A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES: GOD MEANS IT FOR GOOD P/52

 

                                                                                    Read Part One HERE

A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

         GOD MEANS IT FOR GOOD

                         PART LII

"I, Judah, waited to hear what the response of the official in charge of the grain distribution here in Egypt to my words would be.... We, all eleven sons of Jacob, have gathered before him... Because his special silver cup was found in the sack of our youngest brother Benjamin.... We know that he is innocent... But we cannot prove it... I felt I had no choice but to offer ourselves as slaves to this man.... God must be dealing with us... We must accept the payment for our sins... The official has told us he will only keep Benjamin as his slave... But Benjamin should be allowed to go free... He has not done anything wrong... Moreover, I have promised our father Jacob that Benjamin will return to him... I must keep my word... My father cannot live without Benjamin... He can live without me... But he cannot live without Benjamin.... I must speak with the official.... And plead with him for the life of Benjamin."... Please read the typed out attachment when you will learn that Judah once again speaks to the "Egyptian" official explaining to him that his father Jacob cannot live without his youngest son Benjamin... 

                 ATTACHMENT A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                                                  GOD MEANS IT FOR GOOD

                                                                   PART LII

Jusah, one of the eleven sons of Jacob, once again speaks to the official in charge of the grain distribution in Egypt to remind the official that their youngest brother, who is in danger of being kept in Egypt as a slave, is very close to his father as you can read in Genesis 44:18-24

Then Judah went up to him and said, "Please, my lord, let your servant speak a word to my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, though you are equal to Pharaoh himself. My lord asked his servants, "Do you have a father or a brother?" And we answered, "We have an aged father, and there is a son born to him in his old age. His brother is dead, and he is the only one of his mother's sons left, and his father loves him." Then you said to your servants, "Bring him down to me so I can see him for myself." And we said to my lord, "The boy cannot leave his father; if he leaves him, his father will die." But you told your servants, "Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again." When we went back to your servant, my father, we told him what my lord had said."

Judah knows that his father Jacob will not be able to cope with the loss of his son Benjamin.

Read Part Fifty-Three HERE

 

 

                               

 

 

 

                           

 

            WISHING YOU A VERY MERRY  

                       CHRISTMAS AND 

              GOD'S BLESSINGS FOR 2025

A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES: GOD MEANS IT FOR GOOD P/51

 

                                                                                    Read Part One HERE                   

A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES 

           GOD MEANS IT FOR GOOD

                           PART LI

"I, the official in charge of the grain distribution here in Egypt, watched the faces of the eleven men in front of me... They have come back to me because my special silver cup was found in the sack with grain of the youngest one... The one who is called Judah just now spoke up... He told me that they cannot prove their innocence... He told me as well that they will all become my slaves...I know they are innocent... I personally told my steward to place my silver cup in the sack of their youngest brother.... I know too that they cannot prove their innocence to me... I will now put them to the test by declaring to them that they can all go home, apart from their youngest brother Benjamin.... He must stay behind to become my slave... I wonder what their response will be when I tell them they can go back to their father... Only the one in whose sack my silver cup was found must remain... Will they acccept my offer and go home without their brother?... No doubt, I will soon find out."... Please read the typed out attachment when you will learn that the "Egyptian" official in charge of the grain distribution tells Jacob's sons they can all go home, apart from the one son in whose sack his silver cup was found...

 

                 ATTACHMENT A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                                                    GOD MEANS IT FOR GOOD

                                                                 PART LI

The official in charge of the grain distribution in Egypt listens to Judah, one of the eleven sons of Jacob, telling him all the brothers will become his slaves. He then gives his verdict as you can read in Genesis 44:17

But Joseph said, "Far be it from me to do such a thing! Only the man who was found to have the cup will become my slave. The rest of you go back to your father in peace."

The "Egyptian" official gives ten of the eleven brothers the opportunity to go back home to their father in Canaan. He only demands that their youngest brother stays behind in Egyt as his slave.

Read Part Fifty-Two HERE

A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES: GOD MEANS IT FOR GOOD P/50

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Read Part One HERE

A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

           GOD MEANS IT FOR GOOD

                         PART  L

"I, Judah, one of the sons of Jacob, am back before the "Egyptian" official in charge of the grain distribution, together with my ten brothers....We had left him earlier this morning after our donkeys had been loaded up with grain to take back home to Canaan for our families...We were so relieved to leave... For we were once again together after having had to leave Simeon behind at our previous trip to Egypt... We thought nothing could stop us this time from getting home to our father... But then the steward of the official caught up with us... We had not gone too far as yet... He accused us that we had taken his master's special silver cup... We were convinced he was mistaken... But he was not... The silver cup was found in Benjamin's sack.... However, we are absolutely certain that Benjamin has not taken this cup...Of course, the official will not believe us when we tell him Benjamin is innocent... All we can do is to offer ourselves up as this man's slaves... I believe I should speak up for I feel responsible for the sale of my brother Joseph as slave when he was taken to Egypt all these years ago... It is only right that we now become slaves in Egypt as well."... Please read the typed out attachment when you will learn that Judah speaks up and tells the "Egytian" official that they will become his slaves...

 

                    ATTACHMENT A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES 

                                                  GOD MEANS IT FOR GOOD

                                                                  PART L

Judah, one of the eleven sons of Jacob, addresses the "Egyptian" official in charge of the grain distribution here as you can read in Genesis 44:16

"What can we say my lord?" Judah replied."What can we say? How can we prove our innocence? God ha uncovered your servant's guilt. We are now my lord's slaves... We ourselves and the one who was found to have the cup."

Judah speaks on behalf of all the brothers when he addresses the "Egyptian" official. He knows that he and all the others, apart from Benjamin, are guilty of sins they have committed and that God is finally dealing with them in relation to these sins. 

Read Part Fifty-One HERE

                                                     

       

A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES: GOD MEANS IT FOR GOOD P/49

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Read Part One HERE        

A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

       GOD MEANS IT FOR GOOD 

                     PART XLIX 

"I, the official in charge of the grain distribution here in Egypt, have been expecting eleven men to return to me.... They are all the sons of a man named Jacob... And they had come before me early yesterday morning.... At that time I had invited them to have lunch with me at my home.. This morning I had my steward fill their sacks with grain to be taken back to their home in Canaan... I had told my steward as well to put my special silver cup in the sack of the youngest of these men without their knowledge...He did so and we then said goodbye to them...They, no doubt, were very relieved that they could go home without any difficulty... They had come before me a year ago... At that time I had insisted that I keep one of them with me in prison... I had told them as well that whenever they returned they must bring their youngest brother with them... For only then would their brother who had stayed behind be released....No doubt, they were very grateful that I kept my word... For I had Simeon, the brother I had kept in prison here in Egypt, released...When they left earlier this morning they believed, of course, that everything would go well from that moment on... But they did not realise I had planned one more test for them...So I sent my steward after them... And he had them open their sacks... They then found my special silver cup in the sack of their youngest brother....All the eleven men have just now returned with my steward... They look very despondent... They know that the situation looks very bleak... It is now time to address them... They must be made to believe that I am extremely upset with them."... Please read the typed out attachment when you will learn that the brothers come before the "Egyptian" official who addresses them quite severely....

                    ATTACHMENT A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                                                  GOD MEANS IT FOR GOOD

                                                               PART XLX           

The official in charge of the grain distribution here in Egypt looks at the eleven men in front of him. They have just returned to him because his special silver cup was found in the sack of the youngest brother as you can read in Genesis 44:15

Joseph said to them, "What is that you have done? Dont't you know that a man like me can find things out by divination?"

The "Egyptian" official addressed the men in front of him sternly. After all, the loss of his silver cup is a serious matter.  

Read Part Fifty HERE         

 

        

A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES: GOD MEANS IT FOR GOOD P/48

 

                                                                                    Read Part One HERE

A PURPOSEFUL LIFEL OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

             GOD MEANS IT FOR GOOD 

                       PART XLVIII

"We, the eleven sons of Jacob, have once again returned to the "Egyptian" official in charge of the grain distribution... We were already on our way back home to Canaan with the grain we had bought from him...But we were then stopped by his steward...He accused us of having taken the special silver cup of his master....We knew we had not done such a thing...So we were only too pleased to have him search through our sacks filled with grain...We were confident that we would be able to prove our innocence....But then to our utter horrer the steward found his master's special silver cup in our brother Benjamin sack... We have no explanation as to how this silver cup ended up in our youngest brother Bernjamin's sack....One thing we do know: Benjamin has not taken it.... However, how can we explain that to the "Egytian" official?....We know that in his eyes Benjamin must be guilty...What will he do to him?....Will he decide that Bejamin has to become his slave?... That must never be!!... Please read the typed out attachment when you will learn that the  brothers return to the city to meet up with the "Egyptian" official...

                 ATTACHMENT A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                                                       GOD MEANS IT FOR GOOD

                                                               PART XLVIII

The moment the brothers, including Benjamin, return to the city, they present themselves before the "Egyptian" official. They know they are in need of his mercy as you can read in Genesis 44:14

Joseph was still in the house when Judah and his brothers came in, and they threw themselves to the ground before them.

The brothers know there is nothing they can say in their defence for the cup was found among them.

Read Part Forty-Nine HERE

      

A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES: GOD MEANS IT FOR GOOD P/47

 

                                                                                    Read Part One HERE

A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

          GOD MEANS IT FOR GOOD

                        PART XLVII

"We, the eleven sons of Jacob, were on our way from Egypt to Canaan with the grain we had bought for our families... We were very relieved that everything had gone so smooth this time...But then we were stopped by the steward of the "Egyptian" official in charge of the grain distribution....He accused us of having taken the special silver cup of the official... We all know that none of us has done such a thing... We are honest men... We were so convinced that no one has the silver cup in his possesssion that we told the steward we are willing to become his slaves if he did find the silver cup in one of our sacks...The steward then looked through each of our sacks... He did not find the cup in any of our sacks as we expected...Until he came to the sack of our youngest brother Benjamin!!... We wanted to tell him not to bother going through the sack of Benjamin.... But we knew he would not listen to us... So we let him search through Benjamin's sack.... We did not have a choice in the matter, anyway... But we were completely relaxed....For Benjamin does not know about any wrong doing...He is as innocent as can possibly be... After all, he is always with our father... So he lives a very sheltered life...He does not know what it means to be out in the fields taking care of the sheep.... However, the steward then discovered something in Benjamin's sack: the silver cup of his master!!... We do not know how it got there... We only know that Benjamin did not take it.... And we know one thing: We must go back and present ourselves again to the "Egyptian" official.".... Please read the typed out attachment when you will learn that the steward finds his master's special cup in Benjamin's sack....

                     ATTACHMENT A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                                                        GOD MEANS IT FOR GOOD

                                                                   PART XLVII

The brothers, including Benjamin, notice that the steward looks at each sack in order of their age. This means that the last sack he looks in is the sack of Benjamin as you can read in Genesis 44:12b -13

And the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. At this they tore their clothes. Then they all loaded their donkeys and returned to the city.

The brothers do not understand how the silver cup of the "Egyptian" official ended up in Benjamins's sack. All their confidence is gone. All they can do now is to return to the offical to plead Benjamin's case.

Read Part Forty-Eight HERE

A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES: GOD MEANS IT FOR GOOD P/46

 

                                                                                    Read Post One HERE 

A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES 

               GOD MEANS IT FOR GOOD 

                            PART XLVI

"I, the steward of the official in charge of the grain distribution here in Egypt, have just told the men to get their sacks of grain from their donkeys...They have all done so... I will inspect each one of their sacks very carefully.... For I must find my master's special silver cup in one of them...I will start inspecting the sack of the oldest brother first.... Eventhough I know the silver cup is not in his sack....The silver cup is in the sack of the youngest brother... But I must do the work very methodically... So I must start with inspecting the sack of the oldest brother....And I must end with inspecting the sack of the youngest brother....And I must give each sack the same amont of time... That way the brothers will not wonder why I spend more time on one sack compared to another one...No doubt, their confidence that they do not have the silver cup will rise when I cannot find it in ten of their sacks... However, I already know that things will change for the worse when I finally open the sack of their youngest brother."... Please read the typed out attachment when you will learn that the steward insists he must inspect the sacks of all the brothers....

 

                  ATTACHMENT A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                                                    GOD MEANS IT FOR GOOD

                                                                PART XLVI

The brothers, including Benjamin, open their sacks so that the steward of the "Egyptian" official can check them to confirm that not one of them has the special silver cup of the official in his possession as you can read in Genesis 44:11-12a

Each of them quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest....

The brothers are completely confident that the steward is mistaken. Their conficence grows each time that the steward opens a sack and cannot find the silver cup he is looking for....

Read Part Forty-Seven HERE

A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES: GOD MEANS IT FOR GOOD P/45

 

                                                                                    Read Part One HERE  

A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES 

             GOD MEANS IT FOR GOOD

                          PART XLV

"I, the steward of the "Egyptian" official in charge of the grain distibution here in Egypt, have been sent by my master to go after the eleven men who have bought grain from him.... After I caught up with them I told them they had stolen my master's special silver cup...I could see from the expression on their faces that they were shocked to hear my accusation against them.... They then spoke up... They told me they would never do such a thing...And if there was one among them who had taken the cup... Then he should die... And the others would become my slaves... I know the truth, of course....I know that my master's special silver cup is in the sack of the youngest one.... The one they call Benjamin... For I put the cup in his sack... As ordered by my master...They do not know that... But they will soon find out... I have just told them that whoever has the cup in his sack will become my slave... And the others can go free... It is now time for me to to begin to inspect each man's sack... I will do it in order of their age.".... Please read the typed out attachment when you will learn that the steward tells the brothers that the one who has the cup in his sack will become his slave....

                  ATTACHMENT A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                                                GOD MEANS IT FOR GOOD

                                                            PART XLV

The steward listens to the declaration of the brothers, including Benjamin, that they are innocent of any crime. He then changes the verdict slightly in that only the guilty one will be punished with slavery while the others will be allowed to go back home as you can read in Genesis 44:10

"Very well," he said, "let it be as you say. Whoever is found to have it will become my slave; the rest of you will be free from blame."

The steward, acting on behalf of his master, declares that the guilty one will become a slave, but that the other brothers will go free.

Read Part Forty-Six HERE