LIFE SCRIPTS

1 Now the famine was still severe in the land. 2 So when they had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go back and buy us a little more food.” 3 But Judah said to him, “The man warned us solemnly, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’ 4 If you will send our brother along with us, we will go down and buy food for you. 5 But if you will not send him, we will not go down, because the man said to us, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’ ” 6 Israel asked, “Why did you bring this trouble on me by telling the man you had another brother?” 7 They replied, “The man questioned us closely about ourselves and our family. ‘Is your father still living?’ he asked us. ‘Do you have another brother?’ We simply answered his questions. How were we to know he would say, ‘Bring your brother down here’?” 8 Then Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the boy along with me and we will go at once, so that we and you and our children may live and not die. 9 I myself will guarantee his safety; you can hold me personally responsible for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him here before you, I will bear the blame before you all my life. 10 As it is, if we had not delayed, we could have gone and returned twice.” 11 Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a gift—a little balm and a little honey, some spices and myrrh, some pistachio nuts and almonds. 12 Take double the amount of silver with you, for you must return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake. 13 Take your brother also and go back to the man at once. 14 And may God Almighty grant you mercy before the man so that he will let your other brother and Benjamin come back with you. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.” 15 So the men took the gifts and double the amount of silver, and Benjamin also. They hurried down to Egypt and presented themselves to Joseph.
Genesis 43:1‭-‬15 NIV

https://bible.com/bible/111/gen.43.1-15.NIV

It seemed as if the household of Jacob took time to consume the food before thinking of returning back to Egypt. But when the time to go back came, they were faced with the same dilemma they had swept under the carpet. When we choose to ignore problems, we cannot formulate solutions for them. Judah, a man who’s word seemed believable chose to plead with his father to allow Benjamin to go with them. He even offered his life as ransom in the event he did not ensure the return of his younger brother. Christ our very own Saviour did the same for us. He offered Himself on the cross and ensured that we are forgiven of sin and delivered so that we can enjoy eternity with Him. So as the brothers proceeded to Egypt, they took the land’s produce and increased the amount of silver to offer to Joseph. The famine had been biting but they still found something to offer as a gift. Even in the most dire situation we find ourselves in, there is always a provision God has made for us. It can also be recalled that there were great famines during the times of Abraham and Isaac. Here God provided differently. Abraham sought refuge with the Philistines and so did his son Isaac. However, Isaac was ultimately banished because of his success as a farmer and he ended up digging many wells as the Lord blessed him. Here, Jacob was buying supplies from a foreign land where ultimately he would settle. God uses different ways to meet our needs at different times. As we seek His intervention in our needy situations, we must have open hearts to receive from Him. But also importantly we must have open minds to expect Him to bless us in whichever way He so chooses.