3/14 Through the Bible in Devotions

Genesis 44 The Plot Thickens!

And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's mouth of the youngest, and his corn money. And he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken. (v. 2)

Joseph knew he could get his father to come to Egypt where he could see to it that his family did not starve, if he kept Benjamin there with him. Benjamin was his only “real” brother, and Joseph knew that Jacob loved him more than the other half-brothers. It was a great plan, but Joseph could not go through with it, and revealed to them who he was. The end result though, was the same, he persuaded his family to come to Egypt to live. Jacob was an old man, and Joseph must have thought that the trauma of his plan just might kill him, as the brothers had suggested, so he knew it was time to reveal who he was.

In this chapter though, we see the plot to use guile, and trickery, to keep Benjamin there until his whole family would come to him. We see the providence of God in this scheme, from the beginning to the end. God does provide for his own, and will go to great measures to get us in the place we need to be, the best place for us to be. This thought is seen throughout the Bible, and ought to be proclaimed from the housetops, and all the pulpits of America. God is good, no, God is great!

Why do things happen the way they do? To eventually, and fully, glorify God. It is His prerogative to do as He pleases, and to use whatever means He sees fit to accomplish His purposes. We must not question God, He knows what He is doing; He knows what’s best for us. Joseph, most assuredly, did not understand why he was treated so badly, but he saw it later, and made the best of it. We don’t always know God’s plan for us, and we don’t have to know, we just need to submit to Him, and it. By doing so, Joseph was used in a mighty way to meet the needs of Israel, and be united once again with his family. Imagine the explaining that the brothers had to do when they got home! They had to answer for their sin, and Joseph brought them face to face with it. They had to face their earthly father, as they had already repented in tears, and reconciled with their Heavenly Father. We will all be taken to account some day.