Genesis 42:22–28 ‘Their hearts sank…’ (v28)
The burden of guilt and shame is such for the brothers that they cannot accept blessing without adding to their guilt and shame. God is a God who loves to bless. One who is abundant in love and slow to anger.
He has paved the way for us to accept blessing without guilt because the price of our sin is fully and completely paid. The cry of our hearts can be, ‘But I don’t deserve His blessing!’ How true that cry is, but God’s blessing is not dependant on our deservedness, rather on God’s abundant grace and mercy.
Love is lavished upon us simply because God is love. Undoubtedly the greatest gift is that of Christ Himself. God saw how we could not re-find the lost fellowship between ourselves and Him, so provided the solution Himself… such is His love for us.
A God of this amazing love will naturally want to bless us, just as we want to bless those nearest and dearest to us. Sometimes our belief that we do not deserve blessing stops us seeing it. Joseph not only gave the brothers their money back, but also gave them other provisions for the journey.
There is no mention of this when the brothers stop for the night. If they had understood the gift of the extra provisions, maybe they could have accepted that it was all on purpose and not an accident to feel guilty about.
A Prayer to Make:
‘Lord, help me to accept all Your blessings as beautiful gifts of Your love towards me and take away any guilt I feel about the blessings in my life. Amen.’
An Action to Take:
Make a list of your blessings. Ask God to show you them all, and give thanks for each one. If necessary, challenge the voice that says, ‘I don’t deserve it’, with the truth that you are loved.
Scripture to Consider:
Neh. 9:16–21; Ps. 145:9–13; Prov. 28:18; Matt. 7:7–9; Rom. 5:6–11
