As we have become increasingly (and joyfully) aware in recent times and in recent studies, the Lord Jesus has saved us, and is saving us, to make us holy. He is, in a phrase, cleaning us up.
The apostle Paul saw this as the goal of Jesus for His church when he wrote, “Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:25-27). Elsewhere, he wrote, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). In other words, the gospel is about cleaning us up. Jesus made this very clear. He told His disciples that they were “clean” by His Word, and His desire was that they continue to be cleaned up (see John 15:1-4; 17:17; etc).
One of the ingredients in this cleaning up project is our own honesty about indwelling sin. In other words, one of the means of grace that the Lord uses to create us clean is by our coming clean. And it is to this theme that we turn our attention in this study.
For some time we have been studying the account of Joseph’s dealings with his brothers as they have come into Egypt (now on two occasions) to secure grain in their time of famine. As we have looked at the biblical record we have seen that clearly there is a method to Joseph’s madness. In fact, what Joseph is doing is simply to test the conscience of his ten brothers. He is not being vengeful or vindictive. Rather, he desires reconciliation with them but he also knows that if they are not repentant then there is no way that a meaningful reconciliation can take place. Envy is a poison that destroys relationships and Joseph, painfully aware of this, is careful to make sure that this venom has been drained from their system before revealing his identity to them.
But there is also another reason that Joseph has devised this wise ruse. As mentioned previously, Joseph understood that his family was no ordinary one. He knew that in fact his family was chosen by God to be the covenantal carrier of God’s covenantal Seed. Messiah would come through the family, the nation of Israel, and Joseph had never lost sight of this. Because of this special privilege and calling he no doubt wanted to make sure that the carriers of such a promise (the redemptive hope of the world was on their shoulders) were clean. It was vital that they be holy as the One who had called them was holy. Joseph had the wisdom to know that these brothers needed to come clean.
It is with this fact in mind that we come to the 44th chapter of Genesis, the penultimate chapter before Joseph reveals his identity. Here, we see very clearly the brothers, represented most notably by Judah, coming clean. Self-confidence (self-righteousness) is dealt a severe blow, sorrowful confession is made and selfless contrition is manifested. The guilt-burdened brothers have come clean and thus the stage is set for a full reconciliation and for the continuance of God’s redemptive purpose through the seed of Abraham.
But as we have seen over the months, these narratives of Genesis are not recorded and preserved by God to merely giving us historical perspective (though we are grateful for this) but rather for the purpose of searching our own hearts. God has given us these accounts in order to help us to deal with our sin, so that we might come clean by looking to Jesus, the One who saves us from our sins.
As we will see, one of the common methods that the Lord uses to accomplish this is that of placing circumstances in our lives to get our attention. He then does a work of deep conviction that leads to contrition which produces conformity to His will. In the story before us this morning, such circumstances are represented by the “silver cup” that is discovered in Benjamin’s grain sack. Thus, as we study this chapter, let us ask God to use such silver cups to help us to come clean, for our good and for His glory.
Self-Confidence Shattered
And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man’s money in his sack’s mouth. And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack’s mouth of the youngest, and his corn money. And he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken. As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their asses. And when they were gone out of the city, and not yet far off, Joseph said unto his steward, Up, follow after the men; and when thou dost overtake them, say unto them, Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good? Is not this it in which my lord drinketh, and whereby indeed he divineth? ye have done evil in so doing. And he overtook them, and he spake unto them these same words. And they said unto him, Wherefore saith my lord these words? God forbid that thy servants should do according to this thing: Behold, the money, which we found in our sacks’ mouths, we brought again unto thee out of the land of Canaan: how then should we steal out of thy lord’s house silver or gold? With whomsoever of thy servants it be found, both let him die, and we also will be my lord’s bondmen. And he said, Now also let it be according unto your words: he with whom it is found shall be my servant; and ye shall be blameless. Then they speedily took down every man his sack to the ground, and opened every man his sack. And he searched, and began at the eldest, and left at the youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. Then they rent their clothes, and laded every man his ass, and returned to the city.
(Genesis 44:1-13)
Let’s try and picture the scene. The brothers have just had an extraordinary experience as they have feasted at the private residence of the prime minister. They had come to Egypt no doubt with much trepidation. Would they be accused of thievery having discovered their silver (a common motif in this story; some 20 references to silver in the account of Joseph) in their grain sacks upon returning to Canaan? Would Simeon be freed? How would Benjamin be treated? After a few hours in the prime minister’s home they discover that their fears are groundless, for in fact he seems to have taken a liking to them. Indeed, it appears that God is smiling upon them (43:23).
They awaken the next day (perhaps with a hangover? 43:34), load up their donkeys (which have not been stolen after all, 43:18), bid farewell to the steward and to “the man” and head for home. One can imagine that as they do so they are quite proud of themselves. After all, they did show courage in returning to Egypt in the first place; Simeon has been restored to them (how do you think that he felt after being virtually abandoned by his brothers for two years, 45:6?); and Benjamin, whom their father had been so concerned about, is safe and sound. I would think that they are quite excited about getting home and boasting to their father concerning how they have kept their word—especially Judah.
You see, Judah had promised the security of Benjamin and had himself the surety for this promise. Perhaps Judah is feeling very self-righteous in that he has reformed his ways over the past 22 years. You will recall that it was Judah’s idea to sell Joseph into slavery (37:26-28). This has increasingly bothered him over the years but now he perhaps feels that he has made amends in securing the safety of Benjamin. I have no way of knowing for sure, but perhaps for all of these years Jacob, Judah’s father, has looked askance at him due to doubts about Judah’s involvement in the supposed death of Joseph. Perhaps Jacob laid special blame upon the four oldest brothers, of which Judah was one. If so, then perhaps Judah is anticipating getting back into his father’s good books as he returns with Benjamin safe and sound.
But all of this self-confidence is about to be dealt a heavy and piercing blow within a few kilometres of leaving the city. The self-confidence and self-righteousness will be shown to be misplaced indeed.
As they are confidently (and smugly?) heading down the road to Canaan they are unaware of events that had taken place that morning in Joseph’s office long before their departure. Unbeknownst to them, Joseph had a ruse up his sleeve. As they slept he had instructed his steward to fill their grain sacks to the full and to place their silver (note the motif again) back into each man’s sack. But he was also instructed to place Joseph’s special silver (motif) cup in the sack of the youngest brother, Benjamin. Joseph was setting the stage to see whether or not these brothers would come clean. That is, he was testing to see whether or not God has been working to clean them up.
Shortly after the brothers self-confidently depart, Joseph instructs the steward to overtake them and to confront them with the charge of thievery. Verse 4 uses an interesting phrase: “Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good?” Joseph will later play on this phrase as he will state, “Ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good” (50:20). Thus this phrase, considering the whole context of the Joseph story, is pregnant with meaning.
Let me point out that no mention is made of the silver being back in the sacks. I believe that is because this was to be interpreted by the brothers as a gift. Thus the steward was saying, “In light of the magnanimous kindness of the vizier—he has returned your money twice—it is the height of evil for you to take his cup.” In other words, the returning of the money was for the purpose of heightening their ingratitude and guilt.
The brothers are indignant, and self-confidently so. “How dare you bring such a charge against us?” It is rather ironic that these men are so quick to claim innocence as if their characters were blameless! They reel at the suggestion that they are men who would steal a silver cup from one who had treated them so well. And yet for twenty-some years they have carried the guilt of selling their own brother into slavery, a brother who had never mistreated them, for twenty pieces of silver. Oh, that cursed silver!
Further, they argue, their recent behaviour proves that they are no skelms. After all, did they not bring back with them the money that they had found in their sacks upon returning home from their first visit? Why would they steal from the vizier, then return what they had stolen to only steal it again? They might be lowly shepherds but they were no fools! Thus, perhaps in unison, they challenge the steward, “Go ahead and search every one our sacks. We have nothing to hide. And when you are finished and have found us to be innocent then we will be expecting an apology.” In fact, they are so self-assured of their innocence and integrity that they make the offer that if indeed any one of them is found to be the guilty party then he should be killed and that they will all become the slaves of the vizier. The steward accepts their offer and yet he tempers it with the caveat that only the guilty individual will be held as a slave while the other brothers will be free to return home. (I would imagine that they were all relieved to hear this!) And so his search begins.
The steward begins his search with the oldest brother, Reuben, and works himself down to the youngest. Again, I would think that at this point these brothers are amazed that this steward knows their birth order. I can see the smug, self-confident (and indignant) expressions of these brothers as the first sack is proven to be empty of any silver cup. And then they feel further vindicated as the same proves true for Simeon, Levi and Judah. Next the steward goes through the grain sacks of Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and then Asher. Eight inspections and eight proofs of their innocence. The tension mounts and the brothers prepare for a vindication speech. The steward checks the sack of Issachar and Zebulon. Once again, their innocence is obvious. But now he moves to the sack that belongs to Benjamin.
I wonder if at this point the brothers are not even paying any more attention to the inspection. They perhaps are huddled together preparing their response to this false accusation or debating whether they should even respond. They pay no attention to the search of Benjamin’s sack for no one would ever have suspected that he of all people would do such a thing.
At just about the moment that they are ready to protest against this proven false accusation they are shocked beyond words as the steward shouts, “Here it is!” Indeed as the text says, “the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.”
Their response is once again an example of bitter irony. Verse 13 says that they each “rent their clothes.” The last time that we read these words they described the response of Jacob as his sons reported to him that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal (37:34). Jacob had been distraught and on the verge of hopelessness. There seemed to be no escape from the grief. And so it now is for these brothers. As the rest of the story will show us, this grief was in fact on account of their younger brother. Something is happening here. There is a transformation taking place. Their self-righteousness is falling to the ground. There may be hope for these men after all!
What follows can only properly be described as pathetic. The eleven brothers are shocked beyond words. As they travel back to the city on their donkeys, surrounded no doubt by the Egyptian police, they are dejected. Their self-confidence has been shattered. Everything had gone so well; how could this happen? As each man is alone with his thoughts I would guess that the scene of 22 years ago is screaming to them. They no longer feel as though they have escaped the consequences of their duplicitous behaviour.
I would imagine that each is thinking, “Of all people, how on earth could Benjamin be guilty of such foolish thievery.” I can almost hear Benjamin saying, “Please, believe me: I never took that cup. I have no idea how it got there. I had nothing to do with it.” And would they have believed him? I doubt it. You see, I would imagine that at this point they were all very aware of the potential wickedness of the human heart. Even in the hearts of God’s covenantal family. After all, look at how they had treated their own flesh and blood and how they had been lying to their father for two decades. They thought that they could get away with such a heinous crime, why would they not believe that Benjamin could behave in the same way while no one was looking? And yet none of them pointed a finger.
Where was their self-confidence now? Where was their self-righteousness in this situation? They in fact had no response but silence. They were inescapably found to be guilty. The silver cup had found them out.
And you? Is there a silver cup lurking in your bag? Perhaps there is, or perhaps, there needs to be. Perhaps you have lived with the guilt of a past sin for years, even decades, yea even for a lifetime. You have never repented. You have perhaps so convinced yourself that it is a thing of the past that you self-confidently assert that all is well. And yet deep down you know that something is not right. And thus God in His grace has allowed some injustice, some false accusation, some circumstance which has created a fear: the fear of the Lord. Praise the Lord for such silver cups; they can be the means of a deep and thorough repentance.
Self-Condemnation Secured
And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph’s house; for he was yet there: and they fell before him on the ground. And Joseph said unto them, What deed is this that ye have done? wot ye not that such a man as I can certainly divine? And Judah said, What shall we say unto my lord? what shall we speak? or how shall we clear ourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants: behold, we are my lord’s servants, both we, and he also with whom the cup is found. And he said, God forbid that I should do so: but the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my servant; and as for you, get you up in peace unto your father.
(Genesis 44:14-17)
The plot thickens. The brothers stand before the vizier, accused of a capital crime. Immediately upon being brought into the presence of “the man” they fall on their face, bowing to Joseph (cf. this important motif in the story, 37:5-11; 41:43; 42:6, 26, 28; 43:28; 47:31). As they do so Joseph addresses them roughly and asks why they so foolishly thought that they could get away with stealing anything from a man like himself, one who could discern the future. I suppose this would be like stealing a crystal ball from a gypsy!
Now, this does raise an interesting question. Why would Joseph, a worshipper of the true God, make mention of this pagan, Egyptian practice? I would suggest that he did so because he was in the position of pretending to be an Egyptian. But also, let it be noted that Joseph does not actually say that he used this cup with which to “divine.” Further, the fact of the matter is that Joseph was gifted by the true God to discern events. The very fact that these brothers were bowing before him is proof of this, as well as the fact that he has interpreted the dreams of the butler, the baker and Pharaoh himself. In fact, had it not been for this gift, there would have been no provision of grain for these brothers in Egypt. In other words, it was precisely because of Joseph’s gift that these brothers were in Egypt in the first place!
But let’s turn our attention to the response of the brothers, Judah being the spokesman. This is actually the crux of the story as here we see Judah making confession on behalf of all of the brothers even though, supposedly, Benjamin is the guilty one. What a shift from the mindset and approach of Judah and his brothers many years earlier!
Before looking at this confession it is important that we review the life of Judah up until this point, for only by doing so will we be enabled to see the profound work of grace that has been transpiring over these many years.
Up until this point Judah does not stand out in any remarkable way. In fact, up until now, the only record that we have of him is one in which he is contemptible in his behaviour. You will recall that it was he who had suggested that Joseph be sold into slavery and he did so using the most hypocritical language imaginable, “Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh” (37:27). Though some try to defend Judah by saying that he was merely trying to keep Joseph from being slain, this scene suggests the opposite. Reuben in fact had sought to spare Joseph’s life (37:21-22) but nothing is said about Judah attempting to do so. No, Judah’s behaviour was despicable. There is no wriggling out of the fact that what he did was mercenary and merciless.
In the record of chapter 38 Judah fairs little better. He raises two ungodly sons, for which he must assume full responsibility. He then is guilty of lying to his daughter-in-law Tamar. We then see him manifest something more of his sinful character as we see him giving in to the lusts of the sin of whoremongering. Not a very favourable picture of this man who will be the progenitor of Messiah!
But thanks be to El Shaddai (43:14), who is able to transform sinners. For in the passage before us we observe that indeed this man has undergone a profound change indeed. He faces up to his sin. He comes clean.
Judah, rather than abandoning his youngest brother into slavery over a silver cup, is willing rather to give up his own liberty to spare Benjamin. Thus he offers that they will all suffer for his crime. Why all of them? I can only surmise that because Judah knew that he and his nine brothers were guilty of mistreating Joseph that they all deserved to suffer, even if the suffering was not directly related to their wicked deed of some 22 years ago. And to the brothers’ credit, none of them spoke in opposition to Judah’s plea. The silver cup, though hidden in Benjamin’s sack, highlighted to each of them the sin that had been hidden in their hearts for all these years.
So yes, when Judah exclaimed, “God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants,” he was admitting far more than the issue at hand. A deep work of repentance was taking place.
Oftentimes this is indeed how the Lord will work in the life of a sinner whom He is calling to Himself. For years one may live a life of disregard for God’s standard only to be smitten by some seeming unconnected event. Take, for example, the story of Augustine and the pear tree. Though he had lived a life of deep debauchery, the silver cup that eventually led to his repentance and faith was the remembrance of stealing pears from a neighbour’s orchard simply because it was forbidden to do so. This caused him deep conviction and thus in spite of self-righteousness and arrogant self-confidence, he fell on his face and bowed to Christ who had put that silver cup in his life.
Perhaps you too have, for many years, been running away from God. You have done a pretty good job of hiding your sin from others. And yet lately God has placed some silver cup in your life in order to move you to come clean. Perhaps a loved one has fallen ill and the disease in their body is actually a strategic silver cup in order to get you to a point of repentance. Perhaps it is a financial crisis. Perhaps as you observe the suffering of another you are reminded of how you made another to suffer because of harsh or slanderous words. Perhaps you see the suffering of family member and this silver cup is being used to bring you to repentance. Perhaps the silver cup is your own suffering, which has reminded you of your own sinful past. Whatever your particular silver cup, I implore you to come to Christ, bow before him with a servant’s heart, confessing your sin. Only as you do so will you be enabled to be reconciled to the Elder Brother.
Upon Judah’s offer of servitude Joseph responds with equity as he proclaims that such would be over-the-top justice and that only the guilty party would be required to a live a life of servitude. As for the rest, they may return in shalom to their father (v. 17).
Of course, we who know the rest of the story understand what Joseph is doing. He is still putting Judah and his brothers to the test.
At this point we should remember that 22 years earlier Joseph sat in the bottom of a cistern and probably heard every merciless word of Judah as he presented the idea of selling Joseph to the slave traders. He would have heard the careless and calloused tone of Judah as he negotiated the deal. Now the shoe is on the other foot. Judah and his brothers are now the ones who are in need of mercy. And as far as Judah is concerned, he will be spending the rest of his life as a slave. All for the price of a silver cup.
But as we shall soon see, Judah’s hope for mercy wasn’t self-motivated. He was hoping for mercy concerning Benjamin and his father. Truly this man has undergone a transformation. After all of these years, he had finally come clean.
David, I am sure, could have related to Judah. After his sin with Bathsheba, followed by his sin of murdering Uriah, he eventually came clean. For weeks, months and perhaps even for a whole year he tried to silence the haunting voice of conscience. Perhaps he immersed himself in the affairs of state and the pain of a convicted conscience slowly faded—at least during the daytime. And yet at night, as he lay in bed, he soaked his bed with tears. Though he may have had a disciplined exercise regime, yet his bones waxed old all the day. Try as he would, the guilty conscience would not leave him alone.
I wonder how his personal devotions were going? Perhaps he would “faithfully” read his Bible and try to pray every day. He no doubt continued his temple appearances and as he did so others thought that this man was the epitome of spirituality. And yet it was a sham. In fact, it is quite likely that as David would listen to the various prophets he was deeply annoyed. Yes, he attended the meetings, but he surely did so with an air of cynicism as he inwardly thought, “These guys don’t live in the real world. I don’t need to take their messages from the Torah seriously.” Though he would have attended in body, his spirit was far from them. And the prophets knew it—especially one by the name of Nathan.
One day this prophet came to David, and with a Holy Spirit-inspired finger, identified the king’s hypocrisy. “Thou art the man” came forth from the lips of this prophet (2 Samuel 12:7). And like a flaming arrow, this silver cup pierced the heart of David. The silver cup had been found in his bedchamber and there was no escaping the verdict. All he could do was to cry out for mercy and God responded abundantly, “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin” (Psalm 51:1-2). And how did God respond? Hear the words of David recorded in Psalm 32:1: “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” When David came clean, God showed mercy, just as He did to Judah, and just as He will to you.
Are you tired of living a duplicitous existence? Are you yet weary of living with the lies; lies which you outwardly are getting way with and yet inwardly you are convicted as a fraud, day in and day out? Then if you have found a silver cup in your life, thank God for it! He is offering you forgiveness if you will come clean. Confess your sin, make restitution and hope in God’s mercy which is offered to you through His Son the Lord Jesus Christ. Come clean today!
Self-Concern Sacrificed
Then Judah came near unto him, and said, Oh my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord’s ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant: for thou art even as Pharaoh. My lord asked his servants, saying, Have ye a father, or a brother? And we said unto my lord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loveth him. And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him. And we said unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his father: for if he should leave his father, his father would die. And thou saidst unto thy servants, Except your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more. And it came to pass when we came up unto thy servant my father, we told him the words of my lord. And our father said, Go again, and buy us a little food. And we said, We cannot go down: if our youngest brother be with us, then will we go down: for we may not see the man’s face, except our youngest brother be with us. And thy servant my father said unto us, Ye know that my wife bare me two sons: And the one went out from me, and I said, Surely he is torn in pieces; and I saw him not since: And if ye take this also from me, and mischief befall him, ye shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave. Now therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad be not with us; seeing that his life is bound up in the lad’s life; It shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die: and thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave. For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father, saying, If I bring him not unto thee, then I shall bear the blame to my father for ever. Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren. For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me? lest peradventure I see the evil that shall come on my father.
(Genesis 44:18-34)
Verses 18 -34 record one of the most poignant, moving speeches in all of Scripture. In fact, Donald Gray Barnhouse had the opinion that this is the greatest speech in the Bible. And one would be hard pressed to argue with that verdict. These words are filled with humble and honest pathos. They are also words that reflect a self-sacrificing courage. And even though these words are uttered by a sinner they certainly point us to the ultimate Judah, the Lord Jesus Christ. Let’s listen in on this speech. Try and place yourself as one who is witnessing this for the first time. Let’s listen to what God has to say to us through this Word.
Upon Joseph’s declaration that all could go free expect for the identified thief, Judah responds with an impassioned, well-articulated appeal to be a substitute for the life of Benjamin; a substitute for one who, as far as Judah was concerned, was most likely guilty. This is remarkable!
In v. 18 Judah humbly requests permission to address Joseph as he acknowledges that this vizier is in a position of supreme authority. He then proceeds, in vv. 19-23 to recount their first interview with him. It is interesting to note that here Judah is subtly laying the foundation to make the point that these events have actually been set in motion by the initiative of Joseph!
It is here where we discover the solution to the apparent contradiction raised by 42:13 and 43:7. Joseph had specifically asked them whether their father was alive and if they had a younger brother. Verse 20 then gives us some insight into their psyche as Judah reveals that he and his brothers have concluded that Joseph is dead. Previously they have referred to his status as “the other is not” (42:13, 32), but now Judah forthrightly declares that he is dead. It appears to me that Judah now understands their guilt regarding the blood of Joseph. Though 22 years earlier he had hypocritically protested again the slaying of Joseph, this is in effect (because of their hatred) was exactly what they did. In essence, they were guilty of the murder of their younger brother. Judah will no longer try and mitigate his evil deed. This man has come clean!
In vv. 24-29 Judah informs Joseph of what transpired when the brothers returned to their father and told him of the vizier’s demand that Benjamin must accompany them in order for Simeon to be released and in order for them to receive more grain. And here the pathos begins to pick up. A couple of issues should be highlighted.
First, it is quite apparent the Jacob was still struggling with doubts concerning the story of Joseph’s disappearance. In fact, he couldn’t even bring himself to use the word “dead” with reference to him. Verse 28 records his strange words, “Surely he is torn in pieces; and I saw him not since.” Well, of course not! If Joseph had been destroyed by animals then obviously Jacob would not be seeing him again. Is this not a strange way to speak? If you look at 42:36 he uses the same terminology of the brothers “one is not.” There seems to be some doubt about what has really happened to Joseph.
Second, apparently it does not now bother Judah in the least that his father has two favoured sons, and that he himself is not one of them! In v. 27 Judah records his father’s words regarding the two sons that obviously mean the most to him because their mother was his favoured wife of the four that he had. This was a clear rejection of the other brothers and their mothers. How do you suppose that Judah felt? We don’t know, for the text does not tell us. But what is clear is that Judah is not bitter but is rather deeply concerned about the feelings of his father. After all, how could he, one with the blood of his brother on his hands, be bitter about how he is being treated? Truly this man is the object of a work of grace (cf. Matthew 18:23-35)!
In the final section of Judah’s speech (vv. 30-34) the passion intensifies as he appeals for mercy, not only for Benjamin’s sake but primarily for the sake of his aged father.
As Judah brings his speech to a close he seeks to make this vizier fully aware of how much his father loves this youngest brother and how the loss of him would mean the death of his father. Thus he makes the plea for Joseph to change his mind and enslave him rather than Benjamin. He is offering himself as a substitute on behalf of another for the sake of his father. Judah cannot bear the thought that his father suffer anymore than he already has. For 22 years he has witnessed the lines growing deeper in Jacob’s face and the hair growing greyer, not so much because of age but because of grief. The twinkle has gone from his eye and Judah knows that he is to blame. He will not be a party to any more sorrow for his father. Thus we see him willing to lay down his life for the wellbeing of another. What a marvellous transformation has taken place in his life! Judah has come clean.
At the risk of belabouring the point I want us to make sure that we do not miss the contrast between Judah here and in chapter 37. Then, he was full of envy and thus careless about the wellbeing of both the favoured and the father. But now he is selfless and envy seems to be a thing of the past. He is now content only if others are content. It’s amazing how his attitude has changed since coming clean. Truly he has experienced the transforming grace of God.
As we come to a close of this study let us do so by observing some practical issues.
First, let us observe that the silver cups we find in our sacks are providential. I don’t know what silver cup God has in store for you. Perhaps it will be an economic trial or a relational heartache. Perhaps it will be some form of injustice. Perhaps it will be the exposure of a past sin, or a Word from God to your present situation. Whatever the case, ask God to teach you what He would have you to learn.
No silver cup is ever found in your sack that has not been placed there by God’s sovereign, loving plan. He ordains the silver cups. He places them in your sack. And He does so for a purpose. He wants to get your attention, to secure your repentance, to change your life, to make you more fruitful, to use you in His kingdom, and He often does so through the trial of a silver cup.
Second, let us note that silver cups are powerful. They are effective in changing our lives. They pierce us, showing us our sin, and this leads to repentance and, by God’s grace, pardoning from our sin.
Third, silver cups are purifying. This is the ultimate goal: transformation. The silver cups that God allows in our lives work to reorient our perspective. Judah came to the point where he was no longer focused on Jacob’s favouritism toward his brothers. He was able to let go of his bitterness and thus was able to lovingly think of others. The silver cups further redirect our passions. Judah was now passionate about the welfare of others. And, like Judah, when we take to heart the silver cups in our lives, we experience God’s forgiveness and are thus no longer passionate about ourselves. We become passionate, instead, about God’s purposes.
One author commented that this truth highlights the loving solidarity in the church. As many members as are in our churches, that is probably how many silver cups that have been found on any given week. Conviction, trials, burdens and injustices are constantly being used by God as tools to produce more loving solidarity in the church. As we deal with our sin and experience God’s forgiveness, we feel closer to one another as a body. Thus, as we find silver cups in our sacks, let us bear in mind some important truths.
First, it is vital that we come clean. To live with guilt is to miss out on God’s best for you, it is to lead to misery in the lives of others, and most importantly, it grieves and dishonours God.
Second, the only way that you can be set free is by Jesus Christ becoming your surety.
Finally, understand that there is such a thing as retributive irony but that there is also such a thing as restorative irony. Thank God for both. They are both intimately involved with the result of coming clean.