COME AS A CHILD LESSON 100 JOSEPH REVEALS HIS IDENTITY

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

Judah was deeply troubled that Joseph thought Benjamin had taken his silver cup.  He had offered himself as a substitute for Benjamin’s punishment, knowing that if he did not return with Benjamin his father would never forgive him.  He had also told his father that his own sons would be the one’s punished if anything happened to Benjamin.  This must have been a terrible time for Judah, who had done no wrong and was caught in the middle of Joseph’s scheme.

But, as Judah was pleading with Joseph, Joseph could no longer control himself and he cried out in a loud voice.  “Have everyone leave my presence!” 

When there was no one left in the room with Joseph, except his brothers, Joseph made himself known to them.  He wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him.  Even Pharaoh’s household became aware of Joseph’s state. 

Finally, Joseph said to his brothers; “I am Joseph!  Is my father still living?”

Upon hearing his words his brothers became terrified!  They could not speak or answer.

Joseph beconed for them to come closer to him.  He said; “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt!  And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.  For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping.  But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.  So then it was not you who sent me here, but God.  He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt.  Now hurry back to my father and say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says:  God has made me lord of all Egypt.  Come down to me; don’t delay.  You shall live in the region of Goshen and be near me – you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have.  I will provide for you there, because five years of famine are still to come.  Otherwise you and your household and all who belong to you will become destitute.”

Joseph turned to his brothers who were still in amazement and continued:  “You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, that it is really I who am speaking to you.  Tell my father about all the honor accorded me in Egypt and about everything you have seen.  And bring my father down here quickly.”

At that point, Joseph threw his arms around Benjamin and wept.  Benjamin embraced Joseph, weeping too.  Joseph kissed all of his brothers and wept over them.  Afterward they talked and talked.  They had a lot of catching up to do!

With all the commotion and the confusion of Joseph’s assistants, the news soon reached Pharaoh and all of his officials were pleased.  Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers, ‘Do this:  Load your animals and return to the land of Canaan, and bring your father and your families back to me.  I will give you the best of the land of Egypt and you can enjoy the fat of the land.”

Pharaoh also told them:  “Take some carts from Egypt for your children and your wives, and get your father and come.  Never mind about your belongings, because the best of all Egypt will be yours.”

So the sons of Israel did as they were instructed.  Joseph gave them carts as Pharaoh had commanded and he also gave them provisions for their journey.  He gave them all new clothes, and to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver and five sets of clothes.  He sent ten donkeys loaded with the best things of Egypt and ten female donkeys loaded wit grain and bread and other provisions to his father for his journey back. 

He said goodbye to his brothers and sent them on their way admonishing them not to quarrel on the way.

They left Egypt in a daze.  When they reached their father Jacob in the land of Canaan they told him that Joseph was still alive!  Then they told him he was ruler of Egypt!

Jacob was stunned. 

At first he did not believe them.  The carts full of provisions that Joseph had sent finally convinced him.

 Jacob’s spirit revived!  Can you imagine his amazement?  He was full of joy knowing that Joseph was still alive and he would see him again!  

God was granting Jacob unexpected happiness in his old age!  It was a glorious impossible that only God could have brought about.  

COME AS A CHILD LESSON 99 ANOTHER PROBLEM ANOTHER PLEA

As Joesph’s brothers finished their feast with him, Joseph gave instructions to the steward of his house to fill each man’s sack with as much food as he could carry and then put each man’s silver inside their sack.  Then he told the steward to put his own personal silver cup in the mouth of Benjamin’s sack along with his silver.  The steward did as he was instructed. 

When the morning came, the men were sent back home, riding on their donkeys.  When they had gone only a short distance, Joseph said to his steward “Go after those men at once, and when you catch up with them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid good with evil?  Isn’t this the cup my master drinks from and also uses for divination?  This is a wicked thing you have done.  

So the steward rode out and found them and spoke to them as Joseph had commanded.

Of course the brother’s were stunned to think this could be happening.  They answered Joseph’s steward with surprise and astonishment.

“Why does my lord say such things?  Far be it from your servants to do anything like that!  We even returned from the land of Canaan, the silver we found inside the mouths of our sacks.  So why would we steal silver or gold from your master’s house?  If any of your servants is found to have it, he will die, and the rest of us will become my lord’s slaves!”

Did you cringe when you heard them speak those words to Joseph’s steward?  I surely did.  Never waste words in an important situation, the less said the better; like Jesus always admonished his servants later, let your “yes” be “yes” and your “no” be “no.”  The outcry of this brother surely brought them even more trouble!

“Very well!” said the steward.  “Let it be as you say.  Whoever is found to have it will become my slave; the rest of you will be free from blame.”

All of their sacks were lowered to the ground and opened.  The steward mysteriously started with the oldest and ended with the youngest.  Of course the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack!

When the brothers saw this they tore their clothes.  This was their way of publicly stating to the world they were in mourning.  Surely they were in anguish!  The precious son that they had promised their father they would look after was wrongly sentenced to death!  They loaded their donkeys and returned to the city of Joseph. 

Joseph was still at his house when they arrived.  Judah and his brothers went straight to him and threw themselves at his feet. 

Joseph said “What have you done?  Don’t you know that a man like me can find things out by divination?”

“What can we say?” they answered.  “What can we say?  How can we prove that we are innocent?  God has uncovered your servant’s guilt.  We are now my lord’s slaves, we, ourselves; and the one who was found to have the cup.”

Joseph answered them; “Far be it from me to do such a thing!  Only the man who was found to have the cup will become my slave.  The rest of you go back to your father in peace.”

To their father in peace?  Are you kidding!!!

Judah, remembering his promise to their father pleaded with Joseph.  “Pardon your servant, my lord, let me speak a word to you.  Do not be angry with your servant, though you are equal to Pharaoh himself.  My lord asked his servants, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’ and we answered ‘We have an aged father, and there is a young son born to him in his old age.  His brother is dead, and he is the only one of his mother’s sons left, and his father loves him.’  Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me so I can see him for myself. And we said to my lord, ‘the boy cannot leave his father; if he leaves him, his father will die.’  But you told your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.’  When we went back to your servant my father, we told him what my lord had said.  Then our father said, ‘Go back and buy a little more food.’  But we said, “We cannot go down.  Only if our youngest brother is with us will we go.  We cannot see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’

Your servant, our father, said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons.  One of them went away from me, and I said, “He has surely been torn to pieces.  And I have not seen him since.  If you take this one from me too and harm comes to him, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in misery.’

So now if the boy is not with us when I go back to your servant, my father, and if my father whose life is closely bound up with the boy’s life, sees that the boy isn’t there, he will die.  Your servant guaranteed the boy’safety to my father.  I said, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, I will bear the blame before you, my father, all of my life.

Now then, please let your servant remain here as my lord’s slave in place of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers.  How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me?  No!  Do not let me see the misery that would come on my father!”

And so the brothers all waited patiently and hopefully for Joseph’s reply.  They knew whatever happened they would have trouble when they returned.  Either way, their father would have lost a son, whether it was Judah or Benjamin.