July 25, 2023

Jacob would not send the brothers back to Egypt until they were nearly out of corn, and he protested about sending Benjamin as Joseph had requested. What gets me is that Simeon was still there! How could they leave him there knowing he was locked up? Was Simeon expendable? Another noticeable thing in this chapter is that though they had famine and no corn was growing, they still had honey, spices, nuts, and almonds. However, those things would not nourish their cattle or give them bread to go along with their meat, but they wouldn’t starve. I’ll bet they are like us Southerners and love cornbread! They returned to Egypt, taking gifts of honey, spices, and nuts, and took double the money for corn. They presented themselves and Benjamin to Joseph, and he sent them to his home to clean up and prepare for a feast he had made for them, still not revealing his identity. 

This progression shows how God works. We know how this story goes because we’ve heard it before, but they didn’t; they were frightened and feared what was coming. We may face many challenges, and fear may grip our hearts, but God is so calm about what is happening to us because he knows the outcome and is for us and not against us, much like Joseph’s brothers. They feared because of their sin but had not confessed it or asked forgiveness for what they had done, yet God used what they had done to keep them alive during the famine. They didn’t know that their actions would become a benefit but would soon find out. This story is an example of one of the times when God used for good what the devil intended for evil. Confess your sin daily so you don’t have to live in fear; then, you can live a content life knowing God is for you. It’s all about the heart. 

And he took and sent messes unto them from before him: but Benjamin's mess was five times so much as any of theirs. And they drank, and were merry with him. Genesis 43:34