One time I was teaching the story of Joseph reconciling with his brothers and I choked up because I finally got a picture of exactly what had happened.
When the brothers sold Joseph into slavery, Reuben wanted to save him and send him home. The other brothers got rid of Joseph before Reuben returned from his errand and the deed became irreversible.
For twenty years, the brothers watched as their father Jacob went into mourning and never came out of it. Thereby hangs the tale.
The family, as twisted as it was before Joseph disappeared, became worse. Benjamin was never allowed out of Daddy's sight. This restriction made Benjamin both rebellious and spoiled. (See Judges 19 - 21 to see how this passed down through the generations.) He hadn't been at fault for Joseph's leaving, but he bore the worst of the consequences. I'm making a guess here, but I'm betting the brothers felt bad about taking away Benjamin's full brother, and they gave him extra presents and paid more attention to him than they would have under other circunstances.
The older brothers carried around the guilt of their deed and the lies that followed for nearly TWENTY YEARS. They watched their father shrink into himself as if the spirit had been sucked out of him completely and saw him hang onto Benjamin the way babies hang onto their "blankie". Nothing they did changed it. No entertainment, no storytelling around the campfire, no gift they could give, nothing helped. Imagine the shared silent glances between the brothers when they caught Dad quietly wiping his eyes with the back of his hand as some memory went through his mind about Joseph and his mother, both gone.
After the first trip to Egypt, the brothers knew they would have to pry Benjamin out from under Daddy's arm. Reuben first told Jacob, "If I don't bring him back to you alive and in one piece, you can kill my two boys."
Finally Judah guaranteed Benjamin's life by saying he would be personally responsible for Benjamin's safety. He, Judah, would forever bear the blame before his father if anything happened to the youngest brother. Benjamin at this point was no baby. He had to have been at least 30 since Joseph was about 37 by now. But Dad wouldn't acknowledge his maturity.
So finally, all the brothers make the trip to Egypt. Joseph treats them like honored guests with a big feast, loads them up with plenty of grain, and sends them on their way only to have them stopped under a charge of theft. The item in question is in Benjamin's sack of grain and it looks for all the world like Jacob is about to lose Rachel's only other child forever.
All of the brothers go back to face the Pharoah's right-hand man and plead for their youngest brother.
This is the part that finally dawned on me. Judah has watched his father deteriorate for all of these years and it has caused him damage. The guilt and the lies have eaten at his heart for two decades and he can't take it anymore. Judah says this, "Please take me prisoner and send this one home to his father. I guaranteed his safety." Then I can see tears in Judah's eyes and his voice breaks, "Please don't make me watch what would happen to my father if Benjamin doesn't come home." (Gen. 44:34)
In the beginning, the brothers thought they were getting rid of their thorn in the flesh when they sent Joseph away. But see where they ended up. Their scheme broke their father, broke their family, broke them.
"Please don't make me watch what would happen to my father..." He couldn't live with the consequences anymore.
Even though God turned the whole situation around, gave them food in a time of famine, saved the life of the whole nation, promoted Joseph for his faithfulness, and restored joy to Jacob in the end, there was still a huge price to pay for what they did. I'm betting they frequently thought,"Those two silver pieces we each got didn't begin to make up for the results."
God go with you.
Kathi
When the brothers sold Joseph into slavery, Reuben wanted to save him and send him home. The other brothers got rid of Joseph before Reuben returned from his errand and the deed became irreversible.
For twenty years, the brothers watched as their father Jacob went into mourning and never came out of it. Thereby hangs the tale.
The family, as twisted as it was before Joseph disappeared, became worse. Benjamin was never allowed out of Daddy's sight. This restriction made Benjamin both rebellious and spoiled. (See Judges 19 - 21 to see how this passed down through the generations.) He hadn't been at fault for Joseph's leaving, but he bore the worst of the consequences. I'm making a guess here, but I'm betting the brothers felt bad about taking away Benjamin's full brother, and they gave him extra presents and paid more attention to him than they would have under other circunstances.
The older brothers carried around the guilt of their deed and the lies that followed for nearly TWENTY YEARS. They watched their father shrink into himself as if the spirit had been sucked out of him completely and saw him hang onto Benjamin the way babies hang onto their "blankie". Nothing they did changed it. No entertainment, no storytelling around the campfire, no gift they could give, nothing helped. Imagine the shared silent glances between the brothers when they caught Dad quietly wiping his eyes with the back of his hand as some memory went through his mind about Joseph and his mother, both gone.
After the first trip to Egypt, the brothers knew they would have to pry Benjamin out from under Daddy's arm. Reuben first told Jacob, "If I don't bring him back to you alive and in one piece, you can kill my two boys."
Finally Judah guaranteed Benjamin's life by saying he would be personally responsible for Benjamin's safety. He, Judah, would forever bear the blame before his father if anything happened to the youngest brother. Benjamin at this point was no baby. He had to have been at least 30 since Joseph was about 37 by now. But Dad wouldn't acknowledge his maturity.
So finally, all the brothers make the trip to Egypt. Joseph treats them like honored guests with a big feast, loads them up with plenty of grain, and sends them on their way only to have them stopped under a charge of theft. The item in question is in Benjamin's sack of grain and it looks for all the world like Jacob is about to lose Rachel's only other child forever.
All of the brothers go back to face the Pharoah's right-hand man and plead for their youngest brother.
This is the part that finally dawned on me. Judah has watched his father deteriorate for all of these years and it has caused him damage. The guilt and the lies have eaten at his heart for two decades and he can't take it anymore. Judah says this, "Please take me prisoner and send this one home to his father. I guaranteed his safety." Then I can see tears in Judah's eyes and his voice breaks, "Please don't make me watch what would happen to my father if Benjamin doesn't come home." (Gen. 44:34)
In the beginning, the brothers thought they were getting rid of their thorn in the flesh when they sent Joseph away. But see where they ended up. Their scheme broke their father, broke their family, broke them.
"Please don't make me watch what would happen to my father..." He couldn't live with the consequences anymore.
Even though God turned the whole situation around, gave them food in a time of famine, saved the life of the whole nation, promoted Joseph for his faithfulness, and restored joy to Jacob in the end, there was still a huge price to pay for what they did. I'm betting they frequently thought,"Those two silver pieces we each got didn't begin to make up for the results."
God go with you.
Kathi
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