1 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 mouth of his sack,
Joseph in Egypt symbolizes the Word of the imagination in the subconscious, or the involution of a high spiritual idea. In this Scripture, the imagination is given the opportunity to try out the strength of the other faculties (Joseph's brothers) in an endeavor to discover if they have come to that place in consciousness where they can work from the viewpoint of Truth, regardless of all else.
2 and put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, with his money for the grain." And he did as Joseph told him.
Joseph's having the cup put into Benjamin's sack represents one of the subtle ways in which YHVH imparts Truth to man's consciousness. The cup symbolizes the Understanding, or measure, in which Truth is realized, and although the recipient is not aware of it, it does its work and finally comes to consciousness in the presence of YHVH's representative (Joseph) and all the other faculties (brothers).
3 As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away with their asses.
4 When they had gone but a short distance from the city, Joseph said to his steward, "Up, 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?
5 Is it not from this that my Lord drinks, and by this that he divines? You have done wrong in so doing.'"
This cup, the Scripture relates, was used by Joseph to divine (practice Divination) with, which shows its mystical quality. It is also related to the cup that Yeshua used at the Last Supper.
6 When he overtook them, he spoke to them these words.
7 They said to him, "Why does my Lord speak such words as these? Far be it from your servants that they should do such a thing!
8 Behold, the money which we found in the mouth of our sacks, we brought back to you from the land of Canaan; how then should we steal silver or gold from your Lord's house?
9 With whomever of your servants it be found, let him die, and we also will be my Lord's slaves."
10 He said, "Let it be as you say: he with whom it is found shall be my slave, and the rest of you shall be blameless."
11 Then every man quickly lowered his sack to the ground, and every man opened his sack.
12 And he searched, beginning with the eldest and ending with the youngest; and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.
13 Then they rent their clothes, and every man loaded his ass, and they returned to the city.
14 When Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house, he was still there; and they fell before him to the ground.
15 Joseph said to them, "What deed is this that you have done? Do you not know that such a man as I can, indeed, divine?"
16 And Judah said, "What shall we say to my Lord? What shall we speak? Or how can we clear ourselves? The Gods have found out the guilt of your servants; behold, we are my Lord’s slaves, both we and he also in whose hand the cup has been found."
17 But he said, "Far be it from me that I should do so! Only the man in whose hand the cup was found shall be my slave; but as for you, go up in peace to your father."
18 Then Judah went up to him and said, "O my Lord, let your servant, I pray you, speak a word in my Lord's ears, and let not your anger burn against your servant; for you are like Pharaoh himself.
19 My Lord asked his servants, saying, 'Have you a father, or a brother?'
20 And we said to my Lord, 'We have a father, an old man, and a young brother, the child of his old age; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother's children; and his father loves him.'
21 Then you said to your servants, 'Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes upon him.'
22 We said to my Lord, 'The lad cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.'
23 Then you said to your servants, 'Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall see my face no more.'
24 When we went back to your servant my father we told him the words of my Lord.
25 And when our father said, 'Go again, buy us a little food,'
26 we said, 'We cannot go down. If our youngest brother goes with us, then we will go down; for we cannot see the man's face unless our youngest brother is with us.'
27 Then your servant my father said to us, 'You know that my wife bore me two sons;
28 one left me, and I said, Surely he has been torn to pieces; and I have never seen him since.
29 If you take this one also from me, and harm befalls him, you will bring down my gray hairs in sorrow to the grave.'
30 Now therefore, when I come to your servant my father, and the lad is not with us, then, as his life is bound up in the lad's life,
31 when he sees that the lad is not with us, he will die; and your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant our father with sorrow to the grave.
32 For your servant became surety for the lad to my father, saying, 'If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame in the sight of my father all my life.'
33 Now therefore, let your servant, I pray you, remain instead of the lad as a slave to my Lord; and let the lad go back with his brothers.
34 For how can I go back to my father if the lad is not with me? I fear to see the evil that would come upon my father."
Judah made an effective plea for Benjamin and his father. It shows a complete change of mind and heart, which is true repentance. Judah had proposed to sell Joseph into slavery. The Praise Faculty represented by Judah had been on a low plane of expression at that time. But Judah had grown with the years (as the Praise Faculty grows with use) and had become most unselfish, even to the point of offering himself as a hostage for his youngest brother. Where selfishness, jealousy, and hardness had ruled him before, there was now unselfish love, humility, devotion to principle, and willingness to serve even to the extent of giving up his liberty or his life, if need be, for the sake of his father (Divine Mind).
True repentance is always followed by forgiveness, which is a complete wiping out of the error thought from consciousness and a full deliverance from the discord that the error thought has produced.