Man of Sorrows
Opening Prayer
Father God, I’m grateful for the wisdom in Your Word. Share more of it with me now, I pray.
Read Genesis 42:25-38
[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.” Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION
Reflect
What "trick" did Joseph play on his brothers and why?Joseph isn’t the only one in this story who has endured years of suffering. The loss of his favorite son has cast a long shadow over Jacob (36). To think about losing Benjamin, the only other son of Rachel, is more than he could bear; he is sure that the sorrow of such an event would kill him (38). The brothers, on the other hand, have lived all these years with the knowledge that they did this to their father. It was their deeds that brought him so much sadness and so many years of grieving. Perhaps v. 28 shows again that they still feel the guilt and live in fear of divine retribution for what they did. To prevent the family from starving they have to put their own lives and families (19,33; see also 43:8) on the line. They are all surely beginning to feel that, as Jacob articulates, “everything is against me” (36). In our grief and sorrow, we, too, can feel that way. But God is “for” us so, in the end, no one can really be against us (Rom. 8:31).
Apply
Are you, or is someone you know, dealing with grief and sorrow? Pray, bringing yours or your friend’s grief to God.
Closing prayer
Lord Jesus, You know what it is to suffer sorrow and grief. I’m thankful we can count on Your comfort.
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