43:1-5
Jacob had earlier refused to let his sons go back to Egypt with Benjamin, fearing the worst. However, circumstances forced his hand as the grain that his sons had brought back from Egypt inevitably ran out. It seems that Jacob wanted them to go without Benjamin, but Judah pointed out that this was impossible, for Joseph had given them severe warnings of what would happen if they came without Benjamin. Sometimes, like Jacob, we will refuse to face up to the reality of the situation.
43:6-10
Jacob now gets referred to as Israel, and he blames the brothers for the predicament that he thinks he is in. This was an entirely unreasonable accusation. The brothers could not have known that the Egyptian leader they met was their brother Joseph. People sometimes make unreasonable demands, and they are very difficult to deal with when they do so. Judah seeks to deal with the situation by offering himself as a pledge of safety. He also points out the consequences of Jacob’s stupid attitude.
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