The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) - Day 23: Judah Changes (2023)

Episode Date: January 23, 2023

We continue reading today Genesis 43-44, Job 35-36, and Proverbs 4:10-19. Fr. Mike highlights the transformation of Judah's heart and how his change shows us that we too can change regardless of our past. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/bibleinayear. Please note: The Bible contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

Hi, I'm Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of Scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the Great Adventure Bible Timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today. This is day 23. Let us keep on rolling. Day 23, we're going to keep following the story of Joseph and his brothers and their father as we read from Genesis chapter 43 and 42. We'll also be walking with our old friend,

our good friend Job, by reading Job chapter 35 and 36. We're also reading more deeply into Proverbs chapter 4, verses 10 through 19. As always, if you're interested in reading along or following along, you can go to ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year, and you can download the Catholic Bible in a Year reading plan. You can get that, and you can follow along because I'm reading the revised standard version Catholic edition. I'm using the actual Great Adventure Bible from Ascension, which is super good, super handy to have because of all the notes, the maps, everything that's in there. Also, if you want to, you can subscribe in your podcast app. Every time we drop an episode, you will pick it up because you have subscribed. Lastly, if you're interested

in getting updates from Ascension, updates about the Catholic Bible in a year podcast, you can just simply text the word Catholic Bible to the number 33777. Once again, that's the word Catholic Bible to 33777. Once again, we're reading from Genesis chapter 43 and 44. Now the famine was severe in the land. And when they had eaten the grain, which 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 not, 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 ill 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? Have you another brother? What we told him was an 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 lad 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 surety for him. Of 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. For if we had not been delayed, we now would 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 down to the man a present, a little balm and a 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 that he may send back your other brother and Benjamin. If I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved. So the men took the present and they took double the money with them and Benjamin and they arose and went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph. When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, bring the men into the house and slaughter an animal and make ready for the men are to dine

with me at noon. The man did as Joseph bade him and brought the men to Joseph's house. And the men were afraid because they were brought to Joseph's house. And they said, it is because of the money, which was replaced in our sacks the first time that we are brought in so that he might seek occasion against us and fall upon us to make slaves of us and seize our donkeys. So they went up to the steward of Joseph's house and spoke with him at the door of the house and said, oh my Lord, we came down the first time to buy food. And when we came to the lodging place, we opened our sacks and there was every man's money in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight. So we have brought it again with us. And we have brought other money down in our hand

to buy food. We do not know who put our money in our sacks. He replied, rest assured, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father must have put treasure in your sacks for you. I received your money. Then he brought Simeon out to them. And when the man had brought the men into Joseph's house and given them water, and they had washed their feet, and when they had given their donkeys food, they made ready the present for Joseph's coming at noon, for they heard that they should eat bread there. When Joseph came home, they brought into the house to him the present which they had with them and bowed down to him to the ground. And he inquired about their welfare and said, Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke, is he still alive? They said, your servant, our father is

well. He is still alive. And they bowed their heads and made obeisance. And he lifted up his eyes and saw his brother, Benjamin, his mother's son. And he said, is this your youngest brother of whom you spoke to me? God be gracious to you, my son. Then Joseph made haste, for his heart yearned for his brother, and he sought a place to weep. And he entered his chamber and wept there. Then he washed his face and came out, and controlling himself, he said, Let food be served. They served him by himself and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with them by themselves, because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians. And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth. And the men looked at one another in amazement.

Portions were taken to them from Joseph's table, but Benjamin's portion was five times as much as any of theirs. So they drank and were merry with him. Then he commanded the steward of his house, fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man's money in the mouth of his sack, and put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest with his money for the grain. And he did as Joseph told him. As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away with their donkeys. When they had gone but a short distance from the city, Joseph said to his steward, Up, follow after the men. When you overtake them, say to them,

Why have you returned evil for good? Why have you stolen my silver cup? Is it not from this that my Lord drinks, and by this that he divines? You have done wrong in so doing. When he overtook them, he spoke to them these words. They said to him, Why does my Lord speak such words as these, far be it from your servants that they should do such a thing? Behold, the money which we found in the mouth of our sacks, we brought back to you from our land in Canaan. How then should we steal silver or gold from your Lord's house? With

whomever of your servants it be found, let him die. And we also will be my Lord's slaves. He said, let it be as you say, he with whom it is found shall be my slave and the rest of you shall be blameless. Then every man lowered his sack quickly to the ground and every man opened his sack and he searched beginning with the eldest and ending with the youngest, and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. Then they tore their clothes, and every man loaded his donkey, and they returned to the city. When Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house, he was still there, and they fell before him to the ground. Joseph said to them, What deed is this that you have done? Do you not know that such a man as I can indeed divine? And Judah said, What shall we say to my Lord? What shall we speak? Or how can we clear ourselves? God has

found out the guilt of your servants. Behold, we are my Lord's slaves, both we and he also in whose hand the cup has been found. But he said, Far be it from me that I should do so. Only the man in whose hand the cup was found shall be my slave. But as for you, go up in peace to your father. Then Judah went up to him and said, O my Lord, let your servant, I beg you, speak a word in my Lord's ears and let not your anger burn against your servant, for you are like Pharaoh himself. My Lord asked his servants, saying, Have you a father or a brother? And we said to my Lord, We have a father, an old man, and a young brother, the child of his

old age. And his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother's children, and his father loves him. Then you said to your servants, Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes upon him. We said to my Lord, the lad cannot leave his father for if he should leave his father, his father would die. Then you said to your servants, unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall see my face no more. When we went back to your servant, my father, we told him the words of my Lord. And when our father said, go again, buy us a little food, we said, we cannot go down. If our youngest brother goes with us, then we will go down for we cannot see the man's

face unless our youngest brother is with us. Then your servant, my father said to us, you know that my wife bore me two sons. One left me. And I said, surely he has been torn to pieces and I have never seen him since. If you take this one also from me, and harm befalls him, you will bring down my gray hairs in sorrow to Sheol. Now therefore, when I come to your servant my father, and the lad is not with us, then as his life is bound up in the lad's life, when he sees that the lad is not with us, he will die. And your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant, our father, with sorrow to Sheol. For your servant became surety for the lad to my father, saying,

If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame in the sight of my father all my life. Now therefore, let your servant, I beg you, remain instead of the lad as a slave to my Lord, and let the lad go back with his brothers. For how can I go back to my father if the lad is not with me? I fear to see the evil that would come upon my father. Job chapter 35 and 36. Elihu condemns self-righteousness. And Elihu said, do you think this to be just? Do you say

it is my right before God that you ask what advantage have I? How am I better off than if I had sinned? I will answer you and your friends with you. Look at the heavens and see and behold the clouds, which are higher than you. If you have sinned, what do you accomplish against him? And if your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to him? If you are righteous, what do you give to him or what does he receive from your hand? Your wickedness concerns a man like yourself and your righteousness, a son of man. Because of the multitude of oppressions, people cry out, they call for help because of the arm of the multitude of oppressions people cry out, they call for help because of the arm of the mighty.

But none says, There they cry out, but he does not answer, because of the pride of evil men. Surely God does not hear an empty cry, nor does the Almighty regard it. How much less when you say that you do not see him, that the case is before him and you are waiting for him. And now, because his anger does not punish and he does not greatly heed transgression, Job opened his mouth in empty talk. He multiplies words without knowledge. And Elihu continued and said, Bear with me a little, and I will show you. For I have yet

something to say on God's behalf. I will fetch my knowledge from afar and ascribe righteousness to my Maker. For truly, my words are not false. One who is perfect in knowledge is with you. Behold, God is mighty and does not despise any. He is mighty in strength of understanding. He does not keep the wicked alive, but gives the afflicted their right. He does not withdraw his eyes from the righteous, but with kings upon the throne, he sets them forever and they are exalted. And if they are bound in fetters and caught in the cords of affliction, then he declares to them their work and their transgressions, that they are behaving arrogantly. He opens their ears to instruction and commands that they return from iniquity.

If they listen and serve him, they complete their days in prosperity and their years in pleasantness. But if they do not listen, they perish by the sword, and they die without knowledge. The godless in heart cherish anger. They do not cry for help when he binds them. They die in youth, and their life ends in shame. He delivers the afflicted from their affliction, and opens their ear by adversity. He also allured you out of distress into a broad place where there was no cramping, and what was set on your table was full of rich food, but you are full of the judgment on the wicked. Judgment and justice seize you. Beware, lest wrath entice you into scoffing, and let not the greatness of the ransom turn you aside. Will your cry avail to keep you from distress, or all the force of your strength?

Do not long for the night, when peoples are cut off in their place. Take heed. Do not turn to iniquity. For this you have chosen rather than affliction. Behold, God is exalted in his power. Who is a teacher like him? Who has prescribed for him his way? Or who can say, you have done wrong? Remember to extol

his work of which men have sung. All men have looked on it. Man beholds it from afar. Behold, God is great, and we know him not. The number of his years is unsearchable. For he draws up the drops of water. He distills his mist in rain, which the skies pour down and drop upon man abundantly. Can anyone understand the spreading of the clouds, the thundering of his pavilion? Behold, he scatters his lightning about him and covers the roots of the sea. For by these he judges peoples. He gives food in abundance. He covers his hands with the lightning and commands it to strike the mark. Its crashing declares concerning him who is jealous with anger against iniquity. Book of Proverbs chapter 4 verses 10 through 19.

Hear my son and accept my words that the years of your life may be many. I have taught you the way of wisdom. I have led you in the paths of uprightness. When you walk, your step will not be hampered, and if you run, you will not stumble. Keep hold of instruction. Do not let go. Guard her, for she is your life. Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of evil

men. Avoid it. Do not go on it. Turn away from it and pass on, for they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong. They are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble, for they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence. But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. The way of the wicked is like deep darkness. They do not know over what they stumble. God in heaven, we thank you and praise you. You are our good father. You love us. You reveal your heart to us. We ask that you please continue to send your Holy Spirit upon us as we listen to your word, as we let it penetrate our minds and transform our hearts, as we let your word be the north star that guides the direction of our lives.

Mary, Queen of Heaven, we ask for your intercession. We ask that you lead us to your Son, Jesus Christ. You who bore the word made flesh in your womb, help the word proclaimed dwell in our lives. In Jesus' name we pray. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen. So, man, oh man. There is something about these 12 brothers.

Well, about 12. Yeah, 12. It's 12. Here we go. These 12 brothers. Man, originally what happened? Originally, these brothers were jealous of the love that their father had for the youngest brother, the 11th brother, Joseph. They were so jealous of the love that their father had for Joseph

that they were willing to kill him until they sold him into slavery. And yet something has changed. Something has changed in the lives and the hearts of these brothers, of these men. When the new youngest brother, Benjamin, who also is beloved by their father, when his life is threatened and their father's life by extension is threatened, you know, earlier they didn't care that their father was heartbroken. Earlier they didn't care that their father was grieved by the fact that he believed Joseph to be dead. But now something must have changed.

In these years when Joseph was away, something must have changed in the lives and the hearts of these brothers where they must have realized we don't want to be those kinds of sons. We don't want to not only needlessly grieve our father, we don't want to even have any reason to grieve our father. And so they put their own lives on the line for the new beloved son. They put their lives on the line for the new chosen, mostly beloved, mostly loved son, Benjamin, which demonstrates something. It demonstrates that these men have changed. And if there's anything that we can take heart in and anything that, that the gospel reveals to us, anything that the Bible reveals to us is that yes, we are broken. Yes, we're messy.

That's the key words we've been following, but also that we can change also that member, who is the person who puts his life on the line here? It's Judah, who a couple chapters before had sexual relations with his daughter-in-law, thinking that she was a prostitute. So here is this reality of all these people in these stories. But this is Judah now, placing his life on the line for his father, for his brother, and for his other brothers. The fact that we are broken, and the fact that we need God's help is a present reality to all of us every day of our lives. What's not as present, what's not as

obvious is the fact that we also can change with God's help, that things can become different. Judah, the fourth brother, whose name means praise. Judah had fallen seriously earlier on in this book of Genesis. But in this moment, Judah is a shining son. He's a shining brother. In this moment, Judah is the one that we can all look to and say, if I have the choice, if I had the chance to spare my parents, to spare my siblings, to spare those who need to be spared of needless grief, let me be like Judah. We pray not only that, like Joseph, we walk with the Lord and the Lord is

with us. We also pray that maybe like Judah, we can change. Because if there's anything that grace teaches us is that none of us have to remain stuck in our sin. None of us have to remain stuck in our brokenness. But with God's grace, every one of us can change. That's why we're doing this Bible in a year is because we need to be reminded of the fact that God truly does want us, that

he is communicating himself to us, that he's speaking to us. And today I know that God spoke with you. So why not speak something back? Take these scriptures today to prayer. Take each other to prayer. Let's intercede on behalf of each other. I know that I'm praying for you and I ask that you please keep on praying for me. My name is Father Mike. I cannot wait to see you again tomorrow. God bless.