A Journey

DEVOTION

GENESIS

A JOURNEY

Gen 42:22-38

22 Reuben replied, "Didn't I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn't listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood." 23 They did not realize that Joseph could understand them, since he was using an interpreter. 24 He turned away from them and began to weep, but then turned back and spoke to them again. He had Simeon taken from them and bound before their eyes. 25 Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to put each man's silver back in his sack, and to give them provisions for their journey. After this was done for them, 26 they loaded their grain on their donkeys and left. 27 At the place where they stopped for the night one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver in the mouth of his sack. 28 "My silver has been returned," he said to his brothers. "Here it is in my sack." Their hearts sank and they turned to each other trembling and said, "What is this that God has done to us?" 29 When they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them. They said, 30 "The man who is lord over the land spoke harshly to us and treated us as though we were spying on the land. 31 But we said to him, 'We are honest men; we are not spies. 32 We were twelve brothers, sons of one father. One is no more, and the youngest is now with our father in Canaan.' 33 "Then the man who is lord over the land said to us, 'This is how I will know whether you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers here with me, and take food for your starving households and go. 34 But bring your youngest brother to me so I will know that you are not spies but honest men. Then I will give your brother back to you, and you can trade in the land.'" 35 As they were emptying their sacks, there in each man's sack was his pouch of silver! When they and their father saw the money pouches, they were frightened. 36 Their father Jacob said to them, "You have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more, and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me!" 37 Then Reuben said to his father, "You may put both of my sons to death if I do not bring him back to you. Entrust him to my care, and I will bring him back." 38 But Jacob said, "My son will not go down there with you; his brother is dead and he is the only one left. If harm comes to him on the journey you are taking, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in sorrow."

NIV

We remember it was Rueben who had planned to return Joseph to his father, and it was Judah who kept the others from a plot to kill Joseph and got them to agree to sell him. Reuben was extremely distraught when he learned Joseph had been sold. Now he reminds the others how their actions have brought this distress on them all. Again we get another glance at the character of Joseph. Although he had pleaded for his life, and his brothers listened not to him and sold him into slavery, his heart was tender toward them. Knowing how this all plays out we know he does reveal his identity and they have a great reunion. But for now he keeps himself not known to them. They think he is most likely dead, yet Joseph still feels love toward his brothers. Again Joseph shows us a picture of Christ. Although those who hated him because of his words, had him killed, he loved them even when he was on the cross and still loves those who still sin against him.  But our lesson is in the response of Jacob when he learns of the result of their journey to Egypt. With Simeon in jail, Jacob considers he is now no more. What kind of father is this Jacob? We thought he was a changed man, especially with his new name, Israel, given to him by God. Why doesn’t he march himself down to Egypt and demand his son back, no matter the cost. Yet after he learns the man who is lord over the land wants them to bring Benjamin with them and he will release Simeon if they do, he refuses. He thinks everything is against him, which would include God. Once again we see he had a special heart toward the sons of Rachel, his true love. The others were his sons, but by other women. We know eventually he relents after they are near starvation again, but for now, he has food and Benjamin and that is all he cares about. He is so short sighted, stubborn and self-absorbed.  His spiritual journey surely has its ups and downs and this is one of those down moments. Jacob is allowing his self-preservation to override all else. We are not told he retreats to pray to determine the will of God concerning his current situation. We are only told he refuses to allow them to take Benjamin to Egypt in order to retrieve Simeon as well as prove they are honest men. Although we would like to think we never act like Jacob, it would serve us well to consider we have those same kind of moments in our spiritual journey. There are times when we think only of ourselves and maybe at the cost of others. There are moments we want to cling onto what we consider valuable, as Jacob considered Benjamin more valuable then Simeon. It is not that Jacob is a perfect man, nor are we and will ever be. We simply are on a spiritual journey with bumps in the road. We have to continue to learn, always learning, never giving up on the process of learning and growing in our faith and on our journey. Are we happy when we take a step back, or in the wrong direction? No! But at the same time we must understand we will never be finished in our journey until we breathe our last. Just as with Jacob, we fail the test from time to time. But we must not get depressed over it, we have to learn and move on with hope that we have grown through a particular situation, even in our failure. Jacob has had personal encounters with God, and still he fails. We have had a personal encounter with God and still we too fail. But let us continue the journey in hopes of fewer and fewer failures.