The Benjamin Problem

Genesis 43:1-15

Can you believe Jacob waited until all the grain was gone before sending them back?

Photo by Marcel L. on Unsplash

Now the famine was severe in the land. And when they had eaten up the grain that they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go again, buy us a little more food.” But Judah said to him, “The man solemnly warned us, saying, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’ If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food; 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.’” Israel said, “Why did you treat me so badly as to tell the man that you had another brother?” They replied, “The man questioned us carefully about ourselves and our kindred, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Have you 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’?” Then Judah said to his father Israel, “Send the boy with me, and let us be on our way, so that we may live and not die-- you and we and also our little ones. I myself will be surety for him; you can hold me accountable for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever. If we had not delayed, we would now have returned twice.” Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: take some of the choice fruits of the land in your bags, and carry them down as a present to the man-- a little balm and a little honey, gum, resin, pistachio nuts, and almonds. Take double the money with you. Carry back with you the money that was returned in the top of your sacks; perhaps it was an oversight. Take your brother also, and be on your way again to the man; may God Almighty grant you mercy before the man, so that he may send back your other brother and Benjamin. As for me, if I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.” So the men took the present, and they took double the money with them, as well as Benjamin. Then they went on their way down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph. - Genesis 43:1-15

Jacob’s stubbornness cost him double and then some.

If he had sent the brothers back right away, they could have returned the money and retrieved their brother Simeon, leaving in good graces with Joseph. But Jacob didn’t want to risk letting Benjamin go with them.

Now, what?

Now, he has no choice but to let Benjamin go with them, and it will cost them more.

Because they have no grain and the famine is great, he has no choice but to give in.

There is a message for us in this, if we can find it.

It is Judah who sets the record straight when he tells his father they could have gone and come back twice in the time they delayed.

Putting off a decision doesn’t make the problem go away. It makes it worse.

If the father was so worried about losing his sons, why didn’t he go with them?

Jacob is at fault here. Yes, the brothers created the situation that led to Jacob’s fear of losing another son he loved, but it is a father’s duty to deal with these situations for the sake of the family.

He acts like a victim here, and I think that is the message for us.

We need to face our responsibilities and deal with our problems when they arise. We can’t sweep them under the carpet and hope they go away.

Jacob sends his boys to do what he should be doing, after keeping them from righting the wrong for too long.

We suspect Joseph will do right by the brothers, but we don’t know for certain. They wanted to kill him. He has every right to make them pay for their actions.

So, the stage is set. They will return and try to make amends.

They expect the worst, but we have faith in Joseph. What will he do?

More to come...

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