Genesis 44

Genesis 44 is going to show us that the only way to secure the future you truly need is to surrender the future you always wanted.

Outline

  • First, Test your future (44:1-5)
  • Second, Trust your future (44:6-14)
  • Third, Trade your future (44:14-34)
    • He trades his future through confession (44:14-17)
    • Judah also trades his future through substitution (44:30-34)

Christ Connections

  • Judah is not just offering to take Benjamin’s place for a moment but for a lifetime, Judah offers to surrender his freedom in order to secure Benjamin’s salvation through substitution. This is the first instance in the Bible of a human serving as a substitute. When Judah offers himself as a substitute for Benjamin, he points ahead to the coming Messiah from the line of Judah. Only Jesus doesn’t just offer up his freedom but actually offers his own life.

Applications

  • We need to fully surrender our future to God. Surrendering your future means saying yes to God even when we don’t know what’s on the other side of the yes. Trusting that he will make our paths straight.
  • Judah shows us the anatomy of a true confession has three parts:
    • Owning your sin: owning our sin is the first step toward genuine repentance, Judah doesn’t try to justify his actions.
    • Owning your guilt: He acknowledges God’s role in revealing secret sin. He agrees with God’s view of the situation that same type of conviction happens today through the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
    • Owning the consequences: Judah takes ownership over this moment, he surrenders his freedom by becoming Joseph’s servant and he submits to Joseph’s authority