You're My Favorite

Genesis 43

The famine in the land is severe, so the sons of Jacob/Israel must journey to Egypt because this guy down there has been storing up food for years and years, and it's the only place on earth with grain.  Off they trot, get some grain, meet the head guy who grills them about their family, and then they journey back home with sacks full of grain and some other stuff they have no idea how it got into their sacks.

The grain runs out, they have got to make another trip to Egypt or starve, but the head guy told them to bring their younger brother the next time they came.  Jacob is ticked that they told the guy about Benjamin, but he reluctantly agrees to send him along this trip because it's either potentially lose one son or all his sons, grandchildren, livestock...  So off they go.

This time, the head guy invites them in to eat dinner with him.  He has to assure them he doesn't  mean to lop off their heads first because it's not standard practice for the second most important man in the land (behind the Pharaoh himself) to invite strangers and sojourners into his home.  A feast is laid before them, more food then any of them can eat but, before the youngest brother, five times more food is presented.

Why?

Benjamin is the youngest son, the one with the least amount of clout, and yet he is given five times more food.  There is nothing in the text to indicate the other brothers were jealous of Benny.  Maybe, after years of scrimping and starving, they were just happy to see real food and lots of it.  Maybe the intimidation factor of dining with a guy they thought might kill them at any moment kept their mouths chewing rather than cussing.  But they must have wondered.

As I'm reading through this, I asked God what the point of showing this favoritism was. And do you know what He said to me?  "You're my favorite."

Imagine that.  Just because He can, and just because He wants to, God gives me more than I need.  He gives me more than I even think to need.  Exceeding abundantly more (Eph. 3:20).  Because I'm His favorite.

You are, too!

Until next time,
Becca