Genesis 44

The Final Test

Chapter 43 opened with a signal of the severity of the famine in the land of Canaan, and closed with the sons of Jacob feasting at the governor's table in the land of Egypt. God was doing remarkable things in the lives of these brothers, and the time was drawing near when Joseph would reveal himself to them. But that time was not yet. There was one final test.

Joseph commanded his servants to fill his brothers' sacks with grain for themselves and for their father. He asked, however, that his own silver cup be placed in the sack of Benjamin. Benjamin, you remember, was Joseph's brother, and they were the sons of Rachel. Presuming that Joseph was dead, Jacob had been reluctant to let Benjamin travel to Egypt, but unless he did, they could have no food.

The guarantee of Benjamin's safety was the condition on which Jacob would allow his youngest son to travel to Egypt. Things seemed to go well; but on their return journey Joseph's guards pursued them and searched their belongings. There, in Benjamin's sack, was the governor's cup. Back they went, abject and forlorn, to Joseph, before whom they acknowledged their guilt (v16). When Joseph suggested that they could all return home except Benjamin, Judah did an unprecedented thing -- he stepped forward to plead for Benjamin's life, offering at last to die himself (v33) rather than see Jacob any more miserable.

It was a remarkable episode in a remarkable story, and when the incident was over, Joseph was ready to reveal himself to them. But what was this all about? We are taught at least three things in this passage.

Nothing Is Hidden From God

In verse 16 Judah says "God has uncovered your servants' guilt". Judah speaks because he was the one who guaranteed to Jacob the safety of Benjamin (43:8-10). But he was also a main player in Joseph's personal story in 37:26-7, suggesting that Joseph should be sold as a slave. And chapter 38 dealt with the faithlessness and the lack of inegrity on Judah's part, both in contrast to the integrity of Joseph, and as an explanation of why it was necessary for the brothers to go to Egypt in the first place.

When, therefore, Judah says that God has uncovered their guilt, he is making a major statement. The themes of 'finding' and 'uncovering' have been frequent in this story: sacks were uncovered and an alleged theft was revealed. But the revelations go deeper than grain and silver cups. Judah has been harbouring a great deal of guilt over many years. Now God is bringing him to his knees in confession and contrition, and the first step on that path is to acknowledge that nothing is a secret from God.

God is able to see what others cannot. He knows what is unknowable to human minds and eyes. He is able to probe deep into the human psyche and to uncover the world of sin and guilt that is there. In Psalm 139, after celebrating the all-knowingness of God, the psalmist prayed that God would search him and see if there was any wickedness in him, and lead him in the right way (Psalm 139:27-8).

That is indeed the first step to real peace in our souls. We may pile up skeletons in our closet, and harbour the memory of many sins and shortcomings. But until we realise that we are known to God, and come face to face with him we will never know peace. Even in the presence of Joseph, it was not the governor's discovery that troubled Judah, but that of God. Judah is finally returning to the God of his father.

A Change of Heart Precedes a Change of Life

There is an interesting contrast between the Judah of chapter 37 and the Judah of chapter 44. In chapter 37 Judah is willing to sell Joseph as a slave (37:27), although his suggestion is a means of preserving Joseph's life. Now, however, he is willing to become a slave himself.

Indeed, even here Judah becomes more and more emptied of his own self-interest and self-centredness. In verse 16 he offers the whole family as Joseph's slaves. But in verse 33 he has changed his heart completely. He will remain as the slave, if Joseph will liberate Benjamin and allow him to return in the presence of his brothers to the house of his father.

What a change! But you see, it is impossible to have our lives rectified and our relationship with God renewed and restored unless we repent of our sins. And there can be no genuine repentance unless we have come to see our own lives for what they are. Sin leaves us self-centred, self-satisfied and self-dependent. But grace empties us of all that, and shows us ourselves for what we truly are. Only then can our lives be turned around.

God's Way Is Salvation By Substitution

There is an important principle emerging here in the unfolding revelation of God's salvation: it is that of salvation by substitution. Judah has promised to be the "surety" for Benjamin (43:9) -- the guarantee of his safety. The promise Judah gives his father is that he will die himself rather than allow the safety of Benjamin to be compromised.

David prayed that God would do the same for him in Psalm 119:122, and the concept finds its fulfillment in Christ, who, according to Hebrews 7:22 is the guarantee for us of a better covenant. Through his death on the cross, our safety is guaranteed.

Benjamin stands accused and condemned, but Judah is willing to take the punishment in his place. It is no accident that it was from the tribe of Judah that Jesus came; and the ultimate focus of our salvation is on the greatest son of Jacob, the Lord Jesus Christ. His pledge is the guarantee of our security, and it is in him that our lives are preserved. May we learn to trust in him more and more, and know the blessing of a Saviour who says "if you seek me, let them go away" (John 18:8), and willingly goes to the cross in order that we might be pardoned and released!