Day 63 – Genesis 42:35-38
All These Things Are Against Me
Scripture Reading – Genesis 42:35-38
And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that, behold, every man’s bundle of money was in his sack: and when both they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid.
Genesis 42:35 KJV
And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me.
Genesis 42:36 KJV
And Reuben spake unto his father, saying, Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee: deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to thee again.
Genesis 42:37 KJV
And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if mischief befall him by the way in the which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.
Genesis 42:38 KJV
Scripture Review
When every brother’s money is found in his sack, fear fills the household. Jacob cries that Joseph is not, Simeon is not, and now Benjamin will be taken: “all these things are against me.” His conclusion makes sense from the information he has, but the reader knows something Jacob does not. Joseph lives. Simeon is alive. The money came from provision, not theft.
Reuben offers his two sons as a guarantee, a rash proposal that would multiply a grandfather’s grief rather than heal it. Jacob refuses to send Benjamin. Fear narrows the future until every road appears to lead to another grave. Yet every item Jacob lists as against him is being used to draw his family toward preservation and reunion. Limited sight can produce sincere conclusions that are completely wrong.
Jacob meant to protect Benjamin from the fate he believed had taken Joseph, while Reuben meant through an extreme pledge to prove his reliability.
God meant to use the feared circumstances together for Jacob’s good, though the father could not yet see that the living Joseph stood behind them.
What this asks of me
I need humility when I interpret unfinished events. “I do not understand” may be true when “everything is against me” is not. Fear also tempts me to make dramatic promises that do not solve the real problem. I should trust God’s character, speak carefully, and wait for more light.
Consider
- What unfinished circumstance have I already judged as completely against me?
- Am I making dramatic promises where steady responsibility would be wiser?