Gen
42:35-38 (NIV) As they were emptying their sacks, there in each man's sack was
his pouch of silver! When they and their father saw the money pouches, they
were frightened. 36 Their father Jacob said to them, "You have deprived me
of my children. Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more, and now you want to
take Benjamin. Everything is against me!"
37 Then
Reuben said to his father, "You may put both of my sons to death if I do
not bring him back to you. Entrust him to my care, and I will bring him
back."
38 But
Jacob said, "My son will not go down there with you; his brother is dead
and he is the only one left. If harm comes to him on the journey you are
taking, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in sorrow."
NOTE: Jacob shows
very little courage. He has already given up on ever seeing Simeon again.
Reuben's argument is both ridiculous and strong. Jacob is not going to kill his
grandchildren, no matter what happens, but the argument does seem to get his
father's attention. Jacob is in a major pity party. His statement
"everything is against me" is a good picture of the last 17 years of
his life. For a man who once had everything going for him, even when Laban was
against him, he is now in a funk and has completely forgotten God's previous
protection. This highlights a failure of most believers, when times are hard,
we quickly forget the miracles of the past and allow our emotions to dictate
our response to circumstances. In one sense, this is good--we do need to allow
our emotions out and to recognize how we feel. But when it continues for years,
then we are living in a pity party and are not seeking God. One could argue
that Jacob's response is a very short term emotional outburst, but I wonder. In
Gen 45:26-27, when Jacob learns Joseph is alive, he is stunned, and his spirit
revives. For 17 years, Jacob let his pain rule his life, in chapter 45, he lets
God rule again. Coincidentally , in the next verses after his revival, God
speaks to him in a vision again. Is there something that has happened in the
past that I can't let go of, and is it affecting my walk and spirit today? That
is the question we must ask.
No comments:
Post a Comment