Have no concern for your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.’”
Pharaoh hears that Joseph's brothers have come, and he sends them home with wagons and one striking order: leave your belongings behind. He gives a reason: something better is already waiting for them.
The command in plain words
The ESV says "goods"; older versions say "stuff." The word means the household property the brothers would have had to pack and haul.
L. M. GrantAs to their possessions, he tells them not to be concerned. He would give them everything they needed in Egypt (v. 20). Of course they would bring their flocks and herds. No doubt there would be many things they would not want to leave behind. But Pharaoh wanted them to know that he would supply whatever goods they needed.
What cancels the anxiety
One writer notes that the problem is not owning things but the regard we give them.
C KnappHow much regard for "stuff" there is among God's people today! How much anxiety and unnecessary concern the heirs of glory show over owning or piling up a little of this world's goods! At best it is only "stuff." It is not wrong to own it; it is the regard for it that does the damage... Pharaoh adds weight to his words about their "stuff": "For the good of all the land of Egypt is yours." What an answer to anxiety!
A better inheritance ahead
One writer holds Pharaoh's offer up against a better promise.
G C WillisPharaoh said, "The good of all the land of Egypt is yours." But our Lord Jesus tells us the inheritance given to us is in heaven. It is incorruptible and undefiled and it does not fade (1 Peter 1:4). Dear believers, the good of all heaven is yours. Do not regard your stuff; you have better things. Your own things can only weigh you down; you cannot take them with you.
The pull of possessions
What a person owns is not neutral. It competes for the heart.
A J PollockIf the glories of our heavenly Joseph filled our souls, things here would not hold us back. Our hearts are where our treasure is. I suppose the translators used the plain old-fashioned English word "stuff" in the usual way. But I cannot help giving the word a touch of irony: "Also regard not your stuff." After all, it is only "stuff" that our hearts get taken up with down here. There is more room for the heart in a full purse than in an empty one. Whether it is money or land, family name or achievements, the word comes home to our souls with cutting force.
Sent out with someone else's supplies
The brothers had an errand to carry out. Commentators differ over who speaks these words, and this writer reads them as Joseph's own. He notes a sharper rendering of the phrase and applies it to Christian service.
Hamilton SmithFurther, Joseph can say, "Regard not your stuff," or according to a better translation, "Let not your eye regret your stuff" (v. 20). Some things belong to us by nature — human eloquence and human wisdom. There are also worldly means and methods that appeal to the natural man. But the apostle says, "my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power"... In the service of the Lord, what is merely natural is neither to be regarded nor regretted.
The same writer draws out what such a choice would have said about Joseph.
Hamilton SmithHad the brothers fallen back on their own "stuff" to support them in their service, they would have slighted Joseph's provision. Their action would have said, "Joseph's provision is not enough for Joseph's commission." Joseph, however, can say, "The good of the land of Egypt is yours," and in line with this he "gave them provision for the way" (vv. 20, 21). In carrying out their service for Joseph they were supported by the good of the land they came from, received from the hand of the one who sent them.
What the family did
When Jacob's family moved, their belongings moved with them.
William KellyBut they took their livestock also, and their goods which they had acquired in Canaan, and came into Egypt. Jacob and his sons had no thought of entering that land as mere dependants on its ruler. It made no difference that he wanted to show every honour to Joseph, or that he had promised them the good of all the land of Egypt. So they took their "stuff" along with them and came into Egypt.
Summary
- Provided — Pharaoh's word is not a demand to be poor. It is a promise: Egypt would supply everything they needed, so the packing was pointless.
- Promised — The reason given is the offer itself. "The best of all the land of Egypt is yours" is what answers anxiety over a little property.
- Preferred — What is ahead is incorruptible and unfading. Our own things can only weigh us down, and we cannot take them with us.
- Purged — The same rule governs service. Human eloquence and worldly methods are our "stuff." Leaning on them says His provision is not enough for His commission.
- Practised? — Jacob's family still brought their goods along. They would not arrive as mere dependants. Hearing this word and obeying it are two different things.