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What Is Blame? - Genesis 43:1-10
What Is Blame? - Genesis 43:1-10 [1] And the famine was sore in the land.
[2] And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the corn which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them, Go again, buy us a little food.
[3] And Judah spake unto him, saying, The man did solemnly protest unto us, saying, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.
[4] If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down and buy thee food:
[5] But if thou wilt not send him, we will not go down: for the man said unto us, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.
[6] And Israel said, Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me, as to tell the man whether ye had yet a brother?
[7] And they said, The man asked us straitly of our state, and of our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive? have ye another brother? and we told him according to the tenor of these words: could we certainly know that he would say, Bring your brother down?
[8] And Judah said unto Israel his father, Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go; that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, and also our little ones.
[9] I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt thou require him: if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever:
[10] For except we had lingered, surely now we had returned this second time.
See All...
See All...
INTRODUCTION
The word blame and its various forms appears twenty-four times in scripture. In a general sense, blame is the guilty responsibility concerning a matter. In Genesis chapter 43, Judah understood the necessity of taking Benjamin if they were to buy food, but he also understood the concerns of his father. Jacob already lost Joseph; he was not prepared to lose another son, especially Benjamin. With these things in mind, Judah promised his father that Benjamin would come back to Jacob alive and well. If Judah was unable to fulfil this promise, he was prepared to bear the blame forever. Later, while in Egypt, when it appeared as though Benjamin would be taken, Judah declared his responsibility for the lad (Genesis 44:10And he said, Now also let it be according unto your words: he with whom it is found shall be my servant; and ye shall be blameless.
See All..., 32).
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS
- (For children): Read how the two spies and Rahab agreed concerning the conditions under which either she or they would be guilty if Rahab and her people were not spared the destruction of Jericho (Joshua 2:12-21 [12] Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the LORD, since I have shewed you kindness, that ye will also shew kindness unto my father's house, and give me a true token:
[13] And that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.
[14] And the men answered her, Our life for yours, if ye utter not this our business. And it shall be, when the LORD hath given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee.
[15] Then she let them down by a cord through the window: for her house was upon the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall.
[16] And she said unto them, Get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you; and hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers be returned: and afterward may ye go your way.
[17] And the men said unto her, We will be blameless of this thine oath which thou hast made us swear.
[18] Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household, home unto thee.
[19] And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be guiltless: and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him.
[20] And if thou utter this our business, then we will be quit of thine oath which thou hast made us to swear.
[21] And she said, According unto your words, so be it. And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet line in the window.
See All...; Joshua 6:21-23 [21] And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword. [22] But Joshua had said unto the two men that had spied out the country, Go into the harlot's house, and bring out thence the woman, and all that she hath, as ye sware unto her. [23] And the young men that were spies went in, and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had; and they brought out all her kindred, and left them without the camp of Israel.
See All...). Read also how Jonah was to blame regarding the storm (Jonah 1:10-12 [10] Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him. Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them. [11] Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous. [12] And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.
See All...). - (For everyone): Jacob was initially unwilling to send Benjamin with the other brothers in order to buy food. How did Judah become responsible for the life of Benjamin when he talked his father into sending Benjamin?
- What are some areas of responsibility where you could be to blame if something goes wrong? How can you avoid the blame?
PRAYER NEEDS
- Ask God to teach you how to be blameless in a practical sense.
- Ask the Lord to teach you about being blameless before Him.
HYMN
HIS WAY WITH THEE
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Proverbs 30:19
The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a maid.