Erased Guilt

Erased Guilt

Genesis 43: ¹⁵ 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.

 

¹⁸ 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.”

 

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Joseph’s brothers did as Israel told them to do. They took Benjamin and the presents and the extra money to Joseph. When Joseph saw Benjamin with his brothers, he ordered the “steward of the house” to take them to his home and make a feast.

 

My Observations:

• Joseph may have suspected that his brothers would have killed Benjamin, so he needed to see him alive.
• Joseph started off as a steward of Potiphar’s house and now he had a steward waiting on him.
• Joseph’s brothers felt guilty, but little did they know, their guilt was erased.

 

Thinking about the mistakes they made over the years led them to a conclusion that they were about to be sentenced. It wasn’t just about the money, rather it was their guilty lives. Up to this point, they tried to kill Joseph, then sold him into slavery and covered up what they had done. Then when Simeon was put in prison, they told Israel a half-truth.

 

Now the brothers were being invited to a feast and they could not see this as a blessing. They thought the worst by saying they would be taken as slaves, possibly like they did to Joseph. They had no idea their guilt had been erased.

 

Challenge

• Why does GOD tell Moses about the reaction of Joseph’s brothers when they were invited to a feast?
• Have you ever felt guilty and had your mind made up that you are about to be punished?
• Do you realize that JESUS was tempted in every way you have so HE is sympathetic to the way you feel and loves you dearly?