Genesis 44:1-17
"Joseph's Final Test"
Alright, so Joseph is setting up a final test to see if his brothers have truly changed. He creates a situation in which Benjamin is found guilty of theft and sentenced to serve Joseph as his slave (or killed). None of the others, though, "stole", so none of them need be his slave.
Joseph knows that Ben is the only other son from Rachel, the wife Jacob loved best. He also knew, therefore, that his father would be heartbroken should anything happen to him. So, he is testing his brothers to see if they have begun to put others before themselves. Think back to Genesis 37. The brothers were jealous of Joseph's attention, which is why they had him sold. Jealousy is a very self-centred action. Now, the brothers are in a situation, once again, where they have the opportunity to act selflessly and prove to Joseph that they have, indeed, changed.
No comments:
Post a Comment