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11 And their father Israel said to them, "If it must be so, then do this: Take some of the best fruits of the land in your vessels and carry down a present for the man—a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds. 12 Take double money in your hand, and take back in your hand the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks; perhaps it was an oversight. 13 Take your brother also, and arise, go back to the man. 14 And may God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may release your other brother and Benjamin. If I am bereaved, I am bereaved!" 15 So the men took that present and Benjamin, and they took double money in their hand, and arose and went down to Egypt; and they stood before Joseph. 16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, "Take these men to my home, and slaughter an animal and make ready; for these men will dine with me at noon." 17 Then the man did as Joseph ordered, and the man brought the men into Joseph’s house. ~ Genesis 43:11-17
Today, we continue of study of Genesis 43 where Jacob has just agreed to allow his sons to go back to Egypt with the youngest son Benjamin. Jacob had resisted this for quite some time because Benjamin was the only living son of his wife Rachel, so he thought. Joseph's brothers also thought that their brother was dead and with his death their sin was safely hidden, so they thought.
In v.11-14 of today's passage we read, "11 And their father Israel said to them, 'If it must be so, then do this: Take some of the best fruits of the land in your vessels and carry down a present for the man—a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds. 12 Take double money in your hand, and take back in your hand the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks; perhaps it was an oversight. 13 Take your brother also, and arise, go back to the man. 14 And may God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may release your other brother and Benjamin. If I am bereaved, I am bereaved!'"
Using gifts to help smooth a difficult situation was a familiar approach that Jacob has used in the past with his brother Esau. In addition to the gifts, Jacob told his sons to take double the money and then he finally agreed to allow them to take Benjamin with them to Egypt. Then, Jacob used the name "El Shaddai" translated God Almighty. This unique name of God had been four times so far in the Genesis narrative. The first was when He spoke to Abraham in Genesis 17 at the time of the covenant of circumcision. Then in Genesis 28 when Isaac blessed Jacob before he went away. After that in Genesis 35, "El Shaddai" appeared to Jacob at Bethel. In each of those accounts, a blessing for fruitfulness and a multitude of descendants was promised. Now, out of the hope that those blessings would include Simeon and Benjamin, Jacob invoked the name once again.
El Shaddai, The Almighty God sits on heaven’s throne and superintends over the billions of galaxies that He made. El Shaddai also watches over the souls of all living on planet Earth at this moment. This is the God who cared enough for all He has ever created to send His Son to restore us to harmony with Him. He doesn't force His will upon anyone and quite frankly there is no excuse for anyone to spend their eternity in Hell.
In v.15 of today's passage we read, "So the men took that present and Benjamin, and they took double money in their hand, and arose and went down to Egypt; and they stood before Joseph."
Twenty two years earlier the brothers of Joseph sold him into slavery and now they found themselves standing before him without knowing his identity. They had long concluded that he had been dead since then. Here they stood before him and they were about to discover his true identity. Joseph longed to be reconciled with his brothers but they had some more soul searching to do before that would happen.
Joseph's story points us to the greatest love story ever told, the story wherein God chose to remove our sin from us by sending His Son, the Lord Jesus to be our Savior. Like Joseph's brothers we must search our souls before we make the decision to believe that His death on the cross paid the penalty for our sin. Whereas Joseph had been at the mercy of his brothers in Genesis 37, the brothers now find themselves at the mercy of Joseph.
In v.16-17 of today's passage we read, "16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, "Take these men to my home, and slaughter an animal and make ready; for these men will dine with me at noon." 17 Then the man did as Joseph ordered, and the man brought the men into Joseph’s house."
When Joseph saw his younger brother Benjamin he ordered his steward to take the men from Canaan to his house. He also ordered his steward to slaughter an animal and to subsequently prepare a meal for them. For the third time in three verses, Joseph's brothers were called "the men." The brothers were granted access to Joseph's home because of the presence of Benjamin there with them. This is characteristic of how God has worked in every persons life from the moment we were all born. Everyone has the opportunity to respond to the wooing of God to believe in Him. Since the Bible teaches that man does not seek God on his own, God had to take the initiative to draw man to Himself. He was faithfully careful to reveal Himself to all man through His creation, and those who choose to believe in Him will be given further revelation of His existence. Those who continue to respond positively to the revelation that God gives will be saved. Eternal life is a gift that is received by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. God does not force the truth upon anyone, especially if they are not willing to respond to Him in faith. God's will does not preclude man's will and freedom to respond.
People often ask, "How can God send someone to hell since they have never heard and thus never had a chance to respond to the Gospel?" To this question I say that unbelievers are not condemned for rejecting the gospel message, they are condemned because of their sin. Our sin is an offense against an eternally holy God, thus the only just punishment must likewise be eternal, which the Bible describes as a place called hell. Justice demands hell for all who cannot solve for themselves their sin problem. And, since sinful man resists the wooing of God to come to Him, they remain dead in their sins and trespasses. They do this because they have chosen to believe the lies of the evil one.
"God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it."
