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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. 2 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. 3 As soon as the morning dawned, the men were sent away, they and their donkeys. 4 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? 5 Is not this the one from which my lord drinks, and with which he indeed practices divination? You have done evil in so doing.'" ~ Genesis 44:1-5
Today, we transition into Genesis 44 where the main message that God desired to bring about through the life of Jospeh is coming into full view. God had worked things out in such a way that Joseph, having been injured which injured a debt, is about to forgive his brothers. But, before he would forgive them, they had to be led to the point of confession and repentance.
In order to be made the Lord of Egypt, Joseph had to suffer first. But after the suffering came his exaltation as the number two most important and powerful man in the world. And before he was to forgive and reveal himself to his brothers, it would be necessary for Joseph to put his brothers through a test to refine them. Our tests or trials are really important because they reveal to us our utter need for God to be God in our lives. There is no testimony with tests. To the degree that we come to the end of ourselves will be the degree to which we will see God for who He is and we will allow Him to be God in our lives.
In v.1-2 of today's passage we read, "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. 2 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."
While sharing a meal with his brothers, Joseph made available to them a lot of wine and they had a few too many drinks. While the brothers were in a rather happy state, Joseph prepared them for the test of their lives. Joseph gave to the steward of his house certain instructions to fill their sacks with an abundance of food and also the money that they brought to purchase the grain from Joseph. He also ordered his steward to put his silver cup in the sack of Benjamin. This cup would be the picture of the cup that the Lord Jesus endured on our behalf as He hung on the cross of Calvary.
I find it most interesting that instead of using the word "food" like he did in the previous verse, Joseph used the word "grain." This word has been used five times so far in context to describe the grain being bought by the brothers. It implies breaking. The different Hebrew words used here for food and grain will soon make sense as the end of the story rolls out.
The steward complied with the instructions and did exactly as Joseph had directed. Every step of the process here showed a careful and methodical plan to determine what Joseph desired to come to fruition. It was all intended to lead to how he would ultimately deal with his brothers and it will all focus on Benjamin whose name means the Son of My Right Hand.
In v.3 of today's passage we read, "As soon as the morning dawned, the men were sent away, they and their donkeys."
According to the way this verse was constructed in the Hebrew, we learn that at the initial light of the day the brothers of Joseph were sent away. It implies that it was at the time when the light first came out. This is the only time this exact expression is used in the Old Testament and it corresponds with Matthew 28:1 which reads, "Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb."
In v.4-5 of today's passage we read, "4 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? 5 Is not this the one from which my lord drinks, and with which he indeed practices divination? You have done evil in so doing.'"
Completely aware of when they left and knowing the amount of time it would have taken his brothers to get out of the city, Joseph gave orders to his steward to bring his plans to a climax. The steward would have certainly had guards with him. When Joseph's steward caught up to the 11 brothers he asked them why they "repaid evil for good." This is a common theme in the Bible, seen from the Garden of Eden all the way through the book of the Revelation. And it has been a part of the human condition ever since the Fall in Genesis 3.
The ultimate example of this was when God sent the Lord Jesus to be crucified on the behalf of evil mankind. And, the cup which was placed in Benjamin’s sack by Joseph's steward held a special purpose, one which points the reader of the Bible to its fulfillment when the Lord Jesus went to the cross of Calvary. Joseph used this cup to test Benjamin and it appeared that Benjamin had stolen the expensive cup and had failed the test.
I find it quite instructive that the word translated "divination" is the verb from which is derived the same word in noun form, "serpent." It is also the same word translated "serpent" in the Garden of Eden and also the bronze serpent which was held up in the wilderness to save the people when they were bit by a snake. This serpent is referred to by the Lord Jesus in the New Testament in John 3:14-15 which reads, "14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." The serpent was a picture of the Lord Jesus who was made sin on our behalf. The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:21, "God made Jesus who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." All who look to Him as Savior will receive forgiveness of their sin and subsequently the life of God will be in them.
