In this passage, Judah intercedes for his little brother Benjamin. Joseph and Benjamin were the only sons of Israel’s beloved wife, Rachel. With Joseph presumed dead by Israel, and sold into slavery by his brothers, Benjamin is the only son left of his marriage to his beloved–at least as far as Israel knows. Joseph so longed to see Benjamin, that he used hook and crook to get him to Egypt, and continued to use deception to now keep him there. However, Israel will not survive, it seems, if Benjamin does not return. The plot thickens and the tension is high as Judah pleads for the boy to be able to return home to his father.
The lesson seems to be one of sowing and reaping. While I am not sure that the actions of Joseph are not somewhat vengeful, it would seem that the sowing the other brothers did years before when they despised Joseph and then sold him into slavery is now coming home to roost. They sowed hatred and abuse, and now they are suffering from abuse and deceit. Joseph has been vindicated, and his brothers are the ones under duress. While we will see the conclusion of the story in tomorrow’s blog, suffice it to say that when we sow evil, we will reap evil. God is not just some mean-spirited, vengeful God, as much as we are foolish in the way we behave. The bad things that happen to us are sometimes judgements for sin, but we must realize that when we sin, we bring them on ourselves. God is not sitting on the throne waiting for a chance to zap us, but our actions do create an equal reaction. Don’t serve up more evil than you can handle in return!
Devoted To You 