Genesis 43:1-14 “Blessed Acceptance”

“I personally guarantee his safety. You may hold me responsible if I don’t bring him back to you. Then let me bear the blame forever.”
Genesis 43:9 (NLT)

The LORD was working behind the scenes to bring Jacob and his family to Egypt, but to Jacob it seemed like everything was going wrong. The prime minister of Egypt (Joseph) had arrested Simeon and said that he would not be released unless they returned with Benjamin. At first, Jacob was unwilling to let his sons take Benjamin. But now they were out of food and something had to be done.

Judah spoke up and said that he would personally guarantee Benjamin’s safety. If anything happened to his little brother, then Judah would bear the blame forever. In offering to do this, he was risking his own life to save the family. He distinguished himself as a responsible and self-sacrificing leader. Judah was not passively indifferent, but proactively involved so that the family would not starve and Simeon could be released.

Later Jacob would say of Judah:

“Judah, my son, is a young lion that has finished eating its prey. Like a lion he crouches and lies down; like a lioness—who dares to rouse him? The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from his descendants, until the coming of the one to whom it belongs, the one whom all nations will honor.”
Genesis 49:9–10 (NLT)

Judah would become the royal tribe that would bring forth David, the man after God’s own heart. And Christ was the Son (descendant) of David who would be known as the Lion of the tribe of Judah.

If we would be people of noble character, then we must also be proactively involved in helping others and not passively indifferent.

“Heavenly Father, thank you for the examples we have in Scripture of people who had your heart and were willing to sacrifice themselves to help others. We especially thank you for the example of your Son Jesus who laid down His life to save us from our sins. Help us not to shrink back from being involved but commit to loving others as Christ loves us. In His name we pray, amen.”