A Great Love

MEMORY VERSE: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” —John 15:13

GENESIS 44:18-34

TODAY’s lesson is concerned chiefly with Judah, one of the twelve sons of Jacob. All students of the Bible are acquainted with the experience of Joseph in being sold by his brethren into slavery in Egypt. The Lord greatly prospered Joseph in Egypt, and in a time of famine he became the chief food administrator for the nation, and had the authority to sell food to people of other countries who had been afflicted by the great famine which had reduced such a large area to a near-starvation status.

Among those who had traveled to Egypt to purchase food were ten of Joseph’s brethren. In his own way Joseph discovered the identity of these men, and from them learned that his father Jacob was still living, and of his younger brother Benjamin who was with him. On a previous visit he had told his brothers that if they came again for food they would have to bring Benjamin with them, else they could not see his face, implying that they would obtain no food.

With difficulty they convinced their aged father to let them take Benjamin with them. But complications developed.

Joseph worked out a ruse by which it appeared that he had the right to demand that Benjamin remain in Egypt as a bondsman. It is at this point that our lesson picks up the narrative, and we find Judah pleading with Joseph, whose identity he did not yet know, to allow Benjamin to return with them to their father. Judah was eloquent in his plea, finally, offering to remain in Egypt himself in the place of Benjamin.

This attitude of Judah seems to have been in keeping with his character. When, years before, the brothers decided to get rid of Joseph Reuben suggested that they drop him into a pit, where he would probably die. But Judah did not agree, and he said unto his brethern, “What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood? Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh.” The others agreed to this, and Joseph’s life was saved.

And now that this one with such great authority in the land was proposing to keep Benjamin as a bondsman, Judah again came to the rescue, this time at great personal cost to himself. This displayed a great concern for Benjamin, and also for the aged father. It is quite in keeping with the spirit of our memory verse which states that no one has greater love than that which is displayed by a willingness to lay down his life for his friends. So far as Judah was concerned; if Joseph accepted his offer he might well have died in Egypt without seeing his family again.

Certainly there is a valuable lesson in this for the Lord’s people today; for those, that is, who are admonished by the Scriptures to lay down their lives for their brethren. Jesus laid down his life for us, and we are invited to walk in his footsteps of self-sacrifice, not only on behalf of our brethren in Christ, but we are to do good unto all as we have opportunity.—Gal. 6:10

In pleading before Joseph for the release of Benjamin, Judah relates to him the difficulty they had to obtain their father’s consent to bring him to Egypt. The father spoke of the loss of Joseph, supposing that he had been slain by beasts, and then added concerning Benjamin, “If ye take this also from me and mischief befall him, ye shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.” Judah, agreeing with this, adds, “Now therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad be not with us; seeing that his life is bound up in the lad’s life; it shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die; and thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father in sorrow to the grave.”

These are enlightening statements of fact, when we realize that the word “grave” in both instances is a translation of the Hebrew word “sheol,” the only word in the Old Testament which is translated “hell.” In other words, Jacob’s gray hairs went to the Bible hell when he died, although he was a righteous man. The explanation is simple. The Bible hell is simply the state of death, of oblivion, and in due time those in hell will be awakened.

QUESTIONS

Relate the circumstances leading up to today’s lesson.

In what sense does our memory verse apply?

What is the meaning of the Hebrew word “sheol”?

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