Trickery

If people won't do the right thing on their own, is it right to trick them into it?

Then he commanded the steward of his house, "Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man's money in the top of his sack. Put my cup, the silver cup, in the top of the sack of the youngest, with his money for the grain." And he did as Joseph told him. As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away with their donkeys. When they had gone only a short distance from the city, Joseph said to his steward, "Go, follow after the men; and when you overtake them, say to them, 'Why have you returned evil for good? Why have you stolen my silver cup? - Genesis 44:1-4

We have been following the story of Joseph and his brothers from the time Pharaoh dreams of the coming famine, and now we have Joseph planting a silver cup in the sack of the youngest brother, Benjamin, to trick the brothers into bringing their father to Joseph.

It is a clever plan, and yet it is trickery.

The situation is manufactured to put the youngest brother in jeopardy, knowing the father would want to come to save him.

We don't know at this point that his intentions are good.  He wants to save his people from death, and he knows how stubborn his father can be.

We believe his intentions are good because we think we know Joseph as a man who loves his family, but we could have doubts.  After all, he was tricked by his brothers and left for dead.  He could be looking to get even.

And if his brothers knew who he was, they would be certain that they were going to die or be enslaved for life.

How we interpret the planting of the silver cup in Benjamin's sack depends on what we believe Joseph is trying to accomplish.  If he is looking to help them, we see it as good, but if he wants to harm them, we would judge it as bad.

And then there are those who would say that any form of trickery is bad, even if the intentions are good, because it is dishonest.

So, how do we reconcile Joseph's actions with our desire to see him as good?

In modern parlance, we would say that was spin, and many would find Joseph's methods reprehensible. 

Perhaps it is not always so easy to judge good and bad, right and wrong.  That is why we rely on others to interpret these things for us.  It is easier that way. 

But of course, they could be practicing trickery too.  And then where would we be?

More to come...