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 a little honey, gum, myrrh, pistachio nuts, and almonds.
Hunger forces Jacob's hand at last, and he lets Benjamin go to Egypt — but not empty-handed. He sends a gift ahead to the man in charge there, and commentators read that gift two ways: as a father's care, and as a picture of how the heart approaches someone it does not know.
What Jacob Sent
The items are small luxuries, not staples. One writer explains why the family still had them, and what sending them cost:
L. M. GrantThese things would not be affected by the famine as quickly as the grain crops. Still, sending them would no doubt cost some sacrifice.
Balm heads the list. One dictionary explains what it was and what it stood for:
Morrish Bible DictionaryThe gum of the balsam bush, of great medicinal value. Gilead was noted for producing it. It is used as a proverb to set out the healing God had for His people if they would really turn to Him.
"If It Must Be So"
Jacob's opening words give away his frame of mind. The plan he forms rests on what his sons can do:
Hamilton SmithThen Israel unfolds his plan. And, though he was a man of faith, he now speaks as the man of nature does. "If it must be so, then do this." Jacob's plan depends on man's doings. He needs grain. He wants Simeon released and Benjamin kept safe. So he proposes a way for his sons to bring it all about by their own efforts. And this is still the way man takes, and has always taken, to get blessing from God.
A Gift Meant to Soften a Stranger
The gift is meant to soften a man the brothers do not know. One writer finds the same instinct in every heart that comes to Christ:
The Bible TreasuryHere we see in a believer the worst side of the natural sinful heart, whether in Jew or Gentile. It hates to approach Christ. It will not go until it feels the pangs of hunger and the fear of death. Then, when it finally resolves to go to Him, it comes with a total misunderstanding of His nature and purpose. It comes with dread in the heart, and with a gift scraped together from famine-stricken ground to win favour and to "buy a little" instalment of it — balm to soothe, and honey to sweeten. But how little they know of that great heart, filled with tender and generous compassion toward them! ... A sinner who rests only on Christ has more settled peace — though not a more settled salvation — than one who wants to add his own good works, his money, balm and honey. Whatever we add to Christ we take away from Him.
Why a Present Cannot Work
Hunger moves them, not faith. One writer asks what their present assumes about God:
W. T. P. WolstonJoseph's brothers put off going down. But hunger is a cruel master, so, willing or not, they feel they must go... How many people think they must bring God a present. You say that is very foolish. Yes, but you think you can win God over by what you bring — and a way out of the difficulty is suggested. Take Him a present. You are too late. All His claims have been met in the death of His Son, and His heart is free to come out now with the fullest blessing.
Behind the gift lies a deeper inability:
Hamilton SmithNature cannot think of God as a giver, or of man as a receiver. Nature has no true knowledge of God or of man. It cannot conceive of God as so rich in sovereign grace that He can only give, or of man as so helplessly ruined that he can only receive.
Good Things That Are Not Bread
The family still has balm, honey, spices and nuts. None of it is food. One writer applies that to the reader:
The Christian's FriendLike dear old Jacob, you may not be in complete destitution. You may have some balm and honey, spices and myrrh, nuts and almonds; but these things are not grain, and they cannot take its place... Jacob knew he was an object of divine love and care. But he also felt deeply that balm and honey, spices and nuts were good in their proper place. They were not grain, and they could not satisfy his pressing need.
Where the Plan Leaves Him
Jacob asks for mercy only after everything else is packed:
Hamilton SmithHe puts his plans first and God Almighty second. If anything is lacking in his plans, he expresses the pious hope that God's mercy will make up what is missing... But as with Jacob, so with men. Their own plans leave them in hopeless uncertainty. Jacob had to confess that after all he is quite unsure of the results.
Summary
- Little — Jacob sends a little balm, a little honey. Whoever hopes to buy favour expects only a little in return.
- Least — the best fruits of a starving land still cost him something. Yet none of them is grain, and good things in their place cannot meet his need.
- Blind — nature cannot think of God as a giver or of man as a receiver. So it brings a present when it should only receive.
- Late — a present cannot buy what Christ has already paid for. The death of God's Son met every claim, and His heart is now free to give.
- Last — Jacob puts his plans first and God second. Plans put first leave the soul uncertain to the end.