Feared Favor
Genesis 42: 25 Then Joseph gave
a command to fill their sacks with grain, to restore every man’s money to
his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. Thus he did for
them. 26 So they loaded their donkeys with the
grain and departed from there. 27 But
as one of them opened his sack to give his donkey feed at
the encampment, he saw his money; and there it was, in the mouth of his
sack. 28 So he said to his brothers, “My money has
been restored, and there it is, in my sack!” Then their
hearts failed them and they were afraid, saying to one
another, “What is this that God has done to
us?”
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GOD gave Joseph a dream that his family would one day bow to
him. It was not Joseph’s desire, rather a prophecy from GOD. Joseph’s brothers
wanted to kill him over jealousy, but sold him into slavery. After being thrown
in a pit and prison, Joseph was made Governor of Egypt. He gave a command to a
group of people to return their money, give them food and provide feed for the
animals.
My Observations:
- Joseph
showed extreme grace for his brothers who wanted to murder him.
- Joseph’s
brothers had hidden guilt, but after discovering they left Egypt without
paying for the food, they believed they would be labeled as thieves.
- Joseph’s
brothers could not see favor, possibly because of their guilty and
dishonest past.
Fear struck the brothers as they found their money they
brough to pay for the food. They were already called “spies” by Joseph, but
they did not know that it was he who had the funds returned to them. The
remainder of the trip home had to be terrifying. Over and over they talked to
each other saying “What is this that GOD has done to us?”
They may have felt that GOD was repaying them for their
attempted murder and hatred of their brother. They probably could not sleep
because they feared GOD would zap them at some point if they moved forward or
the Egyptians would get them for stealing if they went back. There was no
comfort in the favor they received.
Challenge
- Why
does GOD tell Moses about the brother’s reaction to Joseph’s secret favor?
- Have
you ever felt guilty and could not believe that you deserved favor?
- Would
you believe that GOD is showing you favor even though you don’t feel that
you deserve it?
