G
E N E S I S
CHAP. XLIII.
Here the story of Joseph's brethren is carried
on, and very particularly related. I. Their melancholy parting with their
father Jacob in
Canaan
, ver.
1-14. II. Their pleasant meeting with Joseph in
Egypt
, ver.
15, &c. For on this occasion nothing occurs there but what is agreeable
and pleasant.
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Jacob Unwilling to Part with Benjamin.
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B. C. 1707.
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1 And the famine was sore in the
land. 2 And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the corn which
they had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them, Go again, buy us a
little food. 3 And Judah spake unto him, saying, The man did
solemnly protest unto us, saying, Ye shall not see my face, except your
brother be with you. 4 If thou wilt send our brother with
us, we will go down and buy thee food: 5 But if thou wilt not send
him, we will not go down: for the man said unto us, Ye shall not see my
face, except your brother be with you. 6 And Israel said,
Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me, as to tell the man whether ye
had yet a brother? 7 And they said, The man asked us straitly of
our state, and of our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive? have
ye another brother? and we told him according to the tenor of these
words: could we certainly know that he would say, Bring your brother
down? 8 And Judah said unto Israel his father, Send the lad with
me, and we will arise and go; that we may live, and not die, both we, and
thou, and also our little ones. 9 I will be surety for him;
of my hand shalt thou require him: if I bring him not unto thee, and set him
before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever: 10 For except we
had lingered, surely now we had returned this second time.
Here, 1. Jacob
urges his sons to go and buy more corn in Egypt, v. 1, 2. The famine
continued; and the corn they had bought was all spent, for it is meat that
perisheth. Jacob, as a good master of a family, is in care to provide for
those of his own house food convenient; and shall not God provide for his
children, for the household of faith? Jacob bids them go again and buy
a little food; now, in time of scarcity, a little must suffice, for
nature is content with a little. 2. Judah urges him to consent that Benjamin
should go down with them, how much soever it went against his feelings and
previous determination. Note, It is not at all inconsistent with the honour
and duty which children owe their parents humbly and modestly to advise them,
and, as occasion is, to reason with them. Plead with your mother, plead,
Hos. ii. 2. (1.) He insists upon the absolute necessity
they were under of bringing Benjamin with them, of which he, who was a witness
to all that had passed in Egypt, was a more competent judge than Jacob could
be. Joseph's protestation (v. 3) may be alluded to to show upon what
terms we must draw nigh to God; unless we bring Christ along with us in the
arms of our faith, we cannot see the face of God with comfort. (2.) He engages
to take all possible care of him, and to do his utmost for his safety, v.
8, 9. Judah's conscience had lately smitten him for what he had done a great
while ago against Joseph (ch. xlii. 21); and, as an evidence of the
truth of his repentance, he is ready to undertake, as far as a man could do
it, for Benjamin's security. He will not only not wrong him, but will do all
he can to protect him. This is restitution, as far as the case will admit;
when he knew not how he could restore Joseph, he would make some amends for
the irreparable injury he had done him by doubling his care concerning
Benjamin.
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Joseph's
Brethren Again Sent to Egypt.
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B. C. 1707.
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11 And their father Israel said unto
them, If it must be so now, do this; take of the best fruits in the
land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a
little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds: 12 And take
double money in your hand; and the money that was brought again in the mouth
of your sacks, carry it again in your hand; peradventure it was
an oversight: 13 Take also your brother, and arise, go again unto
the man: 14 And God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that
he may send away your other brother, and Benjamin. If I be bereaved of my
children, I am bereaved.
Observe here, I.
Jacob's persuasibleness. He would be ruled by reason, though they were his
inferiors that urged it. He saw the necessity of the case; and, since there
was no remedy, he consented to yield to the necessity (v. 11): "If
it must be so now, take your brother. If no corn can be had but upon those
terms, we may as well expose him to the perils of the journey as suffer
ourselves and families, and Benjamin amongst the rest, to perish for want of
bread." Skin for skin, and all that a man has, even a Benjamin,
the dearest of all, will he give for his life. No death so dreadful as
that by famine, Lam. iv. 9. Jacob had said (ch. xlii. 38), My son
shall not go down; but now he is over-persuaded to consent. Note, It is no
fault, but our wisdom and duty, to alter our purposes and resolutions when
there is a good reason for our so doing. Constancy is a virtue, but obstinacy
is not. It is God's prerogative not to repent, and to make unchangeable
resolves.
II. Jacob's
prudence and justice, which appeared in three things:--1. He sent back the
money which they had found in the sacks' mouths, with this discreet
construction of it, Peradventure it was an oversight. Note, Honesty
obliges us to make restitution, not only of that which comes to us by our own
fault, but of that which comes to us by the mistakes of others. Though we get
it by oversight, if we keep it when the oversight is discovered, it is kept by
deceit. In the stating of accounts, errors must be excepted, even those that
make for us as well as those that make against us. Jacob's words furnish us
with a favourable construction to put upon that which we are tempted to resent
as an injury and affront; pass it by, and say, Peradventure it was an
oversight. 2. He sent double money, as much again as they took the time
before, upon supposition that the price of corn might have risen,--or that if
it should be insisted upon they might pay a ransom for Simeon, or his
prison-fees,--or to show a generous spirit, that they might be the more likely
to find generous treatment with the man, the lord of the land. 3. He
sent a present of such things as the land afforded, and as were scarce in
Egypt--balm and honey, &c. (v. 11), the commodities that
Canaan exported, ch. xxxvii. 25. Note, (1.) Providence dispenses its
gifts variously. Some countries produce one commodity, others another, that
commerce may be preserved. (2.) Honey and spice will never make up the want of
bread-corn. The famine was sore in Canaan, and yet they had balm and myrrh,
&c. We may live well enough upon plain food without dainties; but we
cannot live upon dainties without plain food. Let us thank God that that which
is most needful and useful is generally most cheap and common. (3.) A gift
in secret pacifies wrath, Prov. xxi. 14. Jacob's sons were unjustly
accused as spies, yet Jacob was willing to be at the expense of a present, to
pacify the accuser. Sometimes we must not think it too much to buy peace even
where we may justly demand it, and insist upon it as our right.
III. Jacob's
piety appearing in his prayer: God Almighty give you mercy before the man!
v. 14. Jacob had formerly turned an angry brother into a kind one with
a present and a prayer; and here he betakes himself to the same tried method,
and it sped well. Note, Those that would find mercy with men must seek it of
God, who has all hearts in his hands, and turns them as he pleases.
IV. Jacob's
patience. He concludes all with this: "If I be bereaved of my
children, I am bereaved; If I must part with them thus one after another,
I must acquiesce, and say, The will of the Lord be done." Note, It
is our wisdom to reconcile ourselves to the sorest afflictions, and make the
best of them; for there is nothing got by striving with
our Maker, 2 Sam. xv. 25, 26.
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Joseph Entertains His Brethren.
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B. C. 1707.
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15 And the men took that present, and
they took double money in their hand, and Benjamin; and rose up, and went down
to Egypt, and stood before Joseph. 16 And when Joseph saw Benjamin
with them, he said to the ruler of his house, Bring these men home, and
slay, and make ready; for these men shall dine with me at noon.
17 And the man did as Joseph bade; and the man brought the men into Joseph's
house. 18 And the men were afraid, because they were brought into
Joseph's house; and they said, Because of the money that was returned in our
sacks at the first time are we brought in; that he may seek occasion against
us, and fall upon us, and take us for bondmen, and our asses. 19
And they came near to the steward of Joseph's house, and they communed with
him at the door of the house, 20 And said, O sir, we came indeed
down at the first time to buy food: 21 And it came to pass, when
we came to the inn, that we opened our sacks, and, behold, every man's
money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight: and we
have brought it again in our hand. 22 And other money have we
brought down in our hands to buy food: we cannot tell who put our money in our
sacks. 23 And he said, Peace be to you, fear not: your God,
and the God of your father, hath given you treasure in your sacks: I had your
money. And he brought Simeon out unto them. 24 And the man brought
the men into Joseph's house, and gave them water, and they washed their
feet; and he gave their asses provender. 25 And they made ready
the present against Joseph came at noon: for they heard that they should eat
bread there.
Jacob's sons,
having got leave to take Benjamin with them, were observant of the orders
their father had given them, and went down the second time into Egypt to buy
corn. If we should ever know what a famine of the word means, let us not think
it much to travel as far for spiritual food as they did for corporal food. Now
here we have an account of what passed between them and Joseph's steward, who,
some conjecture, was in the secret, and knew them to be Joseph's brethren, and
helped to humour the thing; I rather think not, because no man was permitted
to be present when Joseph afterwards made himself known to them, ch.
xlv. 1. Observe, 1. Joseph's steward has orders from his master (who was busy
selling corn, and receiving money) to take them to his house, and make ready
for their entertainment. Though Joseph saw Benjamin there, he would not leave
his work at working-time, nor trust another with it. Note, Business must take
place of civility in its season. Our needful employments must not be
neglected, no, not to pay respect to our friends. 2. Even this frightened
them: They were afraid, because they were brought into Joseph's house, v.
18. The just challenges of their own consciences, and Joseph's violent
suspicions of them, forbade them to expect any favour, and suggested to them
that this was done with a bad design upon them. Note, Those that are guilty
and timorous are apt to make the worst of every thing. Now they thought they
should be reckoned with about the money in the sacks' mouths, and should be
charged as cheats, and men not fit to be dealt with, who had taken advantage
of the hurry of the market to carry off their corn unpaid for. They therefore
laid the case before the steward, that he, being apprized of it, might stand
between them and danger; and, as a substantial proof of their honesty, before
they were charged with taking back their money they produced it. Note,
Integrity and uprightness will preserve us, and will clear themselves as the
light of the morning. 3. The steward encouraged them (v. 23): Peace
be to you, fear not; though he knew not what his master drove at, yet he
was aware these were men whom he meant no harm to, while he thus amused them;
and therefore he directs them to look at the divine Providence in the return
of their money: Your God, and the God of your father, has given you
treasure in your sacks. Observe, (1.) Hereby he shows that he had no
suspicion at all of dishonesty in them: for of what we get by deceit we cannot
say, "God gives it to us." (2.) Hereby he silences their further
enquiry about it. "Ask not how it came thither; Providence brought it to
you, and let that satisfy you." (3.) It appears by what he said that, by
his good master's instructions, he was brought to the knowledge of the true
God, the God of the Hebrews. It may justly be expected that those who are
servants in religious families should take all fit occasions to speak of God
and his providence with reverence and seriousness. (4.) He directs them to
look up to God, and acknowledge his providence in the good bargain they had.
We must own ourselves indebted to God, as our God and the God of our
fathers (a God in covenant with us and them) for all
our successes and advantages, and the kindnesses of our friends; for every
creature is that to us, and no more, which God makes it to be. The steward
encouraged them, not only in words but in deeds; for he made very much of them
till his master came, v. 24.
26 And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was
in their hand into the house, and bowed themselves to him to the earth.
27 And he asked them of their welfare, and said, Is your father
well, the old man of whom ye spake? Is he yet alive? 28 And
they answered, Thy servant our father is in good health, he is
yet alive. And they bowed down their heads, and made obeisance. 29
And he lifted up his eyes, and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son, and
said, Is this your younger brother, of whom ye spake unto me? And he
said, God be gracious unto thee, my son. 30 And Joseph made haste;
for his bowels did yearn upon his brother: and he sought where to weep;
and he entered into his chamber, and wept there. 31 And he
washed his face, and went out, and refrained himself, and said, Set on
bread. 32 And they set on for him by himself, and for them by
themselves, and for the Egyptians, which did eat with him, by themselves:
because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews; for that is
an abomination unto the Egyptians. 33 And they sat before him, the
firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his
youth: and the men marvelled one at another. 34 And he took and
sent messes unto them from before him: but Benjamin's mess was five times
so much as any of theirs. And they drank, and were merry with him.
Here is, I. The
great respect that Joseph's brethren paid to him. When they brought him the
present, they bowed themselves before him (v. 26); and again,
when they gave him an account of their father's health, they made
obeisance, and called him, Thy servant our father, v. 28.
Thus were Joseph's dreams fulfilled more and more: and even the father, by the
sons, bowed before him, according to the dream, ch. xxxvii. 10.
Probably Jacob had directed them, if they had occasion to speak of him to the
man, the lord of the land, to call him his servant.
II. The great
kindness that Joseph showed to them, while they little thought it was a
brotherly kindness. Here is,
1. His kind
enquiry concerning Jacob: Is he yet alive?--a very fit question to be
asked concerning any, especially concerning old people; for we are dying
daily: it is strange that we are yet alive. Jacob had said many years
before, I will go to the grave to my son; but he is yet alive:
we must not die when we will.
2. The kind
notice he took of Benjamin, his own brother. (1.) He put up a prayer for him: God
be gracious unto thee, my son, v. 29. Joseph's favour, though he
was the lord of the land, would do him little good, unless God were gracious
to him. Many seek the ruler's favour, but Joseph directs him to seek the
favour of the ruler of rulers. (2.) He shed some tears for him, v. 30.
His natural affection to his brother, his joy to see him, his concern at
seeing him and the rest of them in distress for bread, and the remembrance of
his own griefs since he last saw him, produced a great agitation in him, which
perhaps was the more uneasy because he endeavoured to stifle and suppress it;
but he was forced to retire into his closet, there to give vent to his feeling
by tears. Note, [1.] Tears of tenderness and affection are no disparagement at
all, even to great and wise men. [2.] Gracious weepers should not proclaim
their tears. My soul shall weep in secret, says the prophet, Jer. xiii.
17. Peter went out and wept bitterly. See Matt. xxvi. 75.
3. His kind
entertainment of them all. When his weeping had subsided so that he could
refrain himself, he sat down to dinner with them, treated them nobly, and yet
contrived every thing to amuse them.
(1.) He ordered
three tables to be spread, one for his brethren, another for the Egyptians
that dined with him (for so different were their customs that they did not
care to eat together), another for himself, who durst not own himself a
Hebrew, and yet would not sit with the Egyptians. See here an instance, [1.]
Of hospitality and good house-keeping, which are very commendable, according
as the ability is. [2.] Of compliance with people's humours, even whimsical
ones, as bishop Patrick calls this of the Egyptians not eating with the
Hebrews. Though Joseph was the lord of the land, and orders were given that
all people should obey him, yet he would not force the Egyptians to eat with
the Hebrews, against their minds, but let them enjoy their humours. Spirits
truly generous hate to impose. [3.] Of the early distance between Jews and
Gentiles; one table would not hold them.
(2.) He placed
his brethren according to their seniority (v. 33), as if he could
certainly divine. Some think they placed themselves so, according to their
custom; but, if so, I see not why such particular notice is taken of it,
especially as a thing they marvelled at.
(3.) He gave them
a very plentiful entertainment, sent messes to them from
his own table, v. 34. This was the more generous in him, and the more
obliging to them, because of the present scarcity of provisions. In a day of
famine, it is enough to be fed; but here they were feasted. Perhaps they had
not had such a good dinner for many months. It is said, They drank and were
merry; their cares and fears were now over, and they ate their bread with
joy, concluding they were now upon good terms with the man, the lord of the
land. If God accept our works, our present, we have reason to be
cheerful. Yet when we sit, as they here did, to eat with a ruler, we should
consider what is before us, and not indulge our appetite, nor be desirous of
dainties, Prov. xxiii. 1-3. Joseph gave them to understand that Benjamin was
his favourite; for his mess was five times as much as any of theirs,
not as if he would have him eat so much more than the rest, for then he must
eat more than would do him good (and it is no act of friendship, but rather an
injury and unkindness, to press any either to eat or drink to excess), but
thus he would testify his particular respect for him, that he might try
whether his brethren would envy Benjamin his larger messes, as formerly they
had envied himself his finer coat. And it must be our rule, in such cases, to
be content with what we have, and not to grieve at what others have.
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