Thursday 22nd October 2015
'If you take this
one (Benjamin) from me too and harm comes to him, you will bring my grey head
down to the grave in misery,' Genesis 44:29. The reason that Jacob kept
Benjamin back when his other sons went to Egypt to buy grain, was because he
feared that harm might come to him, (42:4). Rachel, the wife he really loved,
had given him two sons and Joseph the eldest had been his father's favourite.
After the brothers sold Joseph into slavery, soaked his beautiful coat in goat's
blood and asked their father if he recognised it, Jacob naturally assumed,
'Some ferocious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to
pieces,' (37:33). The apparent death of Joseph tore Jacob apart. Thus Benjamin,
Rachel's remaining son, became particularly dear to him,(44:20).
Having seen just
how deeply their wickedness had affected Jacob, the brothers knew that if they
did not return with Benjamin it would kill him. No doubt the misery that the
apparent death of Joseph had caused their father left them with a permanent
sense of guilt. They may well have regretted what they had done, but there was
nothing they could do to reverse it. Are there things in our lives we regret
and wish we could reverse? The last thing they wanted was to see their now aged
father suffer like that again. Verses 18 to 34 contain Judah's desperate pleas
on behalf of his brother, falsely accused of stealing Joseph's cup. Judah had
promised his father, guaranteed in fact, that he would bring Benjamin safely
home,(v 32 & 43:9), never dreaming of the scenario that he and his brothers
were to find themselves in.
Jesus descended
from Judah and something of Jesus can be seen here in Judah's pleas,
He was not ashamed
to own or align himself to his brother (Hebrews 2:11).
He was willing to
take his brother's place, (Isaiah 53:3, Galatians 3:13, Romans 4:25)
He made
intercession for his brother, (Isaiah 53:12, Romans 8:34, Hebrews 7:25).
One of the
delights of studying the Old Testament is that of finding so many glimpses of
Christ throughout its pages.
God bless you all.
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