Surprise beauty in midst of testing (Joseph continued)

Did you have a craving for lamb after the last post? This portion of the story has little to do with food.
Tim took this picture awhile back and I liked it then, and I like it even more now. It reminds me that God brings out some of the greatest beauty when old things die. I'm not talking people....plants! Ya know, in order for new growth and flowering to occur, a plant must endure the harshness of winter and the death of most of its bounty. It IS a lot like what we go through in times of trial and testing. And from here we continue our story of Joseph.
The feast has finished and Joseph has made it clear to the sons of Jacob that he is pleased they have followed through with their promise of bringing Benji to Egypt. Joseph can hardly contain his emotion, but still manages to withhold his true identity from his brothers.
Once again Joseph tests his brothers to see if they are truly protectors of each other or if they operate in jealously and rage with one another. Genesis 44 reveals Joseph's plan. He tells his steward to place a silver cup (a 'divining cup') in the grain sack of Benji. The steward does as he is told and the brothers take off towards Canaan.....back home to report to their father of their gracious host and the favor of God. But ooops, Joseph's steward goes after the men and accuses them of stealing the cup and betraying the good will of their Egyptian host. Of course the boys deny the whole thing (and they WERE telling the truth....LIFE IS NOT FAIR!) and promise that 'if any one of (your) servants is found to have it, he will die and the rest of us will become my lord's slaves' (Genesis 44:9). Uh-oh!
The steward agreed to the proposal and each one of the men lowered their bags for the steward to take a look. No doubt they were filled with confidence that the steward wouldn't find anything and then the guillotine fell...CHOP! Benjamin's sack carried the silver cup of DOOM!!! When the brothers saw this, they fell to the ground and ripped off all their clothes!! I am sure they solemnly packed their donkeys and returned to Egypt 'cuz now they were in REALLY big trouble.
But this is what's interesting....not one of the brothers turned and scowled or pointed the finger at Benji.....not one brother argued with accusations. Mmmmm. Certainly not what I would have done!
So they appear before Joseph once again and throw themselves on the ground pleading "What can we say to my lord?".... in other words, "we suck and we have no clue as to how this happened! It must be an act of God to uncover our guilt". They resort to the fact that they are now all slaves and humbly pledge themselves to Joseph. But Joseph knew exactly what to say and remarks that he cannot take them ALL as slaves....only the one who took the cup...the youngest...the pride and joy of Jacob....the one that Jacob said he could not lose...the one that Judah said he'd protect from anything that would come to harm him........oh poor wee Benji. He tells them to go back to their father in peace. Yeah, right. Some peace that'll be!!
But this is where the beauty comes up from the 'ashes'. Where the 'old man' dies and a 'new man' springs forth....beautiful. This is where the rubber met the road and the true heart of the brothers came out. And this is where Joseph gets all his reservations and questions answered. Out steps Judah. You gotta read this guy's speech to Joseph! It's Genesis 44:18 and on. He starts out asking to speak to Joseph and say a word or two. He shares with Joseph that they have been truthful to the Egyptian throughout their journey....that their father's only request in their journey to Egypt was that his youngest son would return home to him.....that he mourned when his favorite son (Joseph) died and could not bear seeing his last and one and only son from his beloved wife, Rachel, dead. He shared that his father would die at the news of Benji living the life of a slave and that if losing Joseph was harsh, this would surely put him beyond misery. Judah told Joseph that he had guaranteed the safe delivery of Benji to his father and committed himself to his safe return. Therefore, HE would take the place of Benji and become Joseph's slave.....he pleaded this to Joseph.....
So we'll stop there.....just to keep you on the edge of your seat.....DON'T READ AHEAD! That's cheating! But I am sure you know what will happen. But let's take a look at what has just happened, shall we?
We have covered something very important....Judah took full responsibility and became the brothers' spokeman.....he acknowledged that this was God uncovering their sins in order that they confess and repent....he refused to leave the favored Benji.....and he sacrificed his life so that his father would not lose another one of Rachel's sons. WHOA! What a change! He basically paved the road to reconciliation! It comes with confession, then repentence, and finally there is reconciliation. This is what Joseph needed to see to be confident his brothers had really changed. I think we go through times in our lives where we have to be reconciled to God and other people over and over again. It isn't a one-time event. It comes with confessing our sins one to another (I think that's a scripture in the Bible ;p), allowing God to change our hearts toward each other or the situation through repentence and then the joy of reconciliation and peace overwhelm our spirits. Cool. Can't wait to see how things get worked out with these guys! But for now, who do I need to be reconciled to? Mmmm. Stay tuned!