Last week we saw so many different reasons why, from man's perspective, reconciliation in Jacob's family was impossible. It was a story of the father's favoritism, which he was still clinging to so many years later. It was a story of brotherly jealousy and hatred. It was a story of guilt, the brother still carrying around their guilt for 20 years later after the crime had been committed. Damage had been done. Joseph no longer trusted his brothers. He was suspicious of them. Had they really changed? Were they different? And so even though we saw an unexpected reunion last week when God brought Joseph and his brothers back together by his providence, we saw so many reasons from man's perspective Why unity couldn't be restored to the people of God. Sin had shattered this family. It had brought division and suspicion and hurt that had lasted for 20 years. So much hurt that we've seen Joseph, at least on two different occasions now, weeping uncontrollably and having to excuse himself because of the emotions that were brought up by this unexpected reunion between Joseph and his brothers. And one of the things we're meant to see there is, again, that man cannot do it. Man cannot fix the damage that has been done by sin. But the good news is God's providence is working in all of these events that are happening in Joseph's life. And what God's providence is doing is applying pressure to all the different characters in this story, all the different individuals involved, so that they would see their sins and their unique contribution to the problem and they would be recipients of God's sanctifying grace. God's sanctifying grace is the hope for reconciliation. You see, God's grace not only brings pardon for our sins, we love to speak of grace, how it saves us and brings pardon for our sins and our sins are forgiven, and that's a wonderful thing. But grace also works providentially to sanctify us, to show us our sins, to show us our need to repent, to remedy our character defects so that we can glorify God and so that we can have unity as the people of God. And what we see in this unfolding story, this amazing story of Joseph is how God's grace exercised in his providence is sanctifying His people. We see God's grace at work in this chapter that we're about to walk through together. We see His grace at work in Judah. We see His grace at work in Jacob, and we see His grace at work in the brothers. And I want us to just see the sanctifying grace of God exercised in His providence in the lives of Judah, Jacob, and his brothers. Look first how we see God's grace at work in the life of Judah. Beginning of this chapter, we see that the family of Jacob has consumed all the grain that the brothers purchased on their first trip to Egypt. Simeon's wasting away in prison, waiting for his brothers to return, and they've gone and they've spent enough time to consume all the grain that they had gathered up that first trip. And the famine is severe and something needs to be done, again God is applying providential pressure to the whole situation so that they realize, Jacob realizes his family is going to die, the people of God are going to perish if something isn't done. And so then he, exercising his leadership of his family, he says to his brothers again, go back to Egypt, go back as you did before and buy grain. And Judah speaks up and he says, dad, we've talked about this before. The man who was there took Simeon captive and he said that we should not return unless we verify our story and bring Benjamin. Remember Joseph had, essentially tested the brothers in that way. They said that Benjamin was still living, and so he wanted them to bring Benjamin back so that they could verify that they had changed, that they were telling the truth, and that they actually could be trusted. But from Jacob and Judah's perspective, they just know, hey, we're not going back to Egypt unless we have Benjamin, because this man in Egypt said, he said, don't come back unless you have your younger brother. And you see this very realistic conversation between Judah and Jacob, as Jacob says, probably had this conversation on many occasions, honestly, and he says, why did you even tell them about Benjamin? Why did you do that? And he says, well, Judah says they, they, they, he questioned us thoroughly, and he asked those questions, and how did we know that he was going to tell us to bring Benjamin down to Egypt? We didn't know that was going to happen. And so they're having this argument, probably they've had many times before, and we realize that there's an impasse here. and that the only way that the people of God are going to be saved, the only way that there will ever be reconciliation, the only way there will be a future here is if somehow Jacob is able to let go of his idolatry of Benjamin. He's grasping hold of him, he doesn't want to let him go. He's lost Joseph, he assumes that Simeon is gone, and now Benjamin may also be gone as well if they take him down into the land. of Egypt. And here's where we see the grace of God really working at Judah's life, because what Judah then says is a pivotal point in the narrative. In verses 8 and 9, Judah speaks up, and he says, send the boy with me. Send the boy with me. And he says in verse 9, I will be a pledge of his safety. I will give my life for his. I will guarantee you that I will go and I will be committed to ensuring that Benjamin is safe, and if he doesn't, I will bear the blame forever." Essentially, Judah promises to act as a surety for Benjamin, and he becomes a type of Christ. You ever wonder what that word surety or pledge means when we sing the song, arise my soul arise, before the throne my surety stands, before the throne my surety stands, my name is written on his hands. Essentially Christ, the descendant of Judah, is our surety, he is the one who has undertaken for us, he is the one who has become the pledge of our safety. For all of the elect, he came to this earth. He fulfilled the law for us. He took upon himself the debt of sin that we deserve for our sin, and he was willing to sacrifice himself for us. Judah's actions here are selfless. They are sacrificial, and they are surprising. Don't forget Judah's role in this whole mess. Back in chapter 37, don't you remember who it was when the brothers were eating their lunch and Joseph was in the pit? Don't you remember who it was who said, you know, if we kill him, we don't really get anything out of it other than the fact that he's dead. And we want the dreamer dead. We want him gone. And Judas said, you know, we could actually make a little money. We could sell Joseph into slavery. In chapter 37, Judah was thinking primarily about how to fill his pocket with gold and silver, how to make money off getting rid of the dreamer. But now that has changed. Now, instead of trying to make money off his younger brother, now he is willing to sacrifice for his younger brother. Judah's actions stand in stark contrast from those of Reuben in the previous chapter. Remember Reuben said something similar. Reuben said, hey dad, I'll go down to Egypt. I'll bring Benjamin. And if I don't, you can kill my two sons. So Reuben being the first born in the previous chapter said, I want to be the hero, I want to save the day. But there he offered the lives of his two sons, not his own life. Judah essentially puts himself on the altar. Judah surrenders all and Judah says, no, I will bear the blame forever if Benjamin doesn't come back. One of the remarkable things we learn about the grace of God in Scripture is that it can really change anybody. It seems like a simple point of the gospel, but you know, some people believe that people never really change. The character people has is long reinforced by their life's decisions and most people just continue on with the same character and the same choices they make. They make their ruts and they stay in those ruts for the rest of their life. And of course left to ourselves, that's what we do. We sin and we are enslaved to sin and we are blinded by sin and we are trapped in sin. But don't forget what the grace of God can do. It can make a selfish man like Judah into a sacrificial man, a man who's willing to take responsibility for his younger brother before he wanted to get rid of his younger brother. But now something has changed. The grace of God has done a work in his life. We should hold out hope for the chief of sinners because Jesus came to save sinners. This is a trustworthy saying and deserving of full acceptance that the Son of God came into the world to save sinners, Paul says, of whom I am chief. Judah is transformed by the grace of God in his life. God has been working providentially in him to bring him to this point in time to say, Dad, We're all going to die here. Something's got to give. We got to go back. And we can't go back without Benjamin. And you know what? I'm putting my life on the line. I'm giving you my word that he will come back. And if not, I will bear the blame forever. See what grace is in Judah's life. Notice also how the grace of God is working in Jacob's life. Jacob now, in response to this conversation with Judah, is willing to let go of Benjamin. Now that might be just pragmatically, it might be because Jacob realizes, well. We're all going to die if we don't do something here. Something has to happen. And so maybe just pragmatically he was thinking, well, I'll let him go. But I actually like to think that probably what happened here is that that speech of his son Judah was so moving, the selflessness of it, the sacrifice that was involved in it, the change. Judah didn't like the sons of Rachel. He was jealous of them. He was just a son of Leah, if you remember. And Judah has now demonstrated a maturity and a sacrifice. And Jacob's heart is moved by that. And in response to what Judah says, Jacob says, go. Go on this long journey. It's kind of humorous, I think. He tells them to take some mixed nuts. Maybe take this can of mixed nuts and you'll actually win back the approval of this man who sent you on this journey. Well, they take all these fruits and nuts and things like that. Obviously they had saved something. They weren't completely destitute at this point. They take the money that was in their sack plus more because they want to overcome any appearance of evil that they have stolen this money or intentionally defrauded Joseph, and then remarkably, he says, take Benjamin as well. And what is it? What is it that has changed? What is it in Jacob's mind gives him confidence to do this? Well, we're told in verse 14, what he says, may God Almighty grant you mercy before the man. And may he send back your other brother, Simeon, and Benjamin. Now this is the first time in a long time we've seen Jacob invoke the God of the covenant. And he calls him El Shaddai. Remember earlier on in our study of Genesis, El Shaddai means God Almighty or God the All-Sufficient One. It's the same name that God had given to Abraham when he said to Abraham in his covenant in Genesis 17, I am God Almighty. Walk before me and be blameless. And Abraham fell face down. and awareness of the holiness of God and the power of God and the greatness of God. And so here Jacob is invoking God. He's invoking the God who's able to supply all the needs of his people, the God who keeps his covenant promises, the God who will not allow his people to perish. And you can see even in that benediction there that he has faith. Grace has given him faith and faith has enabled him to resign to the will of God. to give Benjamin over to the hands of the sovereign God. He couldn't let go before. I'm not going to lose him. I can't lose him. He's all I have left of Rachel. And then through this conversation with Judah, he's finally able to let go, to surrender because he believes in God. For some reason, he remembers God as the almighty, as the all sufficient one. who will meet the needs of His people. We recognize that it is faith, it is faith in response to grace that moves our hearts to surrender all to God, to release our idols, and to cast ourselves upon the mercy of God's providence and His sovereign will. The Bible says in Hebrews chapter 11 that without faith it is impossible to please God. For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he's a rewarder of those who earnestly seek him. When we truly trust in the Lord, when we truly know his goodness and we know his wisdom and we know his power, we're able to let go. We don't have to cling to false idols thinking that our security is found there. We don't have to put everything into those broken cisterns that hold no water, Jeremiah says. but we can abandon it all to God because He is in control. Look at the language of Jacob's resignation here in verse 14. He says, as for me, if I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved. That's not what he was saying at the end of chapter 42. And that's also not a cynical statement in context where he's blessing his sons as they're leaving. And he's saying, may God Almighty bless you. He's saying something similar to what Esther said. When Esther had to go before King Ahasuerus and plead for the lives of the Jews and Mordecai said, you gotta go, you're there for such a time as this, what did Esther say? She said, I will go and if I perish, I perish. You hear the similarity? If I'm bereaved of my children, I'm bereaved. If I perish, I perish. It's one of resignation to the will of God and it's only the grace of God that can move a sinful heart like Jacob's. are like Esther's, to acknowledge God's sovereign will and to truly surrender and let go of the false gods of comfort and convenience and complacency and trust in the Lord. God's grace is working. In Judah, God's grace is working in Jacob, but also notice here how God's grace is working in the brothers. So the brothers go on the journey. They take their mixed nuts and their fruits and all of that. They take Benjamin and they go on this trip. And it's almost like you get a perspective here from the palace. Joseph is there watching them approach. He sees Benjamin is with them. And he has this conversation with his steward and essentially says, they're coming to my house. They're coming to this palace and they're going to dine with me. And so we're given this picture that good news is coming for the brothers. Good things are going to happen to them. But in their mind, We juxtapose that within their mind. They think we might be going to die. We feel like we feel our sense of guilt for what we did to Joseph. And we think God is going to punish us. Perhaps he put this money in our sacks so that we'll be accused of stealing and surely we're destined to be judged. And so that's their mindset as they go. And yet, isn't it amazing that when they get to the door of the palace and they have the conversation with this steward, that there is no sense of deception or lies. They reliably report what their father told them to say. Hey, must have been an oversight, but somehow we still have the money that we brought last time. Now they have to know that possibly, even though they brought it, we think better late than never, but the reality is, could be, you stole it, you pay, it's too late, and they could be in trouble. But instead, knowing the risk, knowing the position they're in, far away from home, in a foreign land, at the mercy of a man who has accused them, and they are honest, the grace of God has done something to these brothers. They're far from glorified saints, to be sure, but the grace of God has now moved them from dishonesty to honesty, not so much concerned about money and filling their sacks with money, but rather they're concerned about the life of their younger brother now, and they're concerned about their father. And notice how shocked they must have been and how unexpected it was when the steward said to them in verse 23, peace be to you. Don't be afraid. So far, they've been nothing but afraid. But he says, peace, don't be afraid. Your God, the God of your father has put treasure in your sacks. I received your money. And he lets them keep the money, he lets them keep the grain, and then out comes Simeon, and then they receive hospitality as if they are ambassadors from another land. They're treated like royalty, their feet are washed, their donkeys are given fodder, and there's this amazing encounter they have. And they must have been wondering, what is going on? We do not deserve this. We sold our brother into slavery. We deserve judgment. What's going on? I thought we were supposed to reap what we have sown and we have sown evil. And yet, the grace of God is evident in their lives, because Joseph brings them in, doesn't he? And when he brings them in, he is essentially going to give them a feast. They thought they were going to get some grain, possibly, that would be the best case scenario, we'll bring grain back, maybe we'll be able to bring back Benjamin, or maybe he'll do a switcheroo, and we'll bring back Benjamin, and who knows? Or maybe we'll get Simeon, we don't know. Or maybe we die. but instead they are invited to a royal feast. Joseph there is in his table. The Egyptians had to set apart from the Hebrews because of the Egyptian view of foreigners. Egyptians saw themselves as superior. Some scholars speculate also that that it might be because of the Hebrews diet, that they would eat animals that were sacred from the Egyptian perspective, we don't really know, but it is a picture there of reconciliation almost, isn't it? Joseph at his table, the brothers at their table, and they're feasting, and the food comes, and all this food is piled up, and then five times as much where Benjamin is, And they're there looking at each other with amazement. And we know that Joseph giving that portion fivefold to Benjamin is yet another test, isn't it? Have these brothers truly repented of their jealousy? Have they truly repented of their favoritism? Have they truly turned around from the thing that got this whole thing started? From the knot that they tied together of sin, of jealousy and hatred and envy, all of that that led to them selling their brother into slavery, and yet look at this. They're sitting at the table. Benjamin, the only, in their mind, the only surviving son of Rachel, their father's favorite, gets five times as much. But there's not a hint of any jealousy or envy. And instead, they are looking at each other with amazement because they are just thankful that they get to be part of the feast. I can't help but think it's the grace of God in His providential dealings with them that is partly responsible for their lack of jealousy, their lack of envy. You see, when you think that you've earned the good things you have in life or that someone else doesn't earn them or doesn't deserve them, it's easy to be envious. It's easy to be jealous because you think, I deserve to have this, that, and the other. They don't. And it breeds envy and jealousy. But when you realize that what you have, the good things you have, are not things that you've earned. They're not things that you deserve. They're grace. It's like you thought you were going to die and you've been invited to a feast. And when you realize that, it blows jealousy and envy out of your heart. Because you don't look at someone else and you don't think, well, they don't deserve to have that. I deserve to have it more. You think, I'm just amazed at what God has given me. I deserve His judgment, but I receive His favor. I deserve hell, but He invites me to a feast, and He gives me grace, a grace that brings about an honest life, as they were honest about the money that was put in their sacks by Joseph. They passed that test. They brought back Benjamin. They passed that test. They show no signs of jealousy or envy when Benjamin gets all that extra portion. Why? Because they are amazed they are even alive at all. And not only are they alive, but they're feasting like kings. You see, this is a picture of the gospel. This is a picture of the grace that God brings to us. We deserve His wrath, we deserve His judgment for our sins. We deserve to reap what we sow, to experience all the bad things as consequences for our actions, but God in His grace not only shields us from the judgment we rightly deserve, but He also invites us to a feast, and it's far better than the feast that the brothers enjoyed. because they were sitting at a different table than Joseph. You see, the table that we are about to experience this morning, the Lord's table, is one in which Jesus is dining with us, hell-deserving sinners. Jesus, He is the feast. He is the one who sacrificed His life for us. Like Judah, He is the one who has undertaken for us and become our surety, given His life for us, bore the wrath we deserve, bore the judgment we deserve, and accomplished salvation for us. And He is the one who invites us to feast with Him. He spreads a sumptuous feast of the unsearchable riches of His grace and kindness to us in Him. And we see that feast at the Lord's Supper, and you see that feast not only reminds us that our sins are forgiven, but it reminds us that He can change us. He can make liars truth-tellers. He can make those who are selfish, who only live for what they want and what will make them better and bring division to their families. He can make them laid aside and be sacrificial and selfless. He can take the hearts of those who are eaten up with envy and jealousy and want what they want and despise anyone who gets something that they don't think they're entitled to. He can take that heart and make it grateful, content. because we're amazed, we're at the feast at all. One of the most sanctifying things that can happen in our hearts and in our lives is to be astounded by the grace of God, how unexpected it is, how amazing it is, how sweet it is. And just like the brothers looked at one another with absolute amazement, at the grace they were receiving in that moment of sitting at that table in Egypt, feasting in a time of famine, we should be just as amazed and staggered by the grace God has given us in Christ. And that can enable you to release your idols, to surrender to God's will, to be resigned to it, to be honest, and to let go of all jealousy and envy, knowing that You have been treated with so much grace, that we have been treated in such a way that is so much better than we deserve in Jesus. Let's pray together. Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your Word. It is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. It encourages us that we can change. Left to ourselves, there's no hope. Left to ourselves, our families, our broken relationships, perhaps in this church, there's no hope. We can't fix ourselves. We can't do it in our own strength. But Lord, we thank you that your grace changes hearts. Your grace invades our lives, bringing pardon for sin, but also power over sin. It transforms us, it makes us new. We thank you that we are new creatures in Christ. The old is gone, the new has come. And Lord, we thank you that as we come to the table this morning, that we're reminded that we do not deserve a seat at the table. But yet the Lord Jesus, our new and better Joseph has invited us in. and has given us His grace all the way in, all the way to His table, because He loves us and forgives us and transforms us. May we be amazed and staggered by the grace that You've given us. We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen.