Have you ever been in a situation where you had no choice but to face something you had been avoiding? That’s where Jacob and his sons find themselves in Genesis 43.
Genesis 43 (ESV)
Now the famine was severe in the land. And when they had eaten the grain that they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go again, buy us a little food.” But Judah said to him, “The man solemnly warned us, saying, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’ If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food. But if you will not send him, we will not go down, for the man said to us, ‘You shall not see my face, unless your brother is with you.’” Israel said, “Why did you treat me so badly as to tell the man that you had another brother?” They replied, “The man questioned us carefully about ourselves and our kindred, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ What we told him was in answer to these questions. Could we in any way know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?” And Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the boy with me, and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, both we and you and also our little ones. I will be a pledge of his safety. From my hand you shall require him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever. If we had not delayed, we would now have returned twice.”
Ah yes, the old stubborn Jacob… He specifically told his children not to go back to Egypt, because he believed that he had already lost Simeon there. But there is nothing quite so humbling as being brought to your knees by utmost desperation. He finally has to bend his knee to God, because the famine was severe in the land. How often could we spare ourselves pain if we just bent our knees to God’s will earlier… Also here we see Judah begin to emerge as a different man. This is the same Judah who once sold Joseph for silver. Now he offers himself as a pledge for Benjamin’s safety. Sin had once made him selfish, but the hardship he had gone through is beginning to soften his heart. Isn’t this what God often does? He brings us and takes us to the utmost ends of ourselves, so that he can reshapes our character through the process.
Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: take some of the choice fruits of the land in your bags, and carry a present down to the man, a little balm and a little honey, gum, myrrh, pistachio nuts, and almonds. Take double the money with you. Carry back with you the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks. Perhaps it was an oversight. Take also your brother, and arise, go again to the man. May God Almighty grant you mercy before the man, and may he send back your other brother and Benjamin. And as for me, if I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.”
I bet you didn’t expect pistachios when you opened the Bible today! I certainly didn’t. Anyway, here we see Jacob finally letting go of his stubbornness. Notice his prayer: “May God Almighty grant you mercy.” For all his faults, Jacob knew that if mercy was going to come, it had to come from God. Jacob has had to rely on God’s mercy many times before and in the end, after all his stubbornness he knows deep down that he can still rely on it now. Sometimes that is what faith looks like. We hold on to and grasp something tight for such a long time that it ultimately cripples us. But in the end, in faith and in trusting in God’s mercy, we finally open our hands and entrust it to God. Maybe you feel like this today… here is your opportunity to let it go.
So the men took this present, and they took double the money with them, and Benjamin. They arose and went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph. When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, “Bring the men into the house, and slaughter an animal and make ready, for the men are to dine with me at noon.” The man did as Joseph told him and brought the men to Joseph’s house. And the men were afraid because they were brought to Joseph’s house, and they said, “It is because of the money, which was replaced in our sacks the first time, that we are brought in, so that he may assault us and fall upon us to make us servants and seize our donkeys.”
Do you see how guilt and fear twist their thinking? Is that not often how guilt and fear work? Instead of trusting in God’s mercy and expecting kindness from Joseph, they expect punishment. They cannot imagine grace. That is what guilt does to the heart… it makes us suspicious. But could it be that we miss out on the joy of blessings that God has sovereignly arranged for us as a result of our fear or guilt? Something to think about…
So they went up to the steward of Joseph’s house and spoke with him at the door of the house, and said, “Oh, my lord, we came down the first time to buy food. And when we came to the lodging place we opened our sacks, and there was each man’s money in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight. So we have brought it again with us, and we have brought other money down with us to buy food. We do not know who put our money in our sacks.” He replied, “Peace to you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has put treasure in your sacks for you. I received your money.” Then he brought Simeon out to them.
See again what fear does to us. It makes us fall before the one who has power over us. Proverbs tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. If only we and the world would recognise that God has ultimate power over us and that we should fear him as a result. If we did that, then we too will experience this beautiful moment the brothers experience. They expect judgment and wrath, but they are met with peace. The steward even points them to God: “Your God and the God of your father has put treasure in your sacks.” Isn’t that the gospel? We come in fear, before the almighty God who has every right to treat us with wrath and judgement. We know that our sin has created a debt. But God tells us the debt has already been covered, it has already been paid. And He paid it Himself.
When Joseph came home, they brought into the house to him the present that they had with them and bowed down to him to the ground. And he inquired about their welfare and said, “Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?” They said, “Your servant our father is well; he is still alive.” And they bowed their heads and prostrated themselves. And he lifted up his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, and said, “Is this your youngest brother, of whom you spoke to me? God be gracious to you, my son!” Then Joseph hurried out, for his compassion grew warm for his brother, and he sought a place to weep. And he entered his chamber and wept there.
Joseph could not contain himself upon seeing his youngest brother. For all his testing of his brothers, his heart longs for reconciliation. This is the heart of God toward us. He tests us, He draws out our repentance, in fact he brings us to the point where we have to prostrate ourselves before him, acknowledge our sin and ask for his forgiveness through Jesus. But His he is a God of compassion, rich in mercy, slow to anger and abounding in love. It is for this purpose the world was created - for him to be glorified as he demonstrates his great love in Christ Jesus. And as God the son stands in our place, all who trust in him will be embraced by the Father. Amazing!
Prayer
Father, thank You that You soften hard hearts through trials. Thank You for showing us mercy when we expect judgment. Thank You for Jesus, whose compassion toward us never fails. Teach us to entrust what we fear to You, to receive Your grace without suspicion, and to rest in Christ’s love. Amen.