But his brothers weren’t as prepared! They sat in stunned silence, terrified in his presence ( 45:3). Joseph had been thinking about this moment for weeks, so he was ready to have the reunion. He also asked about their father ( 45:3).
Then, alone with his brothers, he revealed his identity (which may have included revealing his circumcision and, thus, confirming his descent from Abraham). The character transformation was complete, and God was ready to carry out the next step in his plan.Ĥ5:1-3 Joseph couldn’t take the suspense any longer, so he commanded, Send everyone away from me ( 45:1). Once Judah had been so bereft of virtue that he thought nothing of sacrificing his brother’s life for his own convenience now he was willing to lay down his own life so another brother could be free. The pinnacle of Judah’s appeal-the proof that he had truly experienced a change of heart-was the staggering offer he made to remain here as lord’s slave, in place of the boy ( 44:33). At this point he led them by giving an impassioned plea for Joseph to show mercy, both for Benjamin’s sake and for the sake of his father Jacob ( 44:34). He had already stepped up to lead his brothers by promising their father to bring Benjamin back alive ( 44:32). At this point, Judah once again moved to the forefront. Even when Joseph repeated his intentions to imprison only Benjamin, they offered themselves as willing slaves in solidarity ( 44:16).Ĥ4:17-34 Joseph kept up his poker face for a while, insisting that Benjamin must stay as his slave ( 44:17). loaded his donkey and returned to the city ( 44:13), signaling to their youngest sibling that they were in the mess together. The steward would have been content to return with Benjamin, but the brothers each. Not only did they grieve, but they also refused to abandon Benjamin to his plight. When Benjamin was exposed as the thief, they tore their clothes ( 44:13), showing intense grief. The penalty for such an act would have been Benjamin becoming Joseph’s slave ( 44:10).Ĥ4:13-16 The immediate response of Benjamin’s brothers indicates that they were no longer the heartless, cruel, deceitful men they had once been. The brothers denied it, but of course, when the bags were searched, the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack ( 44:12). The steward, following Joseph’s orders, overtook his brothers and charged them with stealing the cup of his master ( 44:5).
In this move, he was framing Benjamin for theft to see whether his brothers would defend him. He had his steward put his cup, the silver one, at the top of the youngest one’s bag ( 44:2). How could this Egyptian ruler have known their birth order?Ĥ4:1-12 As Joseph’s brothers left Egypt, Joseph arranged for one final test. in order by age, from the firstborn to the youngest ( 43:33). Knowing that to do so would cause suspicion, though, Joseph rushed away until he could regain composure ( 43:31).Ĥ3:32-34 It must have been a shock to Joseph’s brothers to see that in the seating arrangements, they were seated. When Joseph saw Benjamin for the first time, he couldn’t contain his emotion for his brother, and he was about to weep ( 43:30). This begs the question, Are you speaking up about God in every moment of your life-in the moments of adversity as well as in the moments of prosperity?Ĥ3:24-31 Simeon was delivered to his brothers, and together they prepared for the meal ( 43:24-25). This suggests that Joseph’s faith must have spread to his staff, because here was an Egyptian servant invoking the name of the God of the Hebrews! Apparently Joseph had been talking about the Lord from the time he was a slave in Potiphar’s house right up until the present moment of prosperity. But the steward replied, Your God and the God of your father must have put treasure in your bags ( 43:23). Approaching Joseph’s steward, they attempted to clear up the misunderstanding about the money ( 43:19-22). Yet what we often do is try as hard as we can to work our own way to the circumstances we believe are best for us.43:15-23 When Joseph’s brothers returned, they were taken to Joseph’s personal house, a turn of events that hardly inspired any confidence in them ( 43:16-18). To deliver you to the place He has created just for you. Tony knows a thing or two about detours, and one of the things he knows for certain is that God works through detours to bring about His blessing. Detours area good thing that often feels bad.
Detours are designed for our own good, regardless of how we view or feel about them. Or if any wreck is going to be cleaned up or a hazard avoided. But detours are necessary if any improvements are going to be made on the paths we travel. More often than not, it’s a detour, one that can leave you feeling temporarily stalled and slowed down.
0 kommentar(er)
