March 18, 2013
YOUR PAST DOES NOT DEFINE YOUR FUTURE
Genesis 44:1-17
Jeff Richard
Central Truth
We cannot judge people by what they have done in the past. Our past doesn't necessarily define who we are now. Age, experience, and the grace of God may make men wiser and better. The brothers had sold Joseph, but they would not abandon Benjamin.
Key Verse | Genesis 44:17
But he said, "Far be it from me to do this. The man in whose possession the cup has been found, he shall be my slave; but as for you, go up in peace to your father." (Genesis 44:17)
Genesis 44:1-17
Joseph Tests His Brothers
1 Then he commanded the steward of his house, “Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man's money in the mouth of his sack, 2 and put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, with his money for the grain.” And he did as Joseph told him.
3 As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away with their donkeys. 4 They had gone only a short distance from the city. Now Joseph said to his steward, “Up, follow after the men, and when you overtake them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid evil for good? 1 44:4 Septuagint (compare Vulgate) adds Why have you stolen my silver cup? 5 Is it not from this that my lord drinks, and by this that he practices divination? You have done evil in doing this.’”
6 When he overtook them, he spoke to them these words. 7 They said to him, “Why does my lord speak such words as these? Far be it from your servants to do such a thing! 8 Behold, the money that we found in the mouths of our sacks we brought back to you from the land of Canaan. How then could we steal silver or gold from your lord's house? 9 Whichever of your servants is found with it shall die, and we also will be my lord's servants.” 10 He said, “Let it be as you say: he who is found with it shall be my servant, and the rest of you shall be innocent.” 11 Then each man quickly lowered his sack to the ground, and each man opened his sack. 12 And he searched, beginning with the eldest and ending with the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. 13 Then they tore their clothes, and every man loaded his donkey, and they returned to the city.
14 When Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house, he was still there. They fell before him to the ground. 15 Joseph said to them, “What deed is this that you have done? Do you not know that a man like me can indeed practice divination?” 16 And Judah said, “What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak? Or how can we clear ourselves? God has found out the guilt of your servants; behold, we are my lord's servants, both we and he also in whose hand the cup has been found.” 17 But he said, “Far be it from me that I should do so! Only the man in whose hand the cup was found shall be my servant. But as for you, go up in peace to your father.”
Dive Deeper | Genesis 44:1-17
I've been fortunate to have walked with Christ since I was a boy. I've grown up in church and have seen God's transforming power in changing lives. I've seen drug addicts, alcoholics, thieves, angry people, and depressed people be transformed as they accepted Christ into their lives.
The path to Christ comes in all different ways … no one's path is the same. Regardless of the path, we are all in the palm of God's hand and are equal in His sight. Sometimes we may be tempted to judge a person by his past or by his appearance, but let's all resist this as Joseph did in our passage for today.
Joseph's brothers wronged him badly in the past, and Joseph now could easily have taken revenge. Instead, Joseph tested how his brothers felt towards Benjamin. If they had envied and hated this other son of Rachel as they had hated Joseph, and if they had the same feeling towards their father Jacob, they would have shown it.
When the cup was found in Benjamin's bag, they could have left him to be a slave. But they threw themselves upon Joseph's mercy and acknowledged the righteousness of God -- perhaps thinking of the injury they had formerly done to Joseph, for which they thought God was now reckoning with them. Nevertheless, the brothers' past wrongdoing did not dictate how they responded in this situation, setting the stage for family reconciliation in Genesis 45.
Discussion Questions
1. Have you ever fallen into the temptation of judging others based on the past or their appearance? Discuss.
2. Do you find it hard to look beyond past hurts when people have "wronged" you? Can you apply grace and forgiveness instead?
3. Why do you think this is a powerful concept to live by?
4. Can you think of a time when you were a recipient of this concept? Remember that all of our pasts are a little "colorful"!