Genesis 44:1-17

Joseph's Cup in Benjamin's Sack

Genesis 44:1

It is a terrible revelation when our Benjamins are found possessed of the cup. They have been so loved, so favored, so screened; they have never been guilty of the excesses of Reuben and Judah; they have given no rise to evil reports, like the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, Genesis 37:2. Now when they are convicted of sin, the surprise of their brethren is only equaled by their own remorse. This accounts for the soul agony of men like Cyprian, Augustine, Bunyan and Spurgeon. What transitions there are in life! At the close of the previous chapter the brothers were as happy as they could be, and here plunged into the deepest anguish. But the intensity of their pain and sorrow, like fire, melted and cleansed them, and prepared for the great reconciliation.