Genesis 45:25–28 (ESV)

So they went up out of Egypt and came to the land of Canaan to their father Jacob. And they told him, “Joseph is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.” And his heart became numb, for he did not believe them. But when they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. And Israel said, “It is enough; Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”

There is a wonderful moment in The Silver Chair by CS Lewis when the kids cannot decide whether to follow Aslan’s command or to follow their own reasoning. Aslan (the creator and lord of Narnia) had told them that if anyone ever asks them to do something in the name of Aslan, they must do it. But when they’re confronted with a tied-up madman who asks them to loosen his ropes in the name of Aslan, they worry about what he will do when he’s free. They don’t know what to do.

“Oh, if only we knew!” said Jill.
“I think we do know,” said Puddleglum.
“Do you mean you think everything will come right if we do untie him?” said Scrubb.
“I don’t know about that,” said Puddleglum, “You see, Aslan didn’t tell Pole what would happen. He only told her what to do.”

The lesson is to do what the Lord says regardless of your fears, even if that means ignoring your own calculations. In today’s passage, Jacob’s sons tell him all the words of Joseph—but that wasn’t their plan.

When they said, “Joseph is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt,” Jacob’s heart became numb, for he did not believe them. The Hebrew word that’s translated as “became numb” (פוג, poog) literally means ceased or became helpless. Jacob’s heart (i.e., his emotions/personality) ceased to function. In other words, the old man just shut down.

In verse 27, when the spirit of their father Jacob revived, he comes out of it. But in the meantime, Jacob’s sons are in a panic. This is like what Judah was worrying about when he speculated what might happen if he returned without Benjamin.

“I fear to see the evil that would find my father.” — Genesis 44:34b (ESV)

Now something like that is happening anyway.

They hoped just telling Jacob the news about Joseph would work. It doesn’t, so they tell him everything. Jacob’s sons stumble into the same lesson that Puddleglum taught the kids—just do the right thing.

So they blurt out the truth.

Trusting God is the point where faith meets works. People who trust God to keep His promises behave accordingly. People who don’t really trust God act like they don’t. It’s usually easy to tell if someone’s faith is strong by how he behaves.

But weak faith grows into strong faith over time, as people learn that God can be trusted.

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These weekday DEEPs are written by Mike Slay. Saturdays' by Matt Richardson. Subscribe here: https://www.ailbe.org/resources/community

The weekly study guides, which include questions for discussion or meditation, are here: https://www.ailbe.org/resources/itemlist/category/91-deep-studies

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV stands for the English Standard Version. © Copyright 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved. NIV stands for The Holy Bible, New International Version®. © Copyright 1973 by International Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. NASB stands for the New American Standard Bible. Used by permission. All rights reserved. KJV stands for the King James Version.