Changed Men

Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the lad as a slave to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brothers. For how shall I go up to my father if the lad is not with me, lest perhaps I see the evil that would come upon my father? (Genesis 44:33-34)

Can people really change? Repeatedly, we see in the Bible and life stories that God has the power to profoundly change those who surrender to Him. This principle culminates in the work of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which announces how people can come into right relationship with God. In Christ, we are new people: if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new (2 Corinthians 5:17).

A wonderful example of the power of God to change lives is found in the sons of Jacob, the brothers of Joseph, as God worked in them sorrow and repentance for how they had sinned against Joseph.

When Joseph’s brothers came to Egypt to get grain during a terrible famine, they didn’t know that they were dealing with the brother they sold as a slave. Joseph recognized them, but they didn’t recognize him.

God then guided the unusual actions of Joseph toward his brothers to bring them to repentance, and to display their repentance for what they against Joseph. This is especially seen when Judah said, please let your servant remain instead of the lad as a slave to my lord. Judah dramatically offered to lay down his life for the sake of Benjamin. This was an amazing change from 22 years before when the brothers did not care about Joseph, Benjamin, or even their father Jacob.

Judah distinguished himself as the one willing to be a substitutionary sacrifice, out of love for his father and for his brethren. This is love – heroic self-sacrifice.

Sacrificial love is evidence of real life transformation (John 13:34). This is seen in Moses (Exodus 32:31-32) and Paul (Romans 9:1-4).

Through this chapter, there is remarkable evidence of the changed hearts of Joseph’s brothers.

– The brothers did not resent it when Benjamin was given the favored portion (Genesis 43:34).
– They trusted each other, not accusing each other of wrong when accused of stealing the cup (44:9).
– They stuck together when the silver cup was found and did not abandon the favored son, allowing him to be carried back to Egypt alone (44:13).
– They completely humbled themselves for the sake of the favored son (44:14).
– They knew their crisis was because of their sin against Joseph (44:16).
– They offered themselves as slaves to Egypt, not abandoning Benjamin, the favored son, their brother (44:16).
– They showed due concern for how this might affect their father (Genesis 44:29-31).

The ultimate evidence that the brothers had been changed was Judah’s display of self-sacrificing love (Genesis 44:33). Would anyone look at your life and say that self-sacrifice is evidence that you have been transformed?

Click here for David’s commentary on Genesis 44