and we have brought other money down with us to buy food. We do not know who put our money in our sacks.”
Ten men stand at the door of the governor's house, explaining themselves to a servant before they are even inside. Their whole speech is about money, and it ends with a confession: they cannot explain how the silver got there.
Conscience carries the money back
Their first act is not to enjoy the invitation but to clear themselves about the silver. One writer sees their rush to speak as a conscience already at work under God's goodness.
William KellyHow little they yet understood that His goodness was leading them to repentance! They did not see that the brother they had so deeply wronged and bitterly hated was only bringing about their greatest good through the trials they went through. The invitation into the governor's house filled them with unease... So they were eager to tell the story of their mysterious discovery, and to repay the money that was not theirs. But the steward assured them all was well on that score without explaining further. God would work more deeply yet.
Double money that buys nothing
They come loaded: the returned silver, fresh silver for this journey, and a present of the best fruits of the land.
Hamilton SmithThey explain to the steward that they have brought double money. But though he knows all about it, he sets it all aside and brings Simeon out to them. Still clinging to their own efforts, they get their present ready "for when Joseph came at noon." But Joseph in his turn sets that aside too. The money and the present achieve absolutely nothing.
It started at home. Jacob sent his sons back with a present and double the silver.
The Christian's FriendAbout this Jacob made a grave mistake, for he did not imagine it could be had "without money and without price"... All this shows how little they knew the heart of Joseph, or the goodness of God in sending him ahead of them to preserve life.
A gift with no name on it
The sentence that ends their speech is a confession of ignorance. They can weigh the silver, but they cannot say where it came from. One writer explains why Joseph arranged it that way.
William KellyBut Joseph followed up what he had begun by ordering each man's money to be put back in his sack. He wanted to deepen the work beyond a mere sense of payback for their past evil toward him. Simply providing for their journey might not have had that effect. But the money given back would strike them as not at all the way of a sale, or the way of a man. It came on them gradually... The brothers could only say to each other, "What is this that God has done to us?" A bad conscience brought God before them.
Suspicion where thanks belonged
Free silver should have produced gratitude. It produced dread instead.
L. M. GrantThen, opening their sacks, they find all their money given back to them. Both they and their father were afraid rather than thankful, for they suspected there was some hidden motive behind it. That is how it is with people generally. They are suspicious that there must be some "catch" when the free grace of God in Christ Jesus is announced.
The steward's answer to their question
Their speech ends with a puzzle they cannot solve. The steward answers without scolding them.
L. M. GrantThe steward responded kindly to settle the matter for them. "Peace be to you," he says, "fear not." They should simply thank their God, the God of their father, for the money. He tells them, "I had your money." This was true: he had it, but had given it back, though he does not tell them so. Then he brought Simeon out to them.
Another writer draws out what that moment offers to anyone else in fear.
W. T. P. WolstonThey were afraid because the money had been returned. But then Joseph's steward says, "Peace be to you, fear not." If you are truly troubled about your soul, sooner or later you will find somebody with a bit of gospel for you.
Summary
- Money returned — silver they never paid for turns up in the sack, and conscience makes it the first thing they mention at the door.
- Money doubled — they answer a gift with payment: returned silver, new silver, a present. Joseph sets all of it aside; their efforts achieve nothing.
- Money unexplained — a gift that looks like no sale and no human dealing; they cannot name the giver, and can only ask what God has done to them.
- Money feared — suspicion, not thanks, is the natural response to free grace; they assume a catch.
- Money owned — "I had your money" ends the matter, and with it comes the word they needed more than food: peace to you, do not fear.