Joseph’s Silver Cup

Review:

• God is gradually preparing Joseph’s brothers to be leaders of his chosen people.
• God’s testing is having a significant impact on Jacob and his sons.

Lives are being changed.

Genesis 44:1-34 NLT
Joseph’s Silver Cup
¹ When his brothers were ready to leave, Joseph gave these instructions to his palace manager: “Fill each of their sacks with as much grain as they can carry, and put each man’s money back into his sack. ² Then put my personal silver cup at the top of the youngest brother’s sack, along with the money for his grain.” So the manager did as Joseph instructed him.
³ The brothers were up at dawn and were sent on their journey with their loaded donkeys. ⁴ But when they had gone only a short distance and were barely out of the city, Joseph said to his palace manager, “Chase after them and stop them. When you catch up with them, ask them, ‘Why have you repaid my kindness with such evil? ⁵ Why have you stolen my master’s silver cup, which he uses to predict the future? What a wicked thing you have done!’”
⁶ When the palace manager caught up with the men, he spoke to them as he had been instructed.
⁷ “What are you talking about?” the brothers responded. “We are your servants and would never do such a thing! ⁸ Didn’t we return the money we found in our sacks? We brought it back all the way from the land of Canaan. Why would we steal silver or gold from your master’s house? ⁹ If you find his cup with any one of us, let that man die. And all the rest of us, my lord, will be your slaves.”
¹⁰ “That’s fair,” the man replied. “But only the one who stole the cup will be my slave. The rest of you may go free.”
¹¹ They all quickly took their sacks from the backs of their donkeys and opened them. ¹² The palace manager searched the brothers’ sacks, from the oldest to the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack! ¹³ When the brothers saw this, they tore their clothing in despair. Then they loaded their donkeys again and returned to the city.
¹⁴ Joseph was still in his palace when Judah and his brothers arrived, and they fell to the ground before him. ¹⁵ “What have you done?” Joseph demanded. “Don’t you know that a man like me can predict the future?”
¹⁶ Judah answered, “Oh, my lord, what can we say to you? How can we explain this? How can we prove our innocence? God is punishing us for our sins. My lord, we have all returned to be your slaves—all of us, not just our brother who had your cup in his sack.”
¹⁷ “No,” Joseph said. “I would never do such a thing! Only the man who stole the cup will be my slave. The rest of you may go back to your father in peace.”
Judah Speaks for His Brothers
¹⁸ Then Judah stepped forward and said, “Please, my lord, let your servant say just one word to you. Please, do not be angry with me, even though you are as powerful as Pharaoh himself.
¹⁹ “My lord, previously you asked us, your servants, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’ ²⁰ And we responded, ‘Yes, my lord, we have a father who is an old man, and his youngest son is a child of his old age. His full brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother’s children, and his father loves him very much.’
²¹ “And you said to us, ‘Bring him here so I can see him with my own eyes.’ ²² But we said to you, ‘My lord, the boy cannot leave his father, for his father would die.’ ²³ But you told us, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes with you, you will never see my face again.’
²⁴ “So we returned to your servant, our father, and told him what you had said. ²⁵ Later, when he said, ‘Go back again and buy us more food,’ ²⁶ we replied, ‘We can’t go unless you let our youngest brother go with us. We’ll never get to see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’
²⁷ “Then my father said to us, ‘As you know, my wife had two sons, ²⁸ and one of them went away and never returned. Doubtless he was torn to pieces by some wild animal. I have never seen him since. ²⁹ Now if you take his brother away from me, and any harm comes to him, you will send this grieving, white-haired man to his grave.’
³⁰ “And now, my lord, I cannot go back to my father without the boy. Our father’s life is bound up in the boy’s life. ³¹ If he sees that the boy is not with us, our father will die. We, your servants, will indeed be responsible for sending that grieving, white-haired man to his grave. ³² My lord, I guaranteed to my father that I would take care of the boy. I told him, ‘If I don’t bring him back to you, I will bear the blame forever.’
³³ “So please, my lord, let me stay here as a slave instead of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers. ³⁴ For how can I return to my father if the boy is not with me? I couldn’t bear to see the anguish this would cause my father!”

Examine the Scriptures

Genesis 44:1-17 NLT
Joseph’s Silver Cup
¹ When his brothers were ready to leave, Joseph gave these instructions to his palace manager: “Fill each of their sacks with as much grain as they can carry, and put each man’s money back into his sack. ² Then put my personal silver cup at the top of the youngest brother’s sack, along with the money for his grain.” So the manager did as Joseph instructed him.

The testing continues.

Joseph (God) was testing the brothers’ concern for both Benjamin and Jacob.

• If Joseph’s brothers failed to demonstrate a concern for Benjamin (and Jacob) they would not be the kind of men God wanted as leaders for His chosen people.

Deuteronomy 11:27-28 NLT
²⁷ You will be blessed if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today. ²⁸ But you will be cursed if you reject the commands of the Lord your God and turn away from him and worship gods you have not known before.

Exodus 32:7-10 NLT
⁷ The Lord told Moses, “Quick! Go down the mountain! Your people whom you brought from the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. ⁸ How quickly they have turned away from the way I commanded them to live! They have melted down gold and made a calf, and they have bowed down and sacrificed to it. They are saying, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.’”
⁹ Then the Lord said, “I have seen how stubborn and rebellious these people are. ¹⁰ Now leave me alone so my fierce anger can blaze against them, and I will destroy them. Then I will make you, Moses, into a great nation.”

³ The brothers were up at dawn and were sent on their journey with their loaded donkeys. ⁴ But when they had gone only a short distance and were barely out of the city, Joseph said to his palace manager, “Chase after them and stop them. 

When you catch up with them, ask them, ‘Why have you repaid my kindness with such evil? ⁵ Why have you stolen my master’s silver cup, which he uses to predict the future?

“My master’s silver cup, which he uses to predict the future.”

Verse 15: “What have you done?” Joseph demanded. “Don’t you know that a man like me can predict the future?”

In the Egyptian culture, Egyptian viziers practiced divination or hydromancy.  This cup would have been used in the process of pouring water into oil, interpreting the results, predicting the future, and passing new revelations on to the Pharaoh.

Joseph was continuing his ruse, he knew that only God grants revelation.

• The silver cup found in Benjamin’s sack would have been extremely valuable to an Egyptian vizier.

Without this cup, the vizier could have felt handicapped in performing his duties. 

What a wicked thing you have done!’” 

The testing would be reaching a climax. 

⁶ When the palace manager caught up with the men, he spoke to them as he had been instructed.

 ⁷ “What are you talking about?” the brothers responded. “We are your servants and would never do such a thing! ⁸ Didn’t we return the money we found in our sacks? We brought it back all the way from the land of Canaan. Why would we steal silver or gold from your master’s house? ⁹ If you find his cup with any one of us, let that man die.

This may be a foolish statement to make, but it was normal at this time to stake your life on what you said.

• For a moment, the brothers were feeling confident and believed they were making things right with Joseph.

Genesis 43:34 NLT
³⁴ And Joseph filled their plates with food from his own table, giving Benjamin five times as much as he gave the others. So they feasted and drank freely with him.

And all the rest of us, my lord, will be your slaves.” 

¹⁰ “That’s fair,” the man replied. “But only the one who stole the cup will be my slave. The rest of you may go free.” 

¹¹ They all quickly took their sacks from the backs of their donkeys and opened them. ¹² The palace manager searched the brothers’ sacks, from the oldest to the youngest.

They all quickly took their sacks from the backs of their donkeys and opened them.

The palace manager created tension by starting with the oldest and ending with Benjamin, knowing the silver cup was in Benjamin’s sack.

And the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack! ¹³ When the brothers saw this, they tore their clothing in despair. 

• In an instant, the brother’s confidence and hopes were crushed.

The brothers were experiencing despair similar to the despair Jacob experienced.  A feeling that “all was lost”.

Genesis 37:31-34 NLT
³¹ Then the brothers killed a young goat and dipped Joseph’s robe in its blood. ³² They sent the beautiful robe to their father with this message: “Look at what we found. Doesn’t this robe belong to your son?”
³³ Their father recognized it immediately. “Yes,” he said, “it is my son’s robe. A wild animal must have eaten him. Joseph has clearly been torn to pieces!” ³⁴ Then Jacob tore his clothes and dressed himself in burlap. He mourned deeply for his son for a long time. 

This would be a “new” feeling for the brothers.  They were beginning to “care”.

This was certainly a roller coaster experience for the brothers, but the brothers were “passing” the test. 

• The tearing of one’s clothes is an ancient tradition among the Jews, and it is associated with mourning, grief, and loss. 

Then they loaded their donkeys again and returned to the city. 

¹⁴ Joseph was still in his palace when Judah and his brothers arrived, and they fell to the ground before him. 

They did not just bow politely,

They fell to the ground before him. This could be an indication of true remorse.

(Joseph’s dreams)

• The brothers appeared to be demonstrating genuine remorse. 

¹⁵ “What have you done?” Joseph demanded. “Don’t you know that a man like me can predict the future?”

The ruse continues.

Joseph was still disguising himself as an Egyptian official.

¹⁶ Judah answered, “Oh, my lord, what can we say to you? How can we explain this? How can we prove our innocence?

Judah (not Reuben, the firstborn) was once again the spokesperson for the brothers.

God is punishing us for our sins.

Judah recognizes the hand of God in these events.

Hebrews 12:11 NLT
¹¹ No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.

• God is working in the lives of Joseph’s brothers and they are responding in a positive way. 

My lord, we have all returned to be your slaves—all of us, not just our brother who had your cup in his sack.”

• Judah is recognizing and confessing the sins of all of the brothers.

¹⁷ “No,” Joseph said. “I would never do such a thing! Only the man who stole the cup will be my slave. The rest of you may go back to your father in peace.”

The testing continues.

Joseph is giving the brothers an “out”.  He is letting them “off the hook”.

If the brothers take Joseph up on this offer, they would be failing the test.

• Joseph gives the brothers “an out”.

Judah Speaks for His Brothers
¹⁸ Then Judah stepped forward and said, “Please, my lord, let your servant say just one word to you. Please, do not be angry with me, even though you are as powerful as Pharaoh himself.
¹⁹ “My lord, previously you asked us, your servants, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’ ²⁰ And we responded, ‘Yes, my lord, we have a father who is an old man, and his youngest son is a child of his old age. His full brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother’s children, and his father loves him very much.’
²¹ “And you said to us, ‘Bring him here so I can see him with my own eyes.’ ²² But we said to you, ‘My lord, the boy cannot leave his father, for his father would die.’ ²³ But you told us, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes with you, you will never see my face again.’
²⁴ “So we returned to your servant, our father, and told him what you had said. ²⁵ Later, when he said, ‘Go back again and buy us more food,’ ²⁶ we replied, ‘We can’t go unless you let our youngest brother go with us. We’ll never get to see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’
²⁷ “Then my father said to us, ‘As you know, my wife had two sons, ²⁸ and one of them went away and never returned. Doubtless he was torn to pieces by some wild animal. I have never seen him since. ²⁹ Now if you take his brother away from me, and any harm comes to him, you will send this grieving, white-haired man to his grave.’
³⁰ “And now, my lord, I cannot go back to my father without the boy. Our father’s life is bound up in the boy’s life. ³¹ If he sees that the boy is not with us, our father will die. We, your servants, will indeed be responsible for sending that grieving, white-haired man to his grave. ³² My lord, I guaranteed to my father that I would take care of the boy. I told him, ‘If I don’t bring him back to you, I will bear the blame forever.’
³³ “So please, my lord, let me stay here as a slave instead of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers. ³⁴ For how can I return to my father if the boy is not with me? I couldn’t bear to see the anguish this would cause my father!”

Judah interceded for Benjamin with a lengthy plea to Joseph, offering to be imprisoned in the place of his younger brother.

This plea clearly demonstrated his concern for his father who would surely die if Benjamin did not return home.

• The brothers demonstrated a genuine concern for their father and their younger brother, Benjamin. 

 

Notes on Judah:

Genesis 49:8-10 NLT
⁸ “Judah, your brothers will praise you.
You will grasp your enemies by the neck.
All your relatives will bow before you.
⁹ …
¹⁰ The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from his descendants,
until the coming of the one to whom it belongs,
the one whom all nations will honor.

1 Chronicles 5:2 NLT
² The descendants of Judah became the most powerful tribe and provided a ruler for the nation …

Judah is included in the lists of the ancestors of Jesus found in Matthew 1 and Luke 3.