Title: Faith is a decision (Gen 43:11~14)
Contents
Jacob does not hesitate to deceive his father and brother in order to achieve his purpose. If the goal is good, you should not fall into the mindset that any means and method to achieve it are good. If the purpose is good, the means and method to achieve it must also be good and good. God is a God who repays you according to what you have done. Jacob, who did not have good means and methods, eventually falls into a situation where he has no choice but to flee to his maternal uncle Laban, avoiding the face of his father and older brother. And Jacob pays the price of being deceived by his maternal uncle Laban much more severely than he did there.
Jacob was deceived by Laban and married Leah, whom he did not want. In return, he paid the wages of providing labor for 7 years. Later, Laban changed Jacob's wages ten times. If God had not really helped him, Jacob would have been destroyed. Only with the help of God, Jacob did not perish and was rejected.
More frightening than this, he was deceived by his own sons and not by anyone else, knowing that his son Joseph, whom he loved the most, had died and spent 22 years in sorrow. Then there is a great famine, and Jacob sends his sons to buy food in Egypt, where his son Joseph is the prime minister. Of course, I had no idea that Joseph was the prime minister. Joseph sees his brothers and calls them spies. He takes Simeon as a hostage in Egypt, and if he is not a spy, next time he comes, he tells him to bring his youngest brother Benjamin. They say that if the youngest does not come, they will not see my face and will not be able to buy food. Jacob's sons, who have been to Egypt, report to their father what has happened.
Jacob said, "My son shall not go down with you" (42:38). Jacob lost Joseph 20 years ago, but now he loses Simeon and even Benjamin, who was comforted in Joseph's place, is in agony because he feels like he will lose (Gen. 42:38). Meanwhile, the famine in the land where Jacob lives is getting worse (43: One). The worsening of the famine was connected with the statement that Jacob would not let Benjamin go even if he died. After Jacob left Benjamin, God drives Jacob's sons to go back to Egypt (43:2). But Jacob still just doesn't understand. A large portion of the book of Genesis is the story of Jacob. It is a huge clash between God's dream and Jacob's dream. And the story of Jacob is also the story of us evangelical saints living today. God makes the saints let go of what they cannot put down. God is tenacious. God is faithful in his work. Therefore, it is the fact that human beings persist until they submit to the will of God.
But Jacob refuses to let his youngest son Benjamin go. Because Jacob, who had lost Joseph, was afraid that even the son Rachel left behind would die like Joseph.
In order for Jacob's family to move into the future, not only Joseph's brothers had to change, but also his father Jacob himself had to change. The problem is that after Jacob lost Joseph, he held Benjamin in his arms even more and did not let go. You can't just hold on to Benjamin. All 12 children must live, and all of them must be preciously used to fulfill God's vision. Now, Jacob said that he would never let Benjamin go even if he lost anything else, but he knew that when the prime minister of Egypt brought Benjamin, he would not be misunderstood that he was a spy, that he could take out Simeon from prison and solve the food problem in crisis. In the end, Jacob decides to let Benjamin out of his arms. And Jacob's words are the words of today's text.
“Take your brother, too, and go back to the man. May God Almighty have mercy on you before the man, that he may send your other brothers and Benjamin back. If I lose my children, I will lose them” (43). :13~14).
“If I lose my children, I will lose them.”
Faith is a decision. Do your best and leave the rest to God.
Jacob must have let down Benjamin in awe. But when we let go of what we think we cannot give up, God solves our problems. You have to let go to live and experience the perfection of God's salvation.
Jacob thinks Joseph is dead because he had let him go before. So, how many vows would you have made that you would never let Benjamin go? He must have thought he had to take responsibility. However, the problem will be solved when we put down even the part where we think, “Only for this!” in obedience to the word of the Lord.
When I confess, "If I lose, I will lose" is the time when family problems are resolved. If I voluntarily put down the child I was wearing, then I will see the child. It is the grace of Almighty God that, since we have put down the best things in the world, to give us an objectively clear reward, to restore worship, and to give us interest in others.
As Jacob sent Benjamin, whom he had held so far, he finally got hold of God. "Take your brother. I just pray that God Almighty will have mercy on you. If you lose your children, you lose them. What will you do with me?" (Genesis 43:13-14) surrendered to God. God, who has been the shepherd from the day Jacob was born to this day, did not forsake Jacob, but always walked with him, took hold of Jacob, and took responsibility for the rest of his life.
Jacob was able to make a decision only when he had the thought of entrusting Benjamin into God's hands. Decisions are based on trust and trust in God.
We must trust in Almighty God. And you have to let it go. In particular, Jacob said that he wanted that man (Joseph) to be brought back safely by God. God rules the human heart. Even the hearts of all our enemies can be directed in a direction that is beneficial to us only when God works. With this confidence, we must pray for help.
There are things to note when it comes to the decision to entrust your faith to God. It is not meant to be an evasion of responsibility. If you don't do the things you should be doing, leaving everything to God is not a decision.
See today's text. Jacob had him prepare a gift for the prime minister of Egypt (11). Believers in Jesus, especially those who are deeply religious and knowledgeable, are in some ways completely inhuman and inflexible. But that's not the right posture. Rather, believers should be more humane and flexible, able to embrace those around them. At least, as long as it is not a matter of truth, we must live a wide life. Gifts make people happy. It is different from a bribe. We prepared the special products of the land of Canaan with sincerity, but by having them prepare “little” (11), it reveals the nature of the gift. We need to be able to show a little kindness between our neighbors. It is unfortunate that one cannot give and receive a gift once in a lifetime. But first, you need to know that the giver will receive. There are many beautiful scenes of giving and receiving gifts in the Holy Spirit. Let us also lead a life of faith full of humanity.
Put twice the amount of money in the sack and have them prepare food again.
Just as Jacob entrusted God with the loss of children when they lost them, Esther saved the nation by making the same decision. He went to the king and told Haman, saying, "If we die, we will die," and he left a great work of saving himself and the nation (Esther 4:16). There is. Just as Jacob's decision saved his family and brought reconciliation to his brothers and a reconciliation with Joseph, we believe that the right decision in faith will bring great benefits to all of us.