The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. (Psalm 34:18)
When Joseph’s brothers came to Egypt, they had no idea that Joseph was the person in charge of everything. He did not reveal himself to them.
Joseph kept Simeon with him and asked the brothers to go back to the land of Canaan and bring their youngest brother to Egypt. They could not come back for food unless they brought Benjamin with them. After much persuasion, they were able to take Benjamin from Jacob and bring him to Egypt.
In Genesis chapter forty-three, Joseph prepared a feast but did not yet reveal himself. God was still working, particularly in the heart of Judah. God dealt with him in such a way until he finally said, “That’s enough! Lord, I surrender.” We can read the account in Genesis 44:1-18.
Judah came to his wit’s end. He said, “God has found us out!” He said, “I have had enough,” and he was finally willing to surrender to the Lord. God cannot bless us until He makes us ready to receive what He has for us.
God Deals with Individuals
God was dealing with all of Jacob’s sons, but in a special way, He dealt with Judah because God was going to do something out of the ordinary with him. Judah would form the tribe from which the promised Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, would come.
When God is going to do a work, He begins by working in the heart of one human being. You may work on a job, and perhaps there are many people at that workplace. God wants to be glorified on your job. How does God get glory on that job? He gets glory through working in the lives of individual employees on that job. God works in the hearts and lives of individuals.
God’s Ways Are Not Our Ways
We see also in this account that God’s ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9). There may be times when we know what God is going to do, but we marvel to see how He gets it done.
Who would have ever thought that God could use Judah? He was the one, in Genesis 37:26-27, who suggested that they sell Joseph as a slave. He was the one, in Genesis chapter thirty-eight, who mistook his own daughter-in-law for a harlot and had a child by her. However, despite his past, God worked in his life and used his tribe to bring forth the Messiah.
Some people think, “With what I’ve done, the mistakes I’ve made, how can God ever do anything in my life?” God is able.
God Desires to Bring Us to the Place of Surrender
In Genesis chapter forty-four, Judah is now a broken man. Notice Judah’s actions and words in Genesis 44:14-16. He falls on his face, a completely broken man.
The Lord is not going to force us, but He wants us to yield to Him. He wants us to say, “That’s enough, Lord. I surrender to You.” God wants to bring us to the place where we are willing to do whatever He desires. He is always dealing with us and speaking to us to bring us to the place of surrender.
Our Lives Affect Others
We learn also in this account that our lives affect others. Notice the passionate plea that Judah made to Joseph on behalf of his brother Benjamin in Genesis 44:31-33. Judah said, “My father will die if Benjamin does not return. Keep me as your servant and let the lad go.”
This was not the same man who lied to his father about Joseph and broke his father’s heart. He looked the same and had the same name, but God had changed him. Now, he could not bear to think of Jacob’s heart being broken.
Like Judah, we need to realize that our actions affect others. Others are hurt by our stubbornness and selfishness. What a tragedy!
It is wonderful to know that God can make a life over again. God can change people. He worked to make a self-willed, stubborn man who looked out only for himself and his own, into the kind of man that said, “I would rather live the rest of my life in bondage than to see my father’s heartbroken and my brother living in slavery.”
God is able to change people’s lives. God changed Judah, and He is able to bring us to the place where we say, “Lord, I’ve had enough. I surrender all to Thee.”