Genesis 42:26-38: a reflection

26They loaded their donkeys with their grain, and departed from there. 27As one of them opened his sack to give his donkey food in the lodging place, he saw his money. Behold, it was in the mouth of his sack. 28He said to his brothers, “My money is restored! Behold, it is in my sack!” Their hearts failed them, and they turned trembling to one another, saying, “What is this that God has done to us?” 29They came to Jacob their father, to the land of Canaan, and told him all that had happened to them, saying, 30“The man, the lord of the land, spoke roughly with us, and took us for spies of the country. 31We said to him, ‘We are honest men. We are no spies. 32We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is no more, and the youngest is today with our father in the land of Canaan.’ 33The man, the lord of the land, said to us, ‘By this I will know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me, and take grain for the famine of your houses, and go your way. 34Bring your youngest brother to me. Then I will know that you are not spies, but that you are honest men. So I will deliver your brother to you, and you shall trade in the land.’” 35As they emptied their sacks, behold, each man’s bundle of money was in his sack. When they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were afraid. 36Jacob, their father, said to them, “You have bereaved me of my children! Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you want to take Benjamin away. All these things are against me.” 37Reuben spoke to his father, saying, “Kill my two sons, if I don’t bring him to you. Entrust him to my care, and I will bring him to you again.” 38He said, “My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he only is left. If harm happens to him along the way in which you go, then you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.”

As Jacob's sons return from Egypt with grain, and troubles seem to mount, one brother detained, the youngest demanded, money mysteriously returned, Jacob draws a despairing conclusion: You have bereaved me of my children! Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you want to take Benjamin away. All these things are against me. To Jacob, everything seemed to be going wrong, every circumstance against him. But in truth, unknown to him, God was working for his good all along: Joseph was alive and exalted, provision was coming, the family would be saved and reunited. What Jacob concluded was against him was, in fact, God working for his good.

Notice how wrong Jacob's despairing conclusion was. All these things are against me, he said, reading his circumstances as a series of blows, everything going wrong. But he could not see the whole picture; behind the troubling circumstances, God was at work for his good, preserving Joseph, providing for the famine, arranging the reunion of the family. What looked to Jacob like everything being against him was, in fact, God working for his good in ways he could not yet see. His conclusion was mistaken; the very things he thought were against him were part of God's good working. He misjudged his circumstances, reading as against him what God was using for good.

That is worth taking to heart, for we too can wrongly conclude that everything is against us, when God is actually working for our good. When troubles mount and circumstances seem to go wrong, we can conclude, like Jacob, that all these things are against us; but Jacob could not see that God was working for his good all along. What looks to us like everything being against us may, in fact, be God working for our good in ways we cannot yet see. Do not conclude too quickly that everything is against you when troubles mount; you cannot see the whole picture, and God may be working for your good, as he was for Jacob. When circumstances seem against you, do not conclude that all is against you, for God may be working for your good in ways you cannot yet see, as Jacob thought all was against him while God was preserving Joseph and providing for his family; for we cannot see the whole of what God is doing, and what looks like everything against us may be God working for our good.

Lord, as Jacob's sons return from Egypt with grain, and troubles seem to mount, one brother detained, the youngest demanded, money mysteriously returned, Jacob draws a despairing conclusion: you have bereaved me of my children! Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you want to take Benjamin away; all these things are against me. To Jacob, everything seemed to be going wrong, every circumstance against him. But in truth, unknown to him, you were working for his good all along: Joseph was alive and exalted, provision was coming, the family would be saved and reunited. Show me how wrong Jacob's despairing conclusion was. All these things are against me, he said, reading his circumstances as a series of blows. But he could not see the whole picture; behind the troubling circumstances, you were at work for his good, preserving Joseph, providing for the famine, arranging the reunion. What looked to Jacob like everything being against him was, in fact, you working for his good in ways he could not yet see. His conclusion was mistaken. Take that to my heart, for I too can wrongly conclude that everything is against me, when you are actually working for my good. When troubles mount and circumstances seem to go wrong, I can conclude, like Jacob, that all these things are against me; but Jacob could not see that you were working for his good all along. What looks to me like everything against me may be you working for my good. Keep me from concluding too quickly that everything is against me when troubles mount; I cannot see the whole picture, and you may be working for my good, Lord, as you were for Jacob while he thought all was against him.