Judah Grows Up – Genesis 43:1-10
JUDAH GROWS UP
DATE:
TEXT: Genesis 43:1-10
INTRODUCTION
It has been a while since we looked in on Joseph and his family
If you will remember the story, you know that Joseph’s brothers sold him into Egyptian slavery
They told their father that he was dead and as far as they were concerned, Joseph was dead!
They went on with their lives as though they would never see their brother again, because they never expected to!
BUT God had other plans!
While they are living their lives in Canaan, God is working in Egypt!
Down in Egypt, Joseph is sold as a slave
He works for a man named Potiphar, who is Pharaoh’s chief executioner
Potiphar’s wife tries to seduce Joseph, but he rebuffs her advances
She lies to her husband telling him that Joseph tried to rape her
Potiphar has Joseph thrown into prison
After a number of years, Joseph is brought to Pharaoh’s attention
God uses Joseph to help Pharaoh, and to make a long story short, Joseph is taken out of the prison and made the Prime Minister
A famine arises in the land, but Joseph has developed a plan to store up grain for the lean years ahead
When the famine comes, it affects all the countries of the earth, even the land of Canaan, where Joseph’s brothers and father dwell
Joseph’s brothers make a trip to Egypt to buy grain and they meet the brother they sold as a slave some 20 years before
He recognizes them, but they do not recognize him
God uses Joseph to awaken the dead consciences of his brothers
Joseph wants them to think about what they have done, so he accuses them of being spies and throws Simeon into prison until the other brothers return home and get their youngest brother Benjamin
The brothers return home with their grain, but no Simeon
Jacob again grieves and refuses to allow the boys to take Benjamin back with them into Egypt
After a while, the grain runs out and they are forced into a decision (go back or die)
That is where our text begins today
In this passage, we see a discussion between Judah the fourth oldest of Jacob’s sons and Jacob himself
In this conversation, Judah is trying to convince his father that they have no choice but to return to Egypt, with Benjamin, to get grain
Otherwise, they will all starve to death
That is the gist of what is taking place here
BUT, as is so often true in the Bible, there is more here than meets the eye!
What we see in these verses is a rebellious man (Judah) demonstrating the fact that he is beginning to grow up
What we see in these verses is how God used the events of Judah’s life to bring him to maturity
God uses these events to shape Judah into the leader he will one day become
There is help for us here as well!
After all, God is trying to do the same thing in our lives
He desires that we reach a place of maturity
This truth is stated often in the New Testament:
Ephesians 4:13-15 - “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:” “ That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;” “But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:”
I Peter 2:2 - “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:”
II Peter 3:18 - “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.”
So let’s examine this passage to see how the Lord worked in Judah’s life to bring him to the place of maturity
We need these truths because God is doing the same things in our lives
He might use different processes to achieve His goals, but the end result will be the same
I want to take these verses and preach on the subject:
“Judah Grows Up”
~~~OPENING PRAYER~~~
I. JUDAH’S “PROBLEM” - v. 3
]Judah the Man
First let’s take a minute to remember what kind of a man we are dealing with in Judah
In Genesis 37:26 it is Judah who talked his brothers out of killing Joseph and into selling him as a slave
Genesis 37:31-35 Judah was part of the lie that broke Jacob’s heart
Genesis 38:1 – When Judah sought a wife, he married an unbeliever
Genesis 38:7-10 – He raised two sons, Er and Onan, who were so evil that God killed them both
Genesis 38:12-16 – Judah was a man controlled by fleshly lusts
His wife died and he sought female companionship in the bed of a woman he thought was a harlot
Genesis 38:12-23 – Judah was guilty of committing incest with his daughter-in-law (Tamar)
She tricked him, but he was still responsible for his actions
Genesis 38:24-30 – Judah was judgmental
Tamar, his daughter-in-law became pregnant through their incestuous relationship and Judah ordered her to be burned for her infidelity
As it turned out, she exposed him as the hypocrite he was
Their relationship produced twin boys, one of whom would become a distant ancestor of the Lord Jesus (Matthew 1:3)
We look at a man like that and we say –
“He’ll never amount to anything! God can’t use a man that wicked.”
The fact is God had big plans for Judah
God was working in his life and on his heart to transform him into a leader among his brethren
God was working on him to make him a blessing to the nation of Israel and to the whole world
Turn to Genesis 49:8-12
Judah was a rough piece of timber, but God had a plan to work him into shape!
]Of course, when you take the time to read your Bible, you quickly see that many of those God used in the greatest of ways, started their lives on the wrong side of righteousness
Rahab – She was a prostitute
She came to know God and she became an ancestor of the Lord Jesus Christ
Ruth – She was a Gentile and a pagan
She came to know God and she became an ancestor of the Lord Jesus
David – He committed adultery; he lied; and he was guilty of murder, but God forgave him and used him
Matthew – He was tax collector in the employ of the Roman government
He was a thief, a liar and a cheat, but God saved him and used him for his glory
The Gaderene Demoniac – He was demon possessed
He lived in the tombs
He had an entire region scare half to death
He met Jesus and became a powerful witness to God’s grace and life-changing power.
Paul – By his own testimony, he was guilty of terrible and gross sins
I Timothy 1:12-15 -
Acts 26:9-11 –
Many more could be named!
Not a single one of God’s people were perfect when He found them
They were all dirty, filthy and full of sin
But, He knows how to clean them up and use them as vessels of honor
There are people in this room right now that are ashamed of their past
You are right to feel that way, but never think for an instant that God can’t bless you and use you
If you have been saved and washed in the blood of the Lamb, His precious blood has negated your past
Every stain has been washed away and you are every whit clean in His sight!
I praise the Lord that He is the “Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world,” John 1:29
And remember there will always be someone out there who will hold what you were against you
Ignore them!
When every thing is said and done you will not answer to them
Both you and they will stand before the Lord and give an account of ourselves
Live to please the Lord and let Him take care of the rest!
JUDAH’S “PROBLEM”
II. JUDAH’S “PLEA” - vs. 3-6
]In these verses, Judah states the simple truth
They cannot return to Egypt to buy more grain unless they take Benjamin with them
So, Juda pleas with his father to allow them to return to Egypt with Benjamin to buy more food
]In these verses, it is clear that Judah is making spiritual progress
Let me show why:
He is not longer simply concerned about Judah
His primary focus in no longer what “he” wants; how “he” feels and what “he” thinks
Judah is concerned about the rest of the family
He knows they have to have food or they will all starve
He is concerned about the future of the family
® Judah is concerned about Simeon
Judah knows they cannot bring Simeon home without going back to Egypt with Benjamin
Judah is now concerned with doing things the right way
This has never been a priority with him before
Up to now, Judah has cared only about Judah
He would do whatever it took to get what Judah wanted
Now, he wants to do things the right way
He is finally growing up!
® This progress hasn’t happened over night
It has taken many years and many trials to bring about these changes in Judah
® By the same token, the Lord’s work in our lives has not been accomplished overnight
If you are growing as you should, you are closer to Him today than you were when you got saved
He has been in the process of developing you since He saved you by His grace
And, His work in us is not something that happens overnight
God has plenty of time and He is willing to do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, to accomplish His eternal purposes in His children
® A quick study of the Bible proves this to be true:
Abraham – First, God worked in his heart to cause him to leave the only home he had ever known to follow God into Canaan
His faith is so shallow that he runs to Egypt for help during a time of famine
Yet, God keeps working on Abraham until the day comes that he is willing to offer his son as a burnt offering to the Lord
That is progress!
Jacob – He is a trickster and a deceiver
He is a man who “lives up” to his name
God works on him through a series of difficult circumstances to shape him into the father of the twelve tribes of Israel
God used problems in the family to shape this man
God allows Jacob to be tricked and deceived by his own uncle
God used hardships and even a personal encounter with Himself beside a river to bring Jacob to where God could use him
That is progress!
Gideon – God took a terrified man and called him to be a Judge of Israel
God gave him a mighty army and then God took his army away
God sent him into battle with 300 against a multitude
He even sent him into battle without weapons
All he and his men had were clay lamps and trumpets
God gave them the victory
That is progress!
David – God used everything from giants, to kings, to pride to break and reshape this young man into “a man after God’s Own heart”
That is progress!
Simon Peter – Here is a man who was constantly getting into trouble
He talked too much!
He was always putting his foot into his mouth
He even denied the Lord Jesus three times in one night
But, God took those tragedies and used them to shape Peter into a mighty preacher of the Gospel
He would never have become the man he did
That is progress!
Now look at your own life
What has the Lord used to shape you into what you are today?
He has used our sins, our trials, our valleys, our victories and everything else we have faced in this life
He has used it all to shape us into what He wants us to be
The Lord’s shaping ministry is a powerful thing
It is something that every saint goes through
It is something the Lord uses to bring even sinners unto Him
God’s desire is to take us like He finds us and then develop us into a vessel of honor for His glory
The prophet Jeremiah 18:1-6 talks about the Potter & the Clay
We are merely clay in His hand, and like a potter, He will keep the pressure on us, as He shapes us into what He wants us to be
There will be times when He will crush us and begin again
There will be times when He will pound the clay
There will be times when He will add to us and there will be times when He will take away from us
In the end, we will become a vessel of honor unto the Lord our God!
And, remember, you are never closer to the Potter than when His hand is on your life!
JUDAH’S “PROBLEM” JUDAH’S “PLEA”
III. JUDAH’S “PLEDGE” - vs. 7-10
As this passage closes, Judah begs his father to let them go to Egypt for food
He promises to trade his life for Benjamin’s should anything happen to the boy
Earlier, Reuben had pledged the lives of his two sons in Genesis 42:37
Of course, Reuben knew that Jacob would never harm his grandsons
In this case, Judah is willing to lay down his own life for the good of the family
This is a good sign that Judah is truly maturing
He is no longer the same self-centered man that he used to be
He is no longer the man who lives only for himself
He is emerging as a leader among his brethren
Soon Judah will bow before Joseph and offer himself as a slave
Genesis 44:33
Soon, this formerly self-centered man will humble himself
Judah will openly confess his sins before Joseph and make things right with him