Genesis 43:1–10 (ESV)
Joseph’s Brothers Return to Egypt
43 Now the famine was severe in the land. 2 And when they had eaten the grain that they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go again, buy us a little food.”
3 But Judah said to him, “The man solemnly warned us, saying, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’ 4 If you will send our brother with us, we will go
down and buy you food. 5 But if you will not send him, we will not go down, for the man said to us, ‘You shall not see my face, unless your brother is with you.’ ” 6 Israel
said, “Why did you treat me so badly as to tell the man that you had another brother?” 7 They replied, “The man questioned us carefully about ourselves and our kindred, saying, ‘Is your father still
alive? Do you have another brother?’ What we told him was in answer to these questions. Could we in any way know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?” 8 And Judah said to Israel his father,
“Send the boy with me, and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, both we and you and also our little ones. 9 I will be a pledge of his safety. From my hand you shall require him. If I do not bring him back
to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever. 10 If we had not delayed, we would now have returned twice.”
It is interesting that the one brother that was left behind was in fact, the brother that was responsible for selling Joseph. Rueben was the oldest, but he was not around when Joseph was sold.
Rueben would not have gone along with selling his brother Joseph. It is interesting that now it is Simeon who is held captive. And he is been in prison for several years, while his brothers are at home with their father. Now they have run
out of grain and they need to go back. To get more grain, they must bring their younger brother Benjamin. This will also set Simeon free… but Daddy is not happy.
I pray: O Lord, we live in a twisted world where people are always looking out for themselves. Help me to put my neighbors and others before me and to trust in your grace and mercy. Amen.