AUDIO
TRANSCRIPT
Today we are in Genesis 44.
Joseph’s brothers have returned to Egypt for more food. They have brought Benjamin, their youngest brother
With them. They have eaten with Joseph(still not knowing that he is their long lost brother) and they are ready
To return home.
Joseph tells his steward to fill the brothers bags with food and put the silver they paid in their bags and put
His special silver cup in Benjamin, the youngest brother’s bag.
The brothers leave and Joseph tells his steward to go after them and ask why they have repaid good with evil.
Of course they were dumbfounded and denied it and even went so far as to say, if one of them had the cup then
He would die and the rest would be slaves.
The steward proceeds to open the bags and of course found the cup in Benjamins bag. (right where he had put it)
So back to the city they went.
When joseph asks why they did it, Judah answers that they are now all josephs slaves, but Joseph tells them no
That only the 1 with the cup, Benjamin, will be his slave and the rest can go back home.
Judah speaks up and tells joseph that Benjamin is their Father’s only son born to hi in his old age and the only son
Of Benjamin’s mothers left. Judah tells joseph that Benjamins brother died and their Father loves Benjamin so very
Much.
Judah reminds Joseph that joseph himself had said they must bring Benjamin with them in order to get more food
And when they told their father that Benjamin had to accompany them, their father said if anything happened to
Benjamin then he Jacob would die.
Judah pled with Joseph to let him stay as a slave and let Benjamin go home in order to save Benjamin’s life and the
Life of their father.
In this passage, we see Judah, who had been part of the conspiracy to kill and sell Joseph as a man transformed who
Was willing to sacrifice himself to save his brother and father. He was changed from who he had been. His behavior
Had changed-He was a man transformed-willing to give himself up for another.
This is a reminder that Jesus gave himself up for the sins of another-for us so that we can be saved and transformed
From who we are.
Judah was different than when Joseph last knew him. He had seen what his sin had done to his Father and his repentance
And transformation had caused him to put the needs of others above his own. He could have left Benjamin there and gone home
Knowing that his father would grieve to death.
We are given the Spirit of God to be transformed into the people of God. In 1 Corinthians 12:7 it says,
“to each of us is given spiritual gifts so that we can help each other.”
In Philippians 2:3-4 we are told,
“Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better as better than yourselves. Don’t
Look out only for your own interests, but take a genuine interest in other, too.”
In Genesis 44 Judah is an example of who we can become when we repent, accept the sacrifice of Jesus and are forgiven. We are changed.
We can become unselfish, compassionate and loving, willing to sacrifice for others because of the love of God. Are we Changed?