Genesis 43:11 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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Genesis 43:11

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Jacob sees that he cannot hold out any longer. He is going to risk losing the whole family to starvation unless he allows this to take place. He therefore yields. He too must trust the Lord in this matter. The God in whom he believes is God over Egypt also, and is able to keep his people in a strange land; Jacob knows he must trust the Lord even though he is uncomfortable. But he insists on certain practical measures. The man down there in Egypt is the focus of consideration. All is going to depend on how this man treats them. The sons have painted Joseph as a hard man, a severe man, which is the impression Joseph has deliberately given. Jacob does not know if the governor of Egypt can be softened, but he is going to try, and therefore they are to prepare a present for him to show their good will. It must have been costly indeed in a time of famine to come up with even this little gift. These were the very best of things they could offer. Joseph, of course, does not want their gifts; he has more than enough of his own, but he will value this gift as evidence of the softening and humbling of their hearts, and this is what he is really aiming at. We cannot buy salvation, but we should be ready to give to the Lord all that we have. Honesty required that they put right what had seemed to them to be a mistake, and not to take advantage of it. They will give back the money they found in their sacks on return from the first visit. They will assume it was a mistake, an oversight, and they will prove themselves not to be thieves. Stealing depends on what we know. If another person has wrongly given us something, then even though that person is unaware of it, if we go ahead and keep that thing, we are thieves. It is what we know that matters, and if we know something, God is certainly aware that we know it.

Application

Jacob commits all into God’s hands in prayer, as well as taking practical steps, but not without trepidation. Doubt is mixed with faith. He ought to know that God’s promise to keep him and his seed (Genesis 35:9-12) means that all his family will be protected. We have to learn not to let our hearts imagine the worst. Faith must put a check on fears, and tell us that God is faithful to his promise, that he cares for us, and does not let hard experiences come because he is indifferent to our happiness.

How good a sign is honesty, especially when it costs us something. The righteous man loves honesty more than gain. He would rather have a good name, than obtain riches which do not belong to him. God has created the earth, and the eighth commandment – ‘Thou shalt not steal’ – implies the God gives legitimacy to private ownership.

In our integrity we must examine our own motive in all that we do. He who fears God is very careful not to use unequal weights, but to examine himself with the same scrutiny that God will use. No other standard is valid. Righteousness is a comfort to the righteous man, but when our hearts approve what we do, we do not boast but give all credit to the Lord. We also are to try to convince others of our sincerity by every means possible, but when we have done this and still failed, we can have peace before God if not before men.

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Genesis 43:11 Commentary and Bible Study