Genesis 43:1-14
The famine was severe in the land. It happened, when they had eaten up the grain which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said to them, “Go again, buy us a little more food.”
Judah spoke to him, saying, “The man solemnly warned us, saying, ‘You shall not see my face, unless your brother is with you.’ If you’ll send our brother with us, we’ll go down and buy you food, but if you’ll not send him, we’ll 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, telling the man that you had another brother?”
They said, “The man asked directly concerning ourselves, and concerning our relatives, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?’ We just answered his questions. Is there any way we could know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down?’”
Judah said to Israel, his father, “Send the boy with me, and we’ll get up and go, so that we may live, and not die, both we, and you, and also our little ones. I’ll be collateral for him. From my hand will you require him. If I don’t bring him to you, and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever, for if we hadn’t delayed, surely we would have returned a second time by now.”
Their father, Israel, said to them, “If it must be so, then do this. Take from the choice fruits of the land in your bags, and carry down a present for the man, a little balm, a little honey, spices and myrrh, nuts, and almonds; and take double money in your hand, and take back the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks. Perhaps it was an oversight. Take your brother also, get up, and return to the man. May God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may release to you your other brother and Benjamin. If I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.”
Sometimes we are tested to the very end just like Jacob was. He was out of food and out of ideas when God forced him to let go of his son and rest on the mercy of “God Almighty.” Have you ever found yourself in that position? I think it is an easy position to get into because things can be so confusing in our lives. I may seem like I know a lot about the Bible, and it is a great comfort to be familiar with God’s word, but that doesn’t keep me from times of great confusion and perplexity. I would also like to mention that there are many people who know and have known far more about the Bible than I do. I look forward to learning as much as I can, though, and I am honored to be able to share it with you.
Even Paul, who wrote a lot of the New Testament admitted that at times he was perplexed and even despaired his life, but God was able to come through for Him at those times.
God is our treasure and sometimes He forces us to lay down other things that we find valuable until we trust in Him alone. Contrast what Judah said with what Reuben had said earlier. Judah offered to be “collateral” for his brother. He offered himself and was willing to take the blame forever if something went wrong. Once again, it is difficult to believe this unless it is lived out, but there is still more of this story to come. One thing that took my notice has to do with the future of Judah’s family. Remember that Judah was one of Leah’s children and it was to be from his family that Jesus would be born. His future son Jesus was to actually become “collateral” for the whole world and take our blame forever.