Gen 43:33-34 | KingComments | STEP | When they arrive at Joseph, they bow down before him for the second time. Joseph does not ask for their money, but acts according to his own heart. He cares for them. The brothers think they should bring a gift now that they will dine with the viceroy. However, Joseph does not seem to pay any attention to the gift. In the same way, we too do not need to come to God with gifts if we think that by doing so we will please Him. Joseph has said: “The men are to dine with me at noon” ( ). Accepting this just like that goes too far for someone who is not convinced of his goodness. Even today it still applies to anyone who, out of false humility, refuses to accept the offer of the Lord Jesus: “Come; for everything is ready now” ( ). Joseph is not interested in their gifts, but in themselves. He asks about their welfare and how their old father is doing. With the question about their welfare, his father had sent him to the brothers more than twenty years ago ( ). Their answer is that he is well. But is it true? In their answer they do not mention anything of the grief of their old father. When Joseph sees Benjamin, he has to cry again. He secludes himself for this purpose. Sometimes it is good that others see our tears ( ; ), but sometimes it is also good that others do not see our tears (cf. ; ). How much he would have liked to have made himself known! But the work in the brothers is not finished yet. In the same way the Lord Jesus deals with the woman at the well of Sychar in John 4. He does not reveal Himself directly to her either, but only after her conscience has come into the light ( ). Joseph controls himself. Although he has not yet made himself known, he shows through the arrangement at the table that he knows them and their history. This again impresses the brothers, who notice from this dealing that their high-ranked host possesses supernatural knowledge about their family relationships. They can only look at one another in astonishment. By giving Benjamin five times more than the brothers, Joseph tests their attitude toward Benjamin. Will they become jealous or will they grant it to him? At the end of the chapter we read for the first time after all the sadness about cheerfulness. The brothers’ joy is not yet about Joseph himself, but only about what they receive from him.

‏ Genesis 43:33-34

Second Meeting with Joseph

When they arrive at Joseph, they bow down before him for the second time. Joseph does not ask for their money, but acts according to his own heart. He cares for them. The brothers think they should bring a gift now that they will dine with the viceroy. However, Joseph does not seem to pay any attention to the gift. In the same way, we too do not need to come to God with gifts if we think that by doing so we will please Him.

Joseph has said: “The men are to dine with me at noon” (Gen 43:16). Accepting this just like that goes too far for someone who is not convinced of his goodness. Even today it still applies to anyone who, out of false humility, refuses to accept the offer of the Lord Jesus: “Come; for everything is ready now” (Lk 14:16-17).

Joseph is not interested in their gifts, but in themselves. He asks about their welfare and how their old father is doing. With the question about their welfare, his father had sent him to the brothers more than twenty years ago (Gen 37:14). Their answer is that he is well. But is it true? In their answer they do not mention anything of the grief of their old father.

When Joseph sees Benjamin, he has to cry again. He secludes himself for this purpose. Sometimes it is good that others see our tears (Acts 20:19; 2Tim 1:4), but sometimes it is also good that others do not see our tears (cf. Jer 13:17; Lk 22:62). How much he would have liked to have made himself known! But the work in the brothers is not finished yet. In the same way the Lord Jesus deals with the woman at the well of Sychar in John 4. He does not reveal Himself directly to her either, but only after her conscience has come into the light (Jn 4:25-26).

Joseph controls himself. Although he has not yet made himself known, he shows through the arrangement at the table that he knows them and their history. This again impresses the brothers, who notice from this dealing that their high-ranked host possesses supernatural knowledge about their family relationships. They can only look at one another in astonishment. By giving Benjamin five times more than the brothers, Joseph tests their attitude toward Benjamin. Will they become jealous or will they grant it to him?

At the end of the chapter we read for the first time after all the sadness about cheerfulness. The brothers’ joy is not yet about Joseph himself, but only about what they receive from him.