Bible Study:  Genesis Chapters 44

God’s Judgment Seat

Prayer:

            Heavenly Father, while sending me forward, You seem, at times, to call me back. I confess more often than not, I don’t understand You methods. But You have taught me to trust and obey in Jesus name. Amen.

Introduction:

            “Mrs. Hendricks, you groomed my dog yesterday.”

            Disgruntled or not—I can’t always tell at the onset of the phone call—the unexpected call usually sends panic through my veins. I hate confrontation. While I answer in the most cordial tone that I can muster, “yes, ma’am,” I am thinking, now what did I do wrong?

            Most of the time, the patron simply called to ask a reasonable question or even to pay a compliment, but I have my shield raised ready to defend myself just in case.

There are those who try to accuse me of things that I’m not responsible for and their allegations must be addressed firmly, tactfully, and most of all, immediately. 

The Lesson:

      After sharing his home and supper with his brothers, Joseph sent them on their way only to call them back. He commanded his servant to put the money they had paid for the corn back in their sacks and to put his personal silver cup into Benjamin’s sack. When the brothers were a short distance outside the city, Joseph again ordered his servant to bring them back for stealing the cup (verses 1 through 5).

      Immediately, Jacob’s sons defended themselves reminding the servant that they returned the money they had found in their bags on their first visit (see chapter 43: 19-22). Why would they steal? Then they bring condemnation upon themselves in their arrogance by stating, “With whomsoever of thy servants it be found, both let him die, and we also will be my lord’s bondmen” (chapter 44:9).

      When the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack, he and his brothers tore their clothes in shame and turned back to the city (verses 10-13). Again standing face-to-face with Joseph, his brothers fell on the ground in acknowledgement of his authority.

      The time had past to plead innocence. They assumed that the cup was a judgment from God. They may not have been guilty of stealing, but there was no denying they had sinned against their brother.

      We may not be guilty of theft, adultery, or murder, but Jesus says if we harbor such things in our hearts, we have sinned.  But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart (Matthew 5:28). And James wrote if we have broken one commandment, we are guilty of breaking them all. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilt of all (James 2:11).

      We will lose any notion we may have had to argue our innocence before Almighty God. Like Benjamin, we’ll look at our Brother to plead our case.

      The remainder of this chapter is Judah’s appeal in behalf of his younger brother. He reminds the Egyptian ruler that the hardship of losing another son could cause Jacob’s death. Judah defends Benjamin in the same manner that Jesus defends us before Almighty God . . . And if any man sin, we [believers] have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:1-2). Then Judah offers his life of service for the boy’s. His willingness to become the substitute is a picture of Christ. For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the spirit: (1 Peter 3:18).

      Notice that Benjamin never spoke a word in his own defense. He trusted Judah to be his spokesman knowing his destiny rested in his brother’s ability to reason with the seemingly irrational governor.

Conclusion and Challenge:

    When considering God’s judgments, unbelievers declare God irrational. They, however, have not taken into account His great love for humanity. Unlike Benjamin, they attempt to rationalize their behavior instead of trusting our Advocate to plead their case. But as we read in 1 John 2:2, Jesus is even more than our spokesman, He is our propitiation—our atonement for sin.

    But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.  For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement (Romans 5:8-11).