Daily Devotion for Lent 2018 - Day 34, Saturday

Scripture Reading: Genesis 42 (NRSV)

Imagine opening your sack of grain and finding

your money on top after you were accused of being a spy!

Joseph is shown in this chapter to have some of the trickster in him - likely he got it from his father, Jacob.  Joseph's brothers do not recognize him.  He would be dressed as an Egyptian with his hair and beard in their style.  He would have matured in his face and body.  Probably the greatest reason they didn't recognize him is that there would have been no expectation for their brother to be in this position of authority.

Joseph accuses them of spying.  If we think about how our own government today would react to suspected spies or terrorists, this charge seems a lot more serious.  They could be detained, imprisoned, tortured or killed.  Joseph then ups the ante by returning their money to their sacks.

After they get home, we continue to see the favoritism of their father.  When Reuben declares that Jacob could kill his two sons if he failed to bring back Benjamin, you wonder if he is saying this as hyperbole or if this would have been a serious statement in that day.  My hope is exaggeration but if not, it directly expresses a lack of individual rights for children.  Even if said as a brash statement, you would wonder how it would make his sons feel!

I like how the brothers turn to their own guilty consciences over selling Joseph as the reasoning for their difficulty.  The irony that the reader sees is that they have hit the nail on the head!

Although Jesus never said, "You reap what you sow", he did say things along the same philosophical line in the Sermon on the Mount:

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.  You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles?  In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  Thus you will know them by their fruits.

While not exactly the same as karma, Jesus indicates that our actions show our true natures.  The actions of the brothers show that they were not honorable.  And so they are being treated as such when they show up to Egypt.  They are being cut down and thrown into the fire.  Unfortunately, Jacob is also paying the price while the prank plays out.  His own days of playing the trickster may be coming back to haunt him!

During Lent, we often consider our own actions and see how we measure up.  Are there things we've done that are waiting to catch up to us?  Ultimately, we are all in need of mercy for them.  We ask for help to live up to that gift.

God of Grace
forgive our ingratitude
for the blessings we have received.
Help us live the lives we proclaim.
God of Peace
forgive our impatience
with the actions of our neighbour.
Help us live the lives we proclaim.
God of love
forgive our intolerance
toward those of other faiths or none.
Help us live the lives we proclaim.
God of mercy
forgive our reluctance
to offer a word of forgiveness.
Help us live the lives we proclaim.
God of hope
accept our repentance
as a sweet-smelling offering
along with the service of our lives. Amen

Prayer Copyright © John Birch, 2016, http://www.faithwandworship.com.

Photo by World Bank Photo Collection via Flickr.com.

Prayer and photo both used under the Creative Commons license.