“When Life is the Pits”
A Study of the Life of Joseph
Sermon # 8
“Dealing With Rebuilding Trust!”
Genesis 43:15-34, 44:1-14
Trust is a valuable commodity, it is hard to obtain and easy to lose. Trust is one of the most significant ingredients in all of human relationships. Who among us has not suffered from its loss. Perhaps it has been from something we have done or said that others have suffered a loss of trust in us and we have been trying to rebuild that lost trust. Or perhaps we have been on the other side and someone has done something that has shattered our trust in them.
“One problem I remember was a time when our son Bob broke our trust and lied to his mother and me. He was still young, dating Linda, his wife-to-be, and was only allowed to see her on certain nights. Well, one night he wanted to see her without permission and told us he was at his friend’s house. When we found out the truth, there was a real scene between us. He had violated our trust; it was like a crack in a fine cup that marred its appearance.
In the confrontation, I smashed a fine English tea cup on the floor and told Bob that to restore our trust would be like gluing that cup back together again. He said, "I don’t know if I can do that." And I said, "Well, that’s how hard it is to build confidence and trust again." The outcome was that Bob spent literally weeks carefully gluing the pieces together until he finished. He learned a very important lesson.” (Dr. Robert H. Schuller, Homemade, Jan 1985.)
The past had shattered Joseph’s ability to trust his brothers. In order to trust his brothers, Joseph needed to know and believe two things – that they were telling him the whole truth and that they were truly sorry for what they had done, both before God and man.
As we take up with this segment of Joseph’s story, Simeon is still being held in prison in Egypt and Jacob’s other sons having exhausted their provisions obtain on their previous trip, are returning once again to Egypt with their youngest brother, Benjamin. They hope to prove to the Egyptian ruler the trustworthiness of their word, to prove that they were not spies, to ransom Simeon from prison and to obtain more food. They are in addition bringing back the money that they had found in their sack on their original journey, in accordance with the instructions of their father, they brought double the amount, along with some very special gifts (43:11-12).
Finally they arrive and I am sure that their hearts were full of questions. “Will the Egyptian prime minister believe us about the money? Will he release Simeon as he has promised or will we be all thrown in prison? Will he let us return in peace with food for our families?” Surely with questions and others echoing in their minds they were trembling with anxiety as what fate awaited them in Egypt. The same fear that gripped them when they found the money in their bags on the return trip from Egypt, gripped them now. We pick up with our story in verse fifteen, “So the men took that present and Benjamin, and they took double money in their hand, and arose and went down to Egypt; and they stood before Joseph. (16) When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, “Take these men to my home, and slaughter an animal and make ready; for these men will dine with me at noon.” (17) Then the man did as Joseph ordered, and the man brought the men into Joseph’s house.
To their great surprise, when they arrived in Egypt they were taken to Joseph’s private mansion. They were absolutely terrified that Joseph was going to have them thrown into prison also. In verse 18 we are told, “ Now the men were afraid because they were brought into Joseph’s house; and they said, “It is because of the money, which was returned in our sacks the first time, that we are brought in, so that he may make a case against us and seize us, to take us as slaves with our donkeys.” Proverbs 28:1 says, “the Wicked flee when no one pursues.” A guilty conscience does strange things to our minds.
The brothers wasted no time in taking the steward aside, the same man who had handled their earlier transaction and explained how they had found that their money had been returned. Verses 20 through 22 tells us, “When they drew near to the steward of Joseph’s house, they talked with him at the door of the house, (20) and said, “O sir, we indeed came down the first time to buy food; (21) but it happened, when we came to the encampment, that we opened our sacks, and there, each man’s money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight; so we have brought it back in our hand. (22) And we have brought down other money in our hands to buy food. We do not know who put our money in our sacks.”
The steward responded by saying, (vv. 23-25), “But he said, “Peace be with you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks; I had your money.” Then he brought Simeon out to them. (24) So the man brought the men into Joseph’s house and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their donkeys feed. (25) Then they made the present ready for Joseph’s coming at noon, for they heard that they would eat bread there.” I love the response of Joseph’s steward he literally he said “Shalom.” The steward knew their language well enough to use their word for peace. And then he was a witness to these men about their own God. He said, “Elohim, your own God, is the one who has caused it to be so.” Guilt had kept the brothers from seeing the God’s hand of grace at work in their lives. How humbling to be told by this pagan idol worshipper how God was working in their lives.
The prime minister of Egypt has a banquet prepared and then according to verse 33, he had them seated, “And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth; and the men looked in astonishment at one another.” As the brothers looked around the table something became apparent to them, they had been seated in order of age, from the oldest to the youngest. This can hardly have been a coincidence. Henry Morris in his commentary notes that there are “no less than 39,917,000 different orders in which eleven individuals could have been seated.” {Henry M. Morris. The Genesis Record. (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1962) p. 93] This is the first time in twenty years that all twelve brothers have been in the same place at the same time, but only one of them is aware of it.
Obviously much has been accomplished in these sin- hardened brothers of Joseph’s through the reawakening of their consciences. But now Joseph must know if they are truly changed men. In a series of tests Joseph seeks to determine if in truth they have changed.
The first test is the test of Jealousy. Verse 24 says, “Then he took servings to them from before him, but Benjamin’s serving was five times as much as any of theirs. So they drank and were merry with him.” Benjamin now has the position of favored son of the father. Were the brothers still men who were motivated by jealousy. Their jealousy of Joseph had caused them to sell him into slavery. How would they react to Benjamin again be singled out and shown most favored status.
Now although the brothers notice that he is given more then they are there is no sign of jealousy. After all if you already have more than you can possibly eat what difference does it make that Benjamin has more. Perhaps there is food for thought (no pun intended) for us as American Christians, what difference does it make if your neighbor has a more expensive house or car or both if you already have more than you can possibly ever use?
When Joseph’s brothers were ready to head for home in Canaan once more, Joseph instructed his steward to give them as much food as they could carry, but to once again return their money and to put his own personal silver cup in Benjamin’s sack (44: 1-2). After they were on their way , Joseph sent his steward after them to accuse them of stealing.
Joseph’s brothers were so taken back at the accusation of having stolen the silver cup that they offer the life of the one who had done such a thing (v. 7). The steward had been instructed by Joseph to tell them that the thief would become his slave, but that the rest of them could go free. They were so confident of their innocence that they quickly opened their sacks to prove that this could not be true. When the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack they were sick at heart and tore their garment in sorrow (vv. 12-13).
The test of personal preservation. The supreme test of character came when the incriminating cup was found in Benjamin’s sack? Benjamin’s guilt seemed to be established by the discovery of the cup in his sack.
Years before they had all gladly sold Joseph into slavery, yet now there is not a one of the brothers who did not wish that the cup were found in his sack rather than Benjamin’s. They did not abandon him. When Benjamin was taken back to Egypt they went with him. They were ready to offer themselves as Joseph’s slaves. The last part of verse thirteen says, “and each man loaded his donkey and returned to the city.(14) So Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house, and he was still there; and they fell before him on the ground.”
How Joseph’s heart must have rejoiced when he looked up and saw that all of his brothers had returned together. Perhaps they were changed men after all? Men who would prove to be more concerned about their youngest brother and their aged father than they were about themselves. When they are ushered into Joseph’s house, Judah stepped forward and said, (v. 16), “…. “What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak? Or how shall we clear ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants; here we are, my lord’s slaves, both we and he also with whom the cup was found.” What a strange combination of words, Judah is saying that although they are innocence of the crime that they are accused of, they are guilty of a much worse crime and God is now punishing them for it.
Now Joseph gives them one more chance to take the path of self-preservation. In verse seventeen, “But he said, “Far be it from me that I should do so; the man in whose hand the cup was found, he shall be my slave. And as for you, go up in peace to your father.”
Jacob again steps up and verses 18-29 explains how all of this will effect their aged father. He says in verse 30-31, “Now therefore, when I come to your servant my father, and the lad is not with us, since his life is bound up in the lad’s life, (31) it will happen, when he sees that the lad is not with us, that he will die. So your servants will bring down the gray hair of your servant our father with sorrow to the grave.” Jacob now pleads with Joseph to allow Benjamin to return home with his brothers and that he will personally take his place as Joseph’s slave. In verse 32 he says, “For your servant became surety for the lad to my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame before my father forever.’ (33) Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the lad as a slave to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brothers.” Here stood the man who had convinced his brothers to sell Joseph into slavery now offering himself to be a slave. Now there can be no doubt he is truly repentant, he is truly changed.
For the first time we see evidence of true repentance.
Previously we have seen the brothers recognize that what they have done in the past was sin. They have, I believe, felt real regret. And this is a good beginning. But regret alone, can be nothing more than what we would expect from anyone faced with the unpleasant consequences of sin. But repentance is more than recognition of sin and regret for sin, it is a decision to turn from sin.
Conclusion
I want to conclude this morning by drawing three principles about trust.
1. Trust is a Precious Commodity and we must Treasure It. It takes years to develop trust. However, it can be destroyed by a single self-centered act.
2. When we do something to violate the Trust that others have in us we must seek to restore it.
Trust can only be restored by complete honesty.
3. Trust must be earned it is not simply granted.
Often those who are trying to rebuild trust that they have somehow destroyed will simply demand, “you just need to trust me!” The truth is, “You need to prove that you can be trusted.”
