Genesis 44:15 Joseph said to them, “What is this you have done? Don’t you know that a man like me can find things out by divination?”
I am still struggling with whether this is a test set by Joseph that God uses or a test set by God, who instructs Joseph. It feels incredibly pointed, but Joseph gets the information he is after: His brothers have changed.
Genesis 44:16 “What can we say to my lord?” Judah replied. “What can we say? How can we prove our innocence? God has uncovered your servants’ guilt. We are now my lord’s slaves—we ourselves and the one who was found to have the cup.”
Twenty years ago, they sold him into slavery. Now, they have pledged to all be slaves, not just Benjamin, in whose bag the cup was found. These “middle-aged men…of relative privilege” (from commentary) put their fate in with the favored younger brother without a second thought.
Genesis 44:17 But Joseph said, “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.”
Precious Savior, Thank You for this reminder that people can change. I can sometimes be quick to judge and slow to let go of a grudge. Forgive me. Help me to see others as You see them. Help me to give others (and myself) grace upon grace as we strive to become more like You. Amen.
Genesis 44:18 Then Judah went up to him and said: “Pardon your servant, my lord, let me speak a word to my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, though you are equal to Pharaoh himself.
Have a blessed day.