They had gone only a short distance from the city. Now Joseph said to his steward, “Up, follow after the men, and when you overtake them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid evil for good?
The brothers had left Egypt with full sacks and light hearts, sure that this second journey had gone well. They were barely out of sight of the city when Joseph sent a rider after them with a charge of paying back evil for good — over a cup Joseph himself had put in Benjamin's sack.
The charge that overtakes them
One writer traces what happens next:
L. M. GrantHowever, this relief was short lived. Joseph had told his steward to overtake them and accuse them of returning evil for good in stealing Joseph's silver cup (vv. 4-5). Of course such an accusation was a shock to the brothers. They protested that they would not think of such a thing.
The purpose behind the planted cup
The pursuit is not revenge. It is a deliberate probe, aimed at what is still unhealed in the men:
William KellyJoseph, who pictures Christ, was here to carry out the probe needed to clear away all the past wrong, and to form a new heart and a new spirit in his brothers. It was for God's sake and their sakes, not his own. He wanted the reality and the evidence of a divine work in their conscience and heart. This is why the cup went into Benjamin's sack.
Recorded, not recommended
A false charge is a hard way to reach a conscience. One writer weighs the motive and the method separately:
William KellyThe trial was severe, yet love directed it in the fear of God. Even so, we may feel that the way he chose was in no way what the New Testament would suggest to the Christian… Joseph acted according to his measure, weakened no doubt by the Egyptian life around him. Scripture tells us the facts as they were, without approval or apology.
Innocent of the cup, guilty of the brother
The charge is false, and that is what makes it work. The brothers could have defended themselves and taken offence. Instead the old sin surfaced:
J. G. BellettThey were innocent, indeed, about the cup. But this means nothing to their consciences… They had been called spies when they were true men. Now they were treated as common thieves, though they were honest men. They might have said this was too bad… But no — nothing of this — that was not the way of Joseph's brothers now. They had once hidden their guilt under the lie they sent to their father. Now they are willing to hide their innocence about the cup under the confession they make to Joseph.
Back at the field of Dothan
The same writer weighs what this moment asks of them:
J. G. BellettBut this, simple as it seems, is the crisis… Will the sorrows of Benjamin move them, as the cries of Joseph once failed to do? Will the grief of the aged father at home plead with their heart, as once it did not? This place, this moment, was the field of Dothan again. They were returning, in spirit, to the place where all their offence was committed.
Exposed before he is revealed
Joseph does not make himself known yet. He sends a steward with a charge instead. One writer sees a set order here:
Hamilton SmithHowever, before Joseph can be revealed to them they must be exposed before Joseph. To this end Joseph's cup is placed in Benjamin's sack. After they leave, Joseph's steward chases them and charges them with taking the cup. They protest their innocence.
Another writer carries the same order forward to Israel:
J. N. DarbyNotice only that here repentance is tied directly to the rejection of Joseph. This is brought home to the conscience of Joseph's brothers. So in the end it will be with Israel. It is not a matter of the law here — that comes after Sinai — but of the Messiah, whom Joseph pictures. Their consciences are fully convinced, and they go back over all the circumstances of his rejection. It is only gradually that Joseph reveals himself, and with many exercises of heart, which his dealings work in his brothers.
Summary
- Charge. Joseph's steward overtakes them just outside the city and accuses them of returning evil for good. The charge shocks them, and they protest that they would never do such a thing.
- Probe. The cup in Benjamin's sack was a deliberate test. It was meant to form a new heart and spirit in the brothers, for God's sake and theirs, not Joseph's.
- Honesty. Love directed the trial. Yet the method is not what the New Testament would suggest to a Christian. Scripture reports the facts without approval or apology.
- Memory. The false charge carries them back, in spirit, to the field of Dothan. Will Benjamin's sorrow move them where Joseph's cries did not?
- Revelation. Exposure comes before disclosure. The brothers must be exposed before Joseph reveals himself, and Israel will one day repent the same way over the Messiah it rejected.