#114 Rise of Judah Genesis 43

Now the famine was severe in the land. And when they had eaten the grain that they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, "Go again, buy us a little food." But Judah said to him, :the man solemnly warned us, saying, 'you shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.' If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food. But if you will not send him, we will not go down, for the man said to us, 'you shall not see my face, unless your brother is with you.' " Israel said, "why did you treat me so badly as to tell the man that you had another brother?" They replied, "the man questioned us carefully about ourselves and our kindred, saying, 'is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?' What we told him was in answer to these questions. Could we in any way know that he would say, 'bring your brother down'?" And Judah said to Israel his father, "send the boy with me, and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, both we and you and also our little ones. I will be a pledge of his safety. From my hand you shall require him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever. If we had not delayed, we would now have returned twice." Then their father Israel said to them, "if it must be so, then do this: take some of the choice fruits of the land in your bags, and carry a present down to the man, a little balm and little honey, gum, myrrh, pistachio nuts, and almonds. Take double the money with you. Carry back with you the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks. Perhaps it was an oversight. Take also your brother, and arise, go again to the man. May God Almighty grant you mercy before the man, and may he send you back your other brother and Benjamin. And as for me, if I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved." So the men took this present, and they took double the money with them, and Benjamin. They arose and went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph. Genesis 43:1-15ESV

The more I read this, the more disappointed I become with the Patriarch of the clan. Jacob is aware of what his sons went through in Egypt, Simeon is still in Egypt, and yet he ask that they return. Let me be clear on this though; my take on Jacob as a leader is negative, but I accept that I am Jacob often, in as many poor decisions as I have made throughout the years. The famine is severe, but he plays this down, and also ignores the danger his sons would face by returning without their brother. He then makes it clearly about himself when he ask, "why did you treat me so badly as to tell the man you had another brother?" You could have just lied, that seems to be reasonable now as it often is when it comes to what Jacob wants or what he could stand to lose. But a good leader does not ask his people to lie. A good leader does not deny the severity of the situation. Jacob is blinded by his favoritism, and has no problem asking his sons what any one would see as illogical and selfish. They cannot stand before the lord of the land without the favored son. He will not accept them unless Benjamin is with them. 

Philippians 2:3

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;

A true leader has to consider the cost of his direction, and take in to account the dangers and the losses that could be incurred by all who follow him. Those who follow should never fear being the blessing of  wisdom and good counsel. Judah stands up and becomes the voice of reason here; he offers himself as the surety, and states the direness of the situation, including  all those that it will destroy, everyone. He is firm in his resolve. He will not leave and put his brother's lives in needless jeopardy. Jacob finally relents, but it is not because he, who has been physically closer to God than any man, has won the struggle of nonsense. No, he has lost to one bound by logic and reason, and steadfast in his resolve. He has also gained, but by God's good pleasure, that which he does not yet know. He states, "may God," but it is not a sound statement of faith. It is not the charge of a man going into the battle of life, crying out, "it is a good day to die." Did you not receive the promise? Is God not Sovereign? Just skip to the last question. Ask yourself, did He, who framed the world and knew me in my mother's womb, not see me here? Then go humbly about His work, serve, love, forgive; you will be leading then. 

with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him 11also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, 12to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory. Ephesians 1:10-12

"It is not in the nature of politics that the best men should be elected. The best men do not want to govern their fellowmen." 

- George MacDonald