Lesson #18

The Truth Will Out

(44: 1 45: 28)

Entering Lesson #17, Joseph has risen from a slave to become Prime Minister of Egypt; seven years of plenty have passed, during which Joseph brilliantly expands Egypts agricultural land; builds massive food reserves; and now, during the years of famine, has cornered the grain market, selling provisions at a hefty profit to all who come to Egypt . . . including his brothers, whom he sees for the first time in 20 yearsthe brothers who wanted him dead.

As we move from Lesson #17 to #18, when Joseph sees his brothers standing before him, a storm of emotions surges in his heart: anger, vengeance, selfrighteousness, longing, love, hate . . . These are the brothers who betrayed him. These are the brothers who hated him. These are the brothers who now need his help in a time of famine. The anger and heartbreak, love and loss that Joseph buried deep inside for twenty years erupt. Nowhere else in Scripture do we have such a kaleidoscope of emotions on full display.

5. National Gallery, London.

Raphael de Mercatelli. Illuminated Bible, late 15th century. Ghent Cathedral, Ms. 10, fol. 74.

Why is the silver returned . . . again?

As Joseph has time to process the encounter with his brothers and to sort out the storm of emotions raging within, he determines to test his brothers, to discern their motives and to ensure the safety of his brother, Benjamin.

Each move Joseph makes is designed to keep his brothers off balance, to make them feel trapped in a network of uncanny circumstances they can neither control nor explain, much as he himself was trapped in a nightmare when sold as a slave into Egypt.

As the silver reappearsalong with the silver cup (accompanied by the repeated suggestion of supernatural divination)the brothers are caught, as Robert Alter observes, in a net of dream logic; the harder they struggle to escape the net, the more entangled in it they become.

The brothers who wanted to receive silver for selling Joseph into slavery in Egypt cannot seem to return the silver, no matter how hard they try!

The is the final turn of the screw: will the brothers allow Benjamin to be enslaved, as Joseph was enslaved? Will they sell him out?

Jean-Charles Tardieu. Joseph Recognized by His Brothers (oil on canvas), 1788. Private collection [auctioned at Christis, 1997, Sale 8756, Lot 252].

1. Why does Joseph return the brothers silver again, as well as place his cup in Benjamins sack? 2. There are several instances of irony in Chapter 44. What are they? 3. Why does Judah step up and offer himself in place of Benjamin? 4. When Joseph reveals himself to his brothers, how do they react? Why? 5. When Jacob is told that Joseph is still alive, how does he react? Why?

Copyright 2013 by William C. Creasy

All rights reserved. No part of this courseaudio, video, photography, maps, timelines or other mediamay be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage or retrieval devices without permission in writing or a licensing agreement from the copyright holder.