H J Vine

After their father’s death Joseph’s brethren lost their peace, and fear seized upon them. They judged Joseph according to the thoughts of their own hearts, thinking that, after all, he would requite them for the evil they had done unto him. Again Joseph wept when they came confessing their sin to him, and again he told them he would care for them and nourish them (Gen. 50:21). This loss of their peace showed they had not increased in the knowledge of Joseph himself since he had made himself known unto them, for had they done so they would never have harboured such wrong thoughts concerning him. And it is just this which explains the unhappy condition of soul which sometimes overtakes older believers. They may have gathered up a great deal of knowledge concerning various things, but the knowledge of God’s Son—of their Lord and Saviour—has been neglected.