Confrontation: False Confidence Destroyed; Overjoyed and Overtaken (Gen. 44:1-6)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR -1-19-2008

 

My Worship Time Focus: Confrontation: False confidence destroyed; overjoyed & overtaken.

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Genesis 44:1-6

 

            Message of the verses:  “1 Then he commanded his house steward, saying, "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 “Put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his money for the grain." And he did as Joseph had told him.  3 As soon as it was light, the men were sent away, they with their donkeys.  4 They had just gone out of the city, and were not far off, when Joseph said to his house steward, "Up, follow the men; and when you overtake them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid evil for good?

5 ‘Is not this the one from which my lord drinks and which he indeed uses for divination? You have done wrong in doing this.’"  6 So he overtook them and spoke these words to them.”

 

            Dr. Wiersbe starts out this section of his commentary by quoting from a book by Dr. Richard M. Weaver and he writes that the point of Dr. Weaver’s book was:  “If you don’t live according to the truth, then you must suffer the consequences.”  Joseph’s brothers were not living according to the truth, for in fact they had never confessed their sin to their father and probably believed that for the past 22 years they had gotten away with their sin, but the Bible says that you sin will find you out.  According to the parts of the story that I have been going over these brothers of Joseph were beginning to think about what they had done to Joseph those long years ago a lot and by what they were saying when Joseph began his work to bring them to repentance.

 

            Overjoyed:  The brothers were probably singing a song as they left Egypt, for after all the money issue did not because a problem and Simeon was released and was with them, and Benjamin was along, so life was good.  “But their joy was only a mirage.  Authentic joy and peace can never be based on lies; they must be founded on truth.  To build on lies is to build on the sand and invite certain judgment.  Apart from righteousness, there can be no real peace, but only a fragile truce that eventually erupts into war.  ‘The work of righteousness will be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever.’  (Isa. 32:17 NKJV).”

 

            Overtaken:  I first wish to quote another section from Dr. Wiersbe’s commentary in order to explain Joseph and divination:  “A godly man of faith like Joseph wouldn’t use any form of divination, nor did he need to.  God could never approve then what He later prohibited in the law (Lev. 19:26; Num. 23:23; Deut. 18:10).  Divination was only a part of the plot.  By now, the men were sure that his master knew everything.”

 

            If they were singing a tune when leaving Egypt Joseph’s brothers were about to sing a different tune after be overcome by the steward of Joseph, and indeed they were surprised.  Joseph steward asked them the question that Joseph told him to ask and that is why have you repaid evil for good? 

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  My confession for this section is that there have been a few times in my life when I have not had the courage to tell the truth about something, (and I am going back to my supervisor days at Ford), and surely had to confess my sin and tell the truth.  One time I seemed to be talked into something before I knew what happened about some kind of a snow day.  At any rate I know I have to build my life on the truth and that truth is Jesus Christ and His Word.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  To build my life upon the Rock.