Genesis 44 - Benjamin and the Silver Cup
Timeline: 1706 BC
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So far, Joseph has put his brothers through two tests. First to see if they were honest. They returned the money that was put into their sacks. The second test was to see if they would be jealous of Benjamin when he received five tiumes as much as them. However Joseph still wasn't sure they had truly changed. Was their response more one of regret than repentance? Joseph gave them one more test. He wanted to see how his brothes would behave towards Benjamin in if he was apparent danger. 1 And he commanded the steward of his house, 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. Also put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his grain money." So he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken. As soon as the morning dawned, the men were sent away, they and their donkeys. When they had gone out of the city, and were not yet far off, Joseph said to his steward, "Get 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 with which he indeed practices divination? You have done evil in so doing.'" Joseph ordered his steward to overfill their sacs with corn and put his silver cup into Benjamin's sack. Joseph gave very specific instructions to his steward as to how he should refer to this cup when accusing his brothers of theft. A divination cup held four or five quarts, and weighed ninety ounces; but seems to be too large to drink out of. It was engraved on the inside with magical inscriptions of some of the gods. They would fill the cup with fluid and read the dancing patterns the light that reflected off of the image. A lively imagination interpreted the desired omen. Since we know that Joseph's ability to interpret dreams came from God and not from a silver cup, we must assume it was a disguise to keep his true identy a secret. 6 So he overtook them, and he spoke to them these same words. And they said to him, "Why does my lord say these words? Far be it from us that your servants should do such a thing. Look, we brought back to you from the land of Canaan the money which we found in the mouth of our sacks. 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." They are scarcely out of the town when the steward and his men caught up to them. With smug confidence and self-righteousness they were certain that their innocence could be proven. Open mouth and insert foot. While they had initially insisted that the thief die and the others remain as slaves, the steward set the penalty as slavery only for the culprit.10 And he said, "Now also let it be according to your words; he with whom it is found shall be my slave, and you shall be blameless." Then each man speedily let down his sack to the ground, and each opened his sack. So he searched. He began with the oldest and left off with the youngest; and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. Then they tore their clothes, and each man loaded his donkey and returned to the city. A growing sense of dread must have come over these men as they searched the sacks from the oldest to the youngest, and the money was found into each sack. The brothers were devastated when they found the cup and reacted with a sign of grief and mourning.14 So Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house, and he was still there; and they fell before him on the ground. And Joseph said to them, "What deed is this you have done? Did you not know that such a man as I can certainly practice divination?" With Judah leading the way, they came into the house to Joseph, bowing for the forth time, begging for mercy. Joseph convinces them that a man in his position and wisdom was able to discover the most carefully hidden things.16 Then Judah said, "What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak? Or how shall we clear ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants; here we are, my lord's slaves, both we and he also with whom the cup was found." Iniquity - wicked and immoral conduct or practice. Since they know they are not guilty of stealing the cup, they must be feeling guilty over all their other sins. Judah assumes that Joseph can see what God can see. So he offers all of them to become slaves so that Benjamin is not left alone.17 But he said, "Far be it from me that I should do so; the man in whose hand the cup was found, he shall be my slave. And as for you, go up in peace to your father." Why should all of them suffer for the sin of one? Judah was determined to tell Joseph the truth with no excuses and to appeal to his graciousness. Then he spoke one of the most beautiful examples of natural eloquence to be found anywhere: 18 Then Judah came near to him and said: "O my lord, please let your servant speak a word in my lord's hearing, and do not let your anger burn against your servant; for you are even like Pharaoh. My lord asked his servants, saying, 'Have you a father or a brother?' And we said to my lord, 'We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, who is young; his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother's children, and his father loves him.' Then you said to your servants, 'Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him.' And we said to my lord, 'The lad cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.' But you said to your servants, 'Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall see my face no more.' "So it was, when we went up to your servant my father, that we told him the words of my lord. And our father said, 'Go back and 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 may not see the man's face unless our youngest brother is with us.' Then 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 to pieces"; and I have not seen him since. But if you take this one also from me, and calamity befalls him, you shall bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave.' "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, it will happen, when he sees that the lad is not with us, that he will die. So your servants will bring down the gray hair of your servant our father with sorrow to the grave. For your servant became surety for the lad to my father, saying, 'If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame before my father forever.' Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the lad as 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, lest perhaps I see the evil that would come upon my father?" This is the first time Joseph realized that his father had no idea that he was sold and that he assumed that he was dead. He also became aware of how much he and Benjamin meant to Jacob. Judah is ready to sacrifice himself for Benjamin for the sake of his father. He distinguished himself as the most Christ-like of his brothers, therefore his reward was that the Messiah would come through him. Through these God inspired tests, Joseph's brothers proved that they were worthy to be the ancestors of God's chosen people. In the next few chapters, we will see how the descendants of Jacob will become the twelve tribes of Israel.
1. Why did the servants of Joseph, the ruler of Egypt, pursued the sons of Jacob?
2. After the sons of Jacob came to Joseph's house, ate and rested, when did the leave?
3. The servants of Joseph pursued, stopped, and searched the sacks of the sons of Jacob for a silver cup. In whose sack did they find the cup?
4. Who spoke on behalf of the sons of Jacob?
5. If the sons of Jacob had returned to their father without Joseph, what would have happened to their father?
6. Who was the wife Jacob was referring to when spoke of bearing two sons?
7. To the best of Jacob's knowledge, what happened to his missing son Joseph?
8. If Benjamin had been put in custody for theft, unable to return to his father, who would have been blamed for that?
9. Seemingly, Benjamin was guilty of theft for the silver cup was found in his sack. However, who accepted to receive Benjamin's punishment?
10. While they were on their way to their own country, the sons of Jacob were stopped, searched, and brought back to Joseph's house as ......................
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