Genesis 42. Joseph's brothers go to Egypt to buy food because of the great famine. Interestingly, Israel (Jacob) sends all the boys except Benjamin. Verse 4: "But Jacob did not send Joseph's brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, 'Lest some calamity befall him.'"
When bad things happen to us once, we may become skiddish to try the same things again. (Jacob sent Joseph away to his find his brothers in Genesis 37 and Jacob thought Joseph was killed. Therefore, he doesn't want to send Benjamin to Egypt for fear of losing him.)
So the brothers go down. (Joseph was now the governor of the land of Egypt.) Joseph immediately recognizes them, but they don't recognize him. He can speak a different language than them now, so he does. While speaking with them, they plead with Joseph to not have to bring Benjamin back. But Joseph ignores their pleas.
Look at verse 21, "Then they said to one another, 'We are truly guilty concerning our brother for we saw the anguish of his soul when he pleaded with us, and we would not hear; therefore this distress has come upon us.'" They see how Joseph felt when he was pleading with them to not throw him in the pit and sell him. Sometimes in life, it is much later when we realize how we have treated someone else is wrong.
Further in verse 28 the Bible says, " . . . their hearts failed them and they were afraid, saying to one another, 'What is this that God has done to us?'"
When they get back to their father without Simeon (because Joseph threw him in prison until the brothers return with Benjamin), Jacob is devastated. He is depressed and fearful because it looks as if he is losing even more sons. How could this happen when he was trying so hard to protect Benjamin? Jacob says it is just too much for him to do (vs 38). He can't handle the grief. It's not worth the risk. He'd rather starve.
I think we all are eventually faced with situations where we are afraid to try again. Let's pray that we know when we should or shouldn't try again.
