Gen
43:1-4, 8-14 (NIV) Now the famine was still severe in the land. 2 So when they
had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them,
"Go back and buy us a little more food."
3 But
Judah said to him, "The man warned us solemnly, 'You will not see my face
again unless your brother is with you.'
. . .
8 Then
Judah said to Israel his father, "Send the boy along with me and we will
go at once, so that we and you and our children may live and not die. 9 I
myself will guarantee his safety; you can hold me personally responsible for
him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him here before you, I will bear
the blame before you all my life. 10 As it is, if we had not delayed, we could
have gone and returned twice."
11 Then
their father Israel said to them, "If it must be, then do this: Put some
of the best products of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as
a gift — a little balm and a little honey, some spices and myrrh, some
pistachio nuts and almonds. 12 Take double the amount of silver with you, for
you must return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks.
Perhaps it was a mistake. 13 Take your brother also and go back to the man at
once. 14 And may God Almighty grant you mercy before the man so that he will
let your other brother and Benjamin come back with you. As for me, if I am
bereaved, I am bereaved."
NOTE: The people are
out of food and must go back to Egypt, but this time with Benjamin. Israel
(Jacob) does not want Benjamin to go
with them. Judah doesn't make the same mistake as Reuben and offers a different argument. He takes
responsibility personally to bring back Benjamin. It is not clear if Jacob's
response is one of trust in God or just not caring any more (a sign of
depression). While I would like to think positive about Jacob, I believe he is
depressed, disheartened, and dispirited. Life has lost its joy. He has let
bitterness and loss rule his life for so long, that he no longer cares anymore.
And yet, in a few months, he will revive and his life will once again carry the
joy and excitement of living, once he learns that Joseph is alive. The sad part
is that he didn't need to waste 17 years before he regained a renewed spirit. I
think all of us are vulnerable to bitterness and depression. And many waste
some of their best years lost in that mire. But, that is why quiet time is so
important. When we make personal time with God in the morning, every morning,
God will break through the fog and speak to our heart and pull us out of our
personal mire. It may not happen immediately or every time, but it won't last
years to revive our spirits.
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