11 Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a gift—a little balm and a little honey, some spices and myrrh, some pistachio nuts and almonds. 12 Take double the amount of silver with you, for you must return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake. 13 Take your brother also and go back to the man at once. 14 And may God Almighty grant you mercy before the man so that he will let your other brother and Benjamin come back with you. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.” Genesis 43:11-14
Israel finally acquiesced and decided to throw in a few bribes to sweeten the pot. It looks like he was ahead of his time.
A bribe is seen as a charm by the one who gives it; they think success will come at every turn. Proverbs 17:8
Now the brothers could go back to Egypt with Israel’s blessing, encouragement, and support.
Simeon and Benjamin’s life was now in their hands. Plus they wanted to please their father so they would do everything within their power to make this trip successful. They had the boy, gifts, double the silver, but no guarantees.
No guarantees.
The missing ingredient, of course, was prayer. It wasn’t stated, but I suspected they prayed for success before they began the journey. The answer was waiting for them in Egypt but they didn’t know it.
We never know the outcome of events until we experience them. I know it seems like an obvious statement, but we still have to go through life to experience answered prayer. Most of the time prayers aren’t answered on the spot. We have to live life first. We get a small glimpse into the events that happen prior to prayer being answered in this story. We know that the answer to all of their prayers is about to be answered but they had no way of knowing.
Imagine, if you will, praying people around the world and the events that God must orchestrate to answer those prayers. Usually answers to prayer come about as a series of events surrounding the person praying. It is indeed complicated.