Jacob has agreed to let Benjamin go with his brothers to buy more grain in Egypt. He instructed his sons to take double the amount of silver since their silver last time mysteriously ended up back in their sacks. He also told them to take gifts to the governor of Egypt.
"So the men took the gifts and double the amount of silver, and Benjamin also. They hurried down to Egypt and presented themselves to Joseph." (Genesis 43:15) I imagine they appeared before him with a great deal of apprehension in their hearts. Last time he accused them of being spies, then they found that the silver they took to Egypt to buy grain with was back in their sacks, so now they have to fear him accusing them of being thieves. I think it probably took a lot of effort for them to keep their knees from knocking together as they stood before him. They expect harsh words at the very least, if not arrest and imprisonment. What they don't expect is to be invited to lunch with the governor. "When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, 'Take these men to my house, slaughter an animal and prepare a meal; they are to eat with me at noon.'" (Genesis 43:16)
The brothers are afraid it's some kind of ruse to get them all together in the house where they will be trapped in one room with nowhere to flee, surrounded by the servants and guards of the governor. "The man did as Joseph told him and took the men to Joseph's house. Now the men were frightened when they were taken to his house. They thought, 'We were brought here because of the silver that was put back into our sacks the first time. He wants to attack us and overpower us and seize us as slaves and take our donkeys.'" (Genesis 43:17-18) Why is forced slavery the first thing they think of? Because they sold their brother into slavery. They know they deserve the loss of their own freedom as justice for what they did to Joseph. Ever since they arrived in Egypt the first time, they've had a feeling that their past is about to catch up with them. It makes sense to them that the Lord might put all of them into slavery as punishment for their sins. The phrase "an eye for an eye" hasn't yet been invented here in Chapter 43, but the spirit of that phrase is something any human being of any era can understand. We all understand the concept of making the punishment fit the crime, and losing their freedom to become slaves would be a fitting punishment for their sins.
The last thing the men want to do is go inside the house, so they try to get out of the lunch appointment. "So they went up to Joseph's steward and spoke to him at the entrance of the house. 'We beg your pardon, our lord,' they said, 'we came down here the first time to buy food. But at the place where we stopped for the night we opened our sacks and each of us found the silver---the exact weight---in the mouth of his sack. So we have brought it back with us. We have also brought additional silver with us to buy food. We don't know who put our silver in our sacks.'" (Genesis 43:19-22) They say, "Look, Mr. Steward, this has all been a big misunderstanding. We were as shocked as anybody to find our money back in our sacks when we got home. We have no explanation for how it got there unless whoever filled our sacks with grain accidentally threw our money bags in with the grain. We've brought back the money we owe your government, plus more. Would thieves do that? Would thieves even return to the scene of the crime, much less try to make things right?"
Joseph's steward either understands Hebrew or else an interpreter is with the group of men. We know from our study earlier this week that Joseph only spoke with them through an interpreter even though he understands what they're saying. It could be that an interpreter is accompanying the brothers during their stay in Egypt. Either way, the steward is aware of their protestations of innocence and tries to reassure them that no one thinks they are thieves. "'It's alright,' he said. 'Don't be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, has given you treasure in your sacks; I received your silver.' Then he brought Simeon out to them." (Genesis 43:23) As we discussed earlier in Genesis, prisons were in the basements of government officials. Simeon has been living under Joseph's own house and I am sure he was kept comfortable and well fed while there.
The steward isn't lying about the money when he says, "I received your silver.". When the servants who handled grain distribution filled the men's sacks, Joseph told them to put each man's money on top of the grain in the sack. I believe Joseph himself paid for the grain on behalf of his brothers, so the steward can truthfully say, "I received your silver." Joseph didn't cheat the government. The money for all the grain that was sold belonged to Pharaoh, and I believe Joseph had to keep books recording the amount of grain sold and the amount received at each sale. Joseph paid his brothers' debt. He paid the debt of men who don't deserve his help. Does Joseph remind you of anybody? Because he loves and serves the Lord, Joseph's character reminds us a lot of the Lord's character, doesn't it? The Lord paid our debt even though we didn't deserve His help.
In addition, the steward isn't lying when he says God gave them their money back, for God very often works through human beings. Prompted by the love and forgiveness God has given him for his brothers, Joseph wanted them to be able to have the food but also keep their money. When God tells us to do a good work and we do it, the credit really should go to Him. He is the One performing the good work through us. Any goodness found in the human heart is put there by God. We aren't born knowing right from wrong and our human hearts have a tendency to want to do only what helps ourselves. That's why the prophet Jeremiah said, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure." (Jeremiah 17:9a) Without God's influence on the human heart, I don't think any good works would ever get done. So we see that when the steward gives the credit to God for His goodness in returning the men's money, he's correct. God prompted Joseph to return their money. God gave Joseph a soft heart for the men who so spitefully betrayed him over twenty years ago.
The God who enabled Jesus Christ to say while in agony on the cross, "Father, forgive them," is the same God who can enable us to forgive those who have been our enemies. The human heart is indeed deceitful above all things but when we yield our hearts to God, changes start to take place. Joseph yielded his heart to God and as a result he is a loving, compassionate person who refuses to allow himself to fall victim of bitterness. When we live in bitterness and unforgiveness, those emotions own us. Those emotions rule what we think and how we feel. Who wants that, really? We don't have to live that way. Let's take a lesson from Joseph's behavior and let God have His way in our hearts. He will deal with disciplining any wrongdoers that need discipline; it's not our job to avenge ourselves or to worry about when and where God is going to avenge us. Our job is to walk so closely with Him that we become more and more like Him every day.
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