt and brought back his blood-stained, multi-colored tunic to his father, it was Jacob who tore his clothes then. How the table had turned. Now it was all ten of the brothers who tore their clothes, a first sign of brotherly cohesion. Something wonderful had taken place. The brothers were showing unity. They had indeed changed. The real test awaited. Would they surrender Benjamin to save their own skin? Here we can tell that they refused to abandon their father’s favorite son. They turned back to Egypt, sad and down cast from the very place they left with so much gaiety and laughter.  

Obviously God has a way of bringing the best out of us. He is always dealing with us, His people, to bring us to completeness. With Jacob’s role as a father, God dealt with his flaw of playing favorite to Joseph. He needed to refocus so that he could have a strong faith in God. And that’ was what God did for him. For Joseph, God had to deal with his frustration and then brought him to a point of being forgiving and magnanimous. We also have our frustrating moments with others and God wants to make us forgiving and magnanimous. And for Joseph’s brothers, God had to deal with their bitterness to make them brave to own up to their faults. What is God dealing with us today? He wants only the very best to come forth in our life. God will take every moment to make us complete. Let’s never waste any opportunity He avails to us.