Genesis 44 - a hidden treasure!

The past few years or so have been big for me in understanding the big picture of the Bible. I used to think that the Old and New Testament were a bit like two different worlds that really didn't have many similarities to one another. I have found (with the help of many teachers!) that there actually is a perfect continuity between the Old and New Testaments - and that continuity is Christ. Though He was not present in flesh, He can be found so many places if you just take the time to look. One of my favorite classes in high school was an AP English class where we learned about symbolism and allegory and other fancy terms for things that authors can subtly slip into the text. I loved to find hidden meanings and understand complex themes in the stories we read. The bible has become just that for me! It has truly become a bit of a treasure hunt to find references to Christ throughout the Bible and just yesterday I feel like the Lord opened my eyes to yet another jewel that I am sure I have overlooked many times. I was reading in Genesis 45. I tried to paste the text, but it made the blog too long so I will trust you will just read it yourself if you are interested.

The story of the silver cup is such a perfect shadow of the gospel message which is not actualized until the New Testament times. The silver cup in this story can be likened to God's wrath which is repeatedly described as being a cup that must be consumed by a guilty party. (Jer 25:25, Mt 26:39, Jn 18:11, Rv 14:10) In the Gen 45 story the one who is found holding the cup is the one who is to be made servant to Joseph, and the rest are to go free. The gospel of Christ says that we are ALL the ones who hold the cup and should be required to drink of it. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Rom 3:13 "For the wages of sin is death" Rom 6:23 Jerry Bridges explains it well when he says, "During those awful hours when Jesus hung on the cross, the cup of God's wrath was completely turned upside down. Christ exhausted the cup of God's wrath. For all who trust in him (for forgiveness of their sins) there is NOTHING more in the cup. It is empty." We should die, just like Benjamin should have. Don't forget, these brothers were not innocent, they were truly guilty of doing away with Joseph many years before. When we remain in our sin we technically owe God our lives, b/c the wages of sin is death. In this narrative the brothers who did not possess the cup were told that they may freely return to their father. Likewise, in post-gospel times the ones for whom Christ has taken the cup of God's wrath are left to go freely up in peace along their journey to their Father - God! (v.17) When the cup is found, Judah's response is “What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak? Or how can we clear ourselves? God has found out the guilt of your servants; behold, we are my lord's servants . . ." The response is basically "There is nothing more to say than we are guilty and are indebted to you." Funny, but that is exactly what Christ requires of those who are true followers. You must not offer excuses. You must not minimize your sin. You must simply come to Him with a knowledge of the cup of wrath that is waiting for you, a genuine heart of sorrow for your sin, and asking simply for mercy in the provision of a substitute in Christ Jesus. Oh man, this stuff is sooo good! I have much more I could write on this but I challenge you to read Gen 45 yourself and dig even deeper than I have! I pray that it is a treasure to you to!