Genesis 42:27-28 "And as one of them opened his sack to give his ass provender in the inn, he espied his money; for, behold, it was in his sack's mouth. And he said unto his brethren, My money is restored; and, lo, it is even in my sack: and their heart failed them, and they were afraid, saying one to another, What is this that God hath done unto us?"
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. 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. 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. 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."
Simeon was still in prison in Egypt, but the other brothers had been allowed to leave. Joseph had given them corn to take to their families. He had provided provisions for their journey. Beyond that, he had return to them the money they had brought to buy with.
As they stopped for the evening, one of them opened his pack to feed his donkey. He then discovered that his money had been returned to him. Having already been accused of being a spy, in his mind he would now look like a thief. They were all afraid because they did not understand how this could be, and they wondered among themselves what God had done to them?
After they got home, they related to Israel (Jacob) all that had transpired with them in Egypt. As they were all emptying their sacks, they found that everyone’s money had been returned. Not one penny of what they had taken into Egypt was missing. No one yet understood who Joseph was or how these things had come to pass.
Jacob felt that the whole world was against him. He only wanted to provide for his family and live his life. Suddenly, another son had been taken from him. As if that were not enough, this governor in Egypt demanded that his youngest son be brought to him. And now, the whole family would be considered to be liars and thieves.
Jacob dug in his heels. He knew that Reuben’s proposed sacrifice was not going to deliver him. Life was demanding more than he could pay. It just did not seem fair.
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you wondered what God was doing to you? Everything you put your hands to went wrong. Your best intentions fell short. There was no sacrifice that you could make that would cause things to turn out right.
May we remember as we read this narrative, that even when we do not understand what God is doing to us, He always has a purpose. Even when it looks like everything is turning against us, God has a purpose. He does not need anything we have to bring His purpose to pass. There is no sacrifice that we can make that will deliver us.
God’s mercy and faithfulness are always sufficient. He has paid a price that we could not pay through His free grace. When life becomes so confusing that you cannot figure out what is going on, wait on the LORD. As the poet once said “His purposes will ripen fast, unfolding every hour. The bud may have a bitter taste, but sweet will be the flower.”