As they emptied their sacks, behold, every man's bundle of money was in his sack. And when they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were afraid.
Ten brothers went down to Egypt to buy grain. Only nine came home, and every coin they had paid was still in their sacks. The sight should have delighted them. It terrified them instead. Why can a free gift be the most alarming thing a guilty person ever receives?
Grain They Could Not Buy
The money never left their hands. The grain was not sold to them at all. One writer draws the plain lesson from the returned silver:
W. T. P. WolstonWhat is the lesson of the money in the sack? That if you are to get salvation, you cannot buy it. You are too poor to buy it, and God is too rich to sell it. Salvation must be God's free gift, and you must have it as a gift, or not have it at all.
Afraid Instead of Thankful
A gift should produce thanks. Theirs produced fear. People still react the same way to free grace:
L. M. GrantBoth they and their father were afraid rather than thankful. They suspected some hidden motive behind it. It is the same with people generally. They are suspicious that there must be some "catch" when the free grace of God in Christ Jesus is proclaimed.
Goodness a Guilty Conscience Cannot Bear
The brothers had already admitted among themselves that they were guilty over Joseph. That memory is why kindness lands on them as dread. It also makes their fear different from Joseph's:
Hamilton SmithIf they had eyes to see, they would learn from this that Joseph was a giver. But in their condition, gifts only stirred up deeper fear. Their hearts failed at the discovery of their money... They feared because they were offenders; Joseph feared in case he should offend. So again, they returned to Jacob. Each found his money in his sack, and "they were afraid." Joseph's goodness should have gladdened their hearts. But they are miserable and afraid in the presence of a goodness that their guilty consciences tell them they do not deserve.
Nine Sacks, One Purpose
Conscience was already stirring in them. One writer asks whose hand was behind the silver, and where it was all leading:
William KellyThe clear purpose behind the money in every man's sack greatly increased the brothers' terror. Even one case alarmed them, now that conscience was awakening. That one might have seemed a strange accident; but nine could not be. Jacob too was afraid along with them. It appears that this was not mere goodwill on Joseph's part. He did it in fellowship with God, to work still more in consciences that had been frightened for so long. They were still far from understanding the way of the Lord with them... Yet these blows, which fell so heavily on Jacob's affections, were the needed path for blessing and joy to all. And such is the end of the Lord for all who fear Him, however hard the way.
The Silver That Would Not Let Them Forget
They had put Egypt and its stern governor behind them. The money travelled home with them and kept the matter open:
J. G. BellettThe money in their sacks will not let them forget. They may now have turned their backs on that stranger in Egypt, the man who spoke so roughly to them and called their sin to mind. Yet God's eye was still on them, and God still had dealings with them.
Reading a Gift as a Mistake
Their next move shows how little they knew the giver. They carried the silver back to Egypt, treating a gift as a mistake:
The Christian's FriendJacob did not imagine the food was to be had "without money and without price"... When they next went for food, Jacob told his sons to take a gift of the best fruits of the land. They were to carry double money, and also the money they had found in their sacks, in case it was an oversight. All this shows how little they knew the heart of Joseph, or the goodness of God.
Summary
- Given, not sold. The returned silver means the grain was never bought; you are too poor to buy salvation and God is too rich to sell it.
- Given, and feared. A guilty conscience turns grace into dread, not thanks. They suspected a catch where there was only a gift.
- Given, and repeated. One sack could pass as an accident; nine bundles could not, and that is what turned alarm into terror.
- Given, and pursued. The money travelled home with them so that God's dealings with them could not be left behind in Egypt.
- Given, and misread. They carried the silver back as an oversight, proving how little they knew the giver's heart. Yet that hard road was the needed path to blessing for all.