One cannot help but sense the strongarm tactics of Jacob’s sons with their father. While not openly rebelling against the patriarch, they did refuse to do as he told them, namely, go to Egypt to buy grain without Benjamin. We, as readers, know what is happening, because we have a seat behind the scenes, as it were, similar to the readers of the first two chapters of Job. The readers know what the main characters in the text do not (except for Joseph). What would have occurred, if Benjamin didn’t go with them to Egypt? Would Joseph have slain Simeon or any of the other brothers? I don’t believe so. The matter would have simply played out differently with the same end result, vis-à-vis Jacob and Joseph reuniting in Egypt.
Nevertheless, the sons of Jacob have chosen to take a strong stand against their father, something Isaac never did with Abraham, nor did Jacob with Isaac, for he trembled, while he deceived his father. Yet, except for their hardness of heart, both Jacob’s deception of Isaac and Jacob’s son’s tactics toward their father are similar. Neither of the two events show the participants’ willingness to wait upon the Lord, who needs no one to help him carry out his will.
Eventually, Jacob yielded to the will of his sons, so he told them to bring a gift to the man (Joseph), and prepare the best fruits of the land to take to him as a present, a fragrant, medicinal balm, honey, spices, myrrh and some pistachios and almonds (Genesis 43:11). Moreover, he told his sons to take double the money to replace what they found in their sacks and the rest to buy what was needed presently (Genesis 43:12)/
Finally, Jacob told his sons to take Benjamin with them to Egypt, placing them in the care of Almighty God, hoping for mercy and the deliverance of his sons, Simeon and Benjamin. Yet, if for some reason he is bereaved of them, as he was with Joseph, so be it, vis-à-vis “Let God be God!” (Genesis 43:13-14).
Aside from the obstinacy expressed in the attitude of his sons, Jacob, surprisingly, expresses a persuadable heart that is open for faith to allow God to do his will. As I mentioned in earlier studies, none of Jacob’s sons, aside from Joseph, express anything like a relationship with the Lord. We don’t know the details of any of the sons’ private lives, but we are able to understand the lack of integrity of both Simeon and Levi in their deception of Shechem and his father and the ultimate murderous rampage that followed, whereby they slew all the males of the city in Genesis 34.
Additionally, we are also introduced to Judah’s heart in Genesis 38. There, we find him mingling with the Canaanites (Genesis 38:1), making no demands upon them in any friendship or other dealings he had with them (cp. Genesis 34:13-16). In fact, Judah both took his own wife from among the Canaanites as well as a wife for his firstborn (Genesis 38:2-6), seemingly making no demands on them, as far as righteousness was concerned (Genesis 38:7-10), and instead of taking the matter to the Lord, he seems to have yielded to the superstitions of his Canaanite friends and considered his daughter-in-law cursed, because he refused to give his youngest son to her for a husband (Genesis 38:11-14).
So, the hearts of Jacob’s sons were obstinate, in that they behaved according to their own unrighteous hearts. However, Jacob was different. He had learned that the Lord was with him, and despite his not understanding the Lord’s hand in Joseph’s disappearance, he remained, ultimately, persuadable in his heart. He wasn’t so stubborn that he couldn’t give in to what he was afraid to do. He delivered up Benjamin and placed the outcome in the hands of the Lord (Genesis 43:14). Jacob had faith!
Smoodock's Blog 