Genesis 44

Your support brings you this daily dose of inspiration! If you find value in the Dope Daily Audio Bible and want to help keep it going, hit the link below to become a patron. Every contribution, big or small, makes a huge difference.

Support Link: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2210462/support

Every day with the Dope Daily Audio Bible brings you a step closer to becoming a dope disciple. 
 
Remember, this is a journey, not a race. 
 
Take these words with you throughout your day, and reflect on how they can guide you.

Grow in Your Faith:

Looking for more dope resources to deepen your connection? Head over to www.beMaroon.com - a website dedicated to helping you grow in your faith with fresh perspectives and practical tools.

Transcript

0:01

You are listening to the Dope Daily Audio Bible, and I'm your guy, pastor Charlie Mitchell, and today we're looking at Genesis chapter 44. Let's roll. Joseph commanded his steward, fill the men's bags with as much food as they can carry, and put each one silver at the top of his bag. Put my cup, the silver one at the top of the youngest one's bag, along with the silver for his grain. So he did, as Joseph told him at morning light. The men were sent off with their donkeys. They had not gone very far from the city. When Joseph said to a steward, get up, pursue the man, and when you overtake them, here's what I want you to say. Why have you repaid evil for good? Isn't this the cup that my master drinks from and uses for divination? What you have done is wrong. When he overtook them, those are the words he said to them. They said to him, why does my Lord say these things? Your servant could not possibly do such a thing. we even brought back to you from the land of Canaan, the silver we found at the top of our bags, how could we steal silver or gold from your master's house If it is found with one of us, your servants, he must die and the rest of us will become your Lord's slaves. The steward replied, what you have said is right, but only the one who has found a habit will be my slave, and the rest of you will be blameless. So each one quickly, Lord is sacked to the ground and opened it. The steward search, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest, and the cup was found in Benjamin Sack. Then they tore their clothes and each one loaded his donkey and returned to the city. When Judah and his brothers reached Joseph's house, he was still there. They fell to the ground before him. What have you done? Joseph said to them, didn't you know that a man like me can uncover the truth by divination? What can we say to my lord? Judah replied, how can we plead? How can we justify ourselves? God has exposed your servants iniquity. We are now my Lord's slaves, both we and the one who is in possession of the cup that was found. Then Joseph said, I swear that I will not do this. the man in whom possession the cup was found will be my slave. The rest of you can go in peace to your father. But Judah approached him and said, my Lord, please let your servant speak personally to my Lord. Do not be angry with your servant. For you are like Pharaoh, my Lord. Asked his servants, do you have a father or a brother? And we answered, my Lord. We have an elderly father and a younger brother, the child of his old age, The boy's brother is dead. He is the only one of his mother's sons left and his father loves him. Then you said to your servants, bring them to me so that I can see him. But we said to my Lord, the boy cannot leave his father. If he were to leave, his father would die. then you said to us, if your younger brother does not come with you, you will not see me again. This is what happened when we went back to your servant, my father. We reported to him the words of my Lord, but our father said, go again and buy us some little food. We told him we cannot go down unless our younger brother goes with us. If our younger brother isn't with us, we cannot see the man. Your servant. My father said to us, you know that my wife bore me two sons. One is gone from me. I said he must have been torn to pieces and I have never seen him again. If you take this one from me and anything happens to him, you will bring my gray hairs down to SHEEO and sorrow. So if I come to your servant, my father and the boy is not with us, his life is wrapped up with the boy's life. When he sees the boy is not with us, he will die. Then your servants will have brought the gray hairs of your servant, our father, down to she and sorrow. I have become accountable to my father. For the boy saying, if I do not return him to you, I will always bear the guilt of sending against you my father. Now please let your servant remain here as my Lord's slave in place of the boy. Let him go back with his brothers for how can I go back to my father? Without the boy, I could not bear to see the grief that would overwhelm my father. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, you are the God of justice and mercy. You test our hearts not to destroy us, but to reveal what actually lies inside of our hearts. Just as Joseph tested his brothers, forcing them to confront their past and their loyalties, you often bring us into uncomfortable situations to expose what we've hidden, what we've ignored, and also what we've justified. So, Lord, we confess that we sometimes have tried to protect ourselves instead of our brothers. We bowed to the law of self preservation instead of sacrificial love. We pleaded for favor rather than repentance, But today I asked Father that you would give us a heart like you did for Judah. A heart willing to stand in the gap, someone that is willing to bear the cost of another, a heart that has been transformed by grief and by grace. So Lord, I pray that you would transform us today from the inside out. In Jesus name, amen.