Israel said, “Why did you treat me so badly as to tell the man that you had another brother?”
The grain from Egypt is gone, and the ruler there will sell no more unless Benjamin comes too. Jacob's protest turns grief into blame — but were his sons wrong to tell the truth about their family?
When the Food Ran Out
Nothing moves in this household until the sacks are empty. One writer traces how hunger ended the delay, and what the family found on the other side of it.
William KellyAs long as the food lasted, the dreaded condition stayed on hold. But when their supply came to an end, the family had to face the facts. God was found to be above their hopes as much as above their fears. He turned their faults to their profit, and was abundant in suitable mercy for His own glory. The sons left it to their father to propose a fresh visit to Egypt; and not Reuben but Judah states the case. They were absolutely forbidden to see the ruler's face without Benjamin. Then Israel gave way to their complaint; for they could well plead the ruler's searching questions.
The Voice of Nature
Jacob's question treats honesty as the mistake. One writer explains why he could not see it any other way.
Hamilton SmithIt all shows how impossible it is for nature to understand the ways of grace. "Why," says Jacob, speaking as the natural man speaks, "tell the man that you had another brother?" (v. 6). Their reply shows the way that grace had taken: "The man asked very closely after us, and of our kindred." Grace can forgive all, but grace will have all brought to light (v. 7).
The sons had not blundered. The governor's questions searched out the very fact Jacob wishes had stayed hidden.
Everything Out, Sooner or Later
The brothers held nothing back. Another writer turns that into a warning for anyone who keeps putting it off.
W. T. P. WolstonMy friend, God means you to have everything out sooner or later. If you put it off, it will be an awful thing to have it out with the Lord Jesus Christ at the judgment seat. Condemnation can be the only issue then.
Misjudging the Man in Egypt
Jacob's complaint shows what he thinks of the man in Egypt: someone to handle with care, not someone to trust. One writer sees the human heart itself in that fearful approach.
The Bible TreasuryHere we see in a saint the worst side of the natural sinful heart, whether in Jew or Gentile. It hates to approach Christ, and will not do so until it feels the pangs of hunger and the fear of death. Then, when at last it decides to go to Him, it comes with a total misconception of His nature and purpose. It comes with dread in the heart, and with a gift scraped from famine-stricken ground to win favour and to "buy a little" instalment of it. But how little they know of that great heart filled with tender and generous compassion towards them!
A Rehearsal of a Later Repentance
The story looks forward as well as back. One writer reads this family scene as a picture of what Israel still has to pass through.
William KellySo it will be with the generation to come of Israel's sons. They are guilty of far deeper failure, and against One immeasurably greater than Joseph… And the repentance of the coming day will be just as deep, for the necessary trials they must pass through in God's government will be immense. But the end of the Lord will be rich in promised blessing, not only for Israel but for all the nations of the earth.
Writers differ in emphasis. Some read the chapter as a picture of repentance in any conscience. Others read it as a preview of Israel's future.
Summary
- Famine. The dreaded step stayed on hold while the food lasted; when the supply ran out, the family had to face the facts.
- Blame. Jacob treats the truth as the problem. That is how nature speaks, because it cannot understand the ways of grace.
- Light. The brothers only answered what they were asked. Grace can forgive everything, but grace will have everything brought out into the open.
- Delay. God means everyone to have it all out sooner or later. Put it off, and you meet it at the judgment seat, where condemnation is the only outcome.
- Mercy. The heart they braced themselves against was full of tender compassion. The deep repentance of a later day will end in blessing for Israel and for all nations.