Daily Devotions
Genesis
"For I know that the Lord is great, And our Lord is above all gods." Psalm 135:5
Text: Genesis 43:1-34
ALL PREPARED
The brothers felt they were all prepared now to make the trip down to Egypt to buy grain.
“So the men took that present and Benjamin, and
they took double money in their hand, and arose
and went down to Egypt; and they stood before Joseph.”
GENESIS 43:15
FEAR STRUCK AGAIN
If only things were less complicated, the brothers would have been less distressed! They were ushered into the house of Joseph! They had prepared double money. They brought presents. They even brought Benjamin! They had left nothing out! But they were not prepared to be invited to the house of the mightiest man in Egypt next to the Pharaoh!
“Now the men were afraid because they were brought
into Joseph’s house; and they said, ‘It is because of the money,
which was returned in our sacks the first time, that we are brought
in, so that he may make a case against us and seize us, to take us
as slaves with our donkeys.'”
GENESIS 43:18
The brothers were plagued with uncertainty. Their biggest fear was that they would be enslaved! Had they remembered that they sold Joseph as a slave? Their fears haunted them.
AN ATTEMPT TO ALLAY FEARS
As the brothers reached the home of Joseph, they made a desperate attempt to make things right. Perhaps the steward of Joseph’s household could speak on their behalf to his master.
“O sir, we indeed came down the first time to buy food;
but it happened, when we came to the encampment, that
we opened our sacks, and there, each man’s money was
in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight;
so we have brought it back in our hand. And we have
brought down other money in our hands to buy food. We do
not know who put our money in our sacks.”
GENESIS 43:20-23
The men who schemed and then plundered Shechem employing great guile had changed significantly! They were displaying good signs of honesty and integrity! They also showed great humility by the way they spoke to the steward of the Egyptian governor.
Would the steward believe what they said? Would he put in a good word to his master on their behalf? Would their honesty save them from being enslaved?