Genesis 42:29

Genesis 42:29 says, And they came unto Jacob their father unto the land of Canaan, and told him all that befell unto them; saying,  The brothers didn't return to Joseph, but went on home to their father.  I believe that it is safe to say that when we find ourselves in a bad situation, even one not of our own making, we as followers of Christ should first go to our Heavenly Father and tell Him what has happened.  There is really no good in going back to where the problem occurred until we have talked to God.  Verse thirty states, The man, who is the lord of the land, spake roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country.  The brothers who were there told Jacob of their encounter with the man in Egypt.  They told Jacob that the man spoke roughly to them and treated them as spies.  They were innocent in this case, but it did not excuse their earlier sinful actions against Joseph.  We may sometimes be falsely accused, but we have to acknowledge that we have been guilty of sin and may be again in the future.  That is why it is only by the grace of God that we can be forgiven.  Verse thirty-one adds, And we said unto him, We are true men; we are no spies:  The brothers proclaimed themselves to be true men, but much of their lives had been lived with a lie.  Still, they were not spies, so this much was true.  Even if we are not guilty of something that we are accused of, we are still but sinners saved by grace if we have accepted Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse thirty-two continues, We be twelve brethren, sons of our father; one is not, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan.  Again, this was true as far as they knew.  As far as the brothers were concerned, whether he was alive or dead, Joseph no longer existed to them.  Verse thirty-three still continues, And the man, the lord of the country, said unto us, Hereby shall I know that ye are true men; leave one of your brethren here with me, and take food for the famine of your households, and be gone:  They told Jacob that the man had told them how he was going to prove that they were truthful.  They were to leave one of the brothers behind until they returned.  Verse thirty-four goes on stating, And bring your youngest brother unto me: then shall I know that ye are no spies, but that ye are true men: so will I deliver you your brother, and ye shall traffick in the land.  The brothers said that they were to bring their younger brother back to prove they weren't spies and their brother would be set free and they would be allowed to traffic in Egypt.  Fortunately, God does not demand that we leave something with Him before He sets us free from sin.  Verse thirty-five concludes, And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that, behold, every man’s bundle of money was in his sack: and when both they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid.  When the brothers emptied their sacks, they found that everyone had their money returned, and the brothers and Jacob were afraid.  The man, Joseph, had already accused them of being spies, and now the evidence pointed to them being thieves as well.  They had a right to be afraid, but we are not told that they took their concerns to God.  Any time we find ourselves in a bad situation, even one not of our making, as followers of Christ, our first action should be to go to God in prayer.  Verse forty states, And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me.  Jacob was still putting the welfare of Benjamin ahead of the welfare of Simeon and the other brothers.  We must be concerned with the welfare of all our brother's and sisters in Christ, and never put one above another.  Jacob also put the blame for Simeon's situation on his other sons, even though he had sent them to Egypt and they had no control over the situation.  Verse thirty-seven declares, And Reuben spake unto his father, saying, Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee: deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to thee again.  Reuben pledged the life of his two sons if he took Benjamin to Egypt and didn't return with him.  What would we be willing to give up to save another person from the bondage of sin?  Verse thirty-eight proclaims, And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if mischief befall him by the way in the which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.  Jacob was still playing favorites.  Evidently, the death of Simeon would not have caused him to sorrow to death, but the death of Benjamin would.  I will state once more that we cannot be like Jacob and play favorites with our brothers and sisters in Christ.  One is just as valuable as the other in the sight of our Heavenly Father