Lesson date: 5/22/5855AA

Verse 1 – Once again we see a type and shadow of our Messiah in Yoseph’s words: “Fill the men’s sacks with food, as they are able to bear,” shows us that the bountiful blessings that we receive, through the life, suffering, death and resurrection of our Messiah is beyond what we can receive. And following, “and put each man’s silver in the mouth of his sack.” Yoseph made the blessing to his brethren without cost . We have nothing to pay, nor could we because the price is too great and He made all of this available to us for free because He voluntarily paid the price for us. All we have to do is be obedient to His Commands.

Joh 14:15  “If you love Me, you shall guard My commands.

Isa_55:1  “Oh everyone who thirsts, come to the waters. And you who have no silver, come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without silver and without price.

Verse 2-5 – The man over Yoseph’s house was instructed to put Yoseph’s silver cup in the mouth of the sack of Binyamin. For millennia silver has had the reputation of neutralizing poisons and for this reason rulers drank from silver goblets and ate from silver plates (plata in Spanish means silver) and with silver utensils. An abundance of silver in the blood can in rare occasions turn a person’s skin pigment blue hence the phrase “blue-bloods” or rich came into use.

I want to point this out because in verse 5 Yoseph tells the man over his house to say that this is the cup he uses to “divine”. H5172 – נחשׁ – nâchash – BDB Definition: 1) to practice divination, divine,

In fact, the word appears twice to emphasize that fact. Notice the similarity between it and H5175 used in Gen. 3:1. Here is why I do not believe that the cup was used for divination: Lev 19:26  ‘Do not eat meat with the blood. Do not practise divination or magic.

Deu 18:10  “Let no one be found among you who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practises divination, or a user of magic, or one who interprets omens or a sorcerer,

Deu 18:11  or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead.

Verses 6-10 – Notice it is Yehudah that is so sure that no one has taken the cup that he makes the judgment worse by saying that the one who has the cup will die and the rest made slaves.

Verses 11-17 – The cup is found in Binyamin’s sack and the other brothers tear their garments. It is Yehudah, not Re’uben, that becomes the spokesman for the rest because he has given his “surety” or “guaranty” for Binyamin. Now, we have Yoseph playing mind games with his brothers. He tells them that he divines with the cup, so if the cup is taken he cannot divine yet he knew who took the cup. According to his own words he should not have know who took the cup.

In verse 17 Yoseph gives his brothers an opportunity to go free and leave Binyamin.

Verse 18-34 – Sometimes a single word can define a moment and I think that it is this way in this case: wayyiggash – H5066 – nagash – means to “draw near”. We have seen this word used before: Gen 18:22  So the men turned away from there and went toward Seḏom, but יהוה still stood before Aḇraham.

Gen 18:23  And Abraham drew near and said, “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wrong?

Just imagine what a testimony this is, that it be said that we “drew near to YHVH” or that “we drew near to Yeshua.” Did he draw near to this type and shadow of Yeshua out of love for his brother or love for his father? The mere act of drawing near to a ruler without permission could have been a death sentence. Yehudah himself acknowledges “for you are like Pharaoh”. Now we see Yehudah believing in something greater than wealth and fortune, for which he married. He now believes in love, so much so, that he is willing to risk his life. In Greek there are three types of love: eros (from which we get the word erotic), phileo (brotherly love, hence Philadelphia) and agapao( G25) or agape (G26) ((dearly loved, self-sacrificing love))

1Jn 5:2  By this we know that we love(G25) the children of Elohim, when we love(G25) Elohim and guard His commands.

1Jn 5:3  For this is the love(G26) for Elohim, that we guard His commands, and His commands are not heavy,

This is why we see the exchange between Yeshua and Shim’on in John 21:15-17: Joh 21:15  When, therefore, they had eaten breakfast, יהושע said to Shimʽon Kĕpha, “Shimʽon, son of Yonah, do you love(G25) Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yea, Master, You know that I love(G5368) You.” He said to him, “Feed My lambs.”

Joh 21:16  He said to him again, the second time, “Shimʽon, son of Yonah, do you love(G25) Me?” He said to Him, “Yea, Master, You know that I love(G5368) You.” He said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.”

Joh 21:17  He said to him the third time, “Shimʽon, son of Yonah, do you love Me?” Kĕpha was sad because He said to him the third time, “Do you love(G25) Me?” And he said to Him, “Master, You know all, You know that I love(G5368) You.” יהושע said to him, “Feed My sheep.

Yeshua is asking Peter if he loves him like a husband loves his wife and Peter keeps responding that he loves Yeshua like a brother not able to make that leap in faith that He is our bridegroom and we are the wife and we should love him unto death. In our case, death does not part us from our bridegroom but unites us.

In these verses (18-34) we see Yehudah use the words “my master” (adonai – H113 = master, husband, owner) seven times (perfection, completeness and the foundation of YHVH’s Word) and the words “your servant(s)” (H5650) twelve times (YHVH’s Power and Authority over Creation). Now, here comes something really neat. In verse 33 we see a change for H5650 to H5647 and is translated “slave” not servant. Why? The Children of Yisra’el are for the original 12 sons of Ya’aqob and now a 13^th has appeared. Thirteen represents rebellion and lawlessness; Jer_16:19  O יהוה, my strength and my stronghold and my refuge, in the day of distress the gentiles shall come to You from the ends of the earth and say, “Our fathers have inherited only falsehood, futility, and there is no value in them.”

We are the thirteenth one who has now become united with the original twelve through the power of Yeshua Messiah. We were rebellious and lawless but because of His love we have been made equal to the native born: Exo_12:49  “There is one Torah for the native-born and for the stranger who sojourns among you.”

In verse 23 we see Yehudah recall Yoseph’s words to Ya’aqob, “you do not see my face again.” does it make you think of what Yeshua told the High Priest: Luk 13:35  “See, your House is left to you laid waste. And truly I say to you, you shall by no means see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is He who is coming in the Name of יהוה!’

Mat 23:38  “See! Your house is left to you laid waste,

Mat 23:39  for I say to you, from now on you shall by no means see Me, until you say, ‘Blessed is He who is coming in the Name of יהוה!’”

Notice in verse 28 Yehudah uses the phrase “torn to pieces” referring to Yosef’s death. The phrase is one word in Hebrew – taraph – H2963 – Psa 50:22  “Understand this please, you who forget Eloah, Lest I tear you in pieces, With no one to deliver:

Might it also refer to the tearing into two pieces, northern kingdom and southern kingdom, of Yisra’el and ultimately be destroyed as a nation completely?

In these verses, 18-34, it is clear to see that Yehudah is a changed man. He is no longer the man who desired to sell  his brother for silver or married for riches, he is now a man who pledges his life for his brother. Look in verse 32 he uses the word “sinner” to describe what he would become in his father’s eyes: H2398 – חטא – châṭâ’ – khaw-taw’- BDB Definition: 1) to sin, miss, miss the way, go wrong, incur guilt,

Mat_15:9  ‘But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as teachings the commands of men.’

Mar_7:7  And in vain do they worship Me, teaching as teachings the commands of men.’

Isa 29:12  And the book is given to one who does not know books, saying, “Read this, please.” And he said, “I have not known books.”

Isa 29:13  And יהוה says, “Because this people has drawn near with its mouth, and with its lips they have esteemed Me, and it has kept its heart far from Me, and their fear of Me has become a command of men that is taught!

We will talk about why I added these last three verses.

Ahavah,