Page:An Exposition of the Old and New Testament (1828) vol 1.djvu/243

Rh and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. 9. Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not: 10. And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children's children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast: 11. And there will I nourish thee; for yet there are five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty. 12. And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you. 13. And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen; and ye shall haste and bring down my father hither. 14. And he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck. 15. Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that his brethren talked with him.

Judah and his brethren were waiting for an answer, and could not but be amazed to discover instead of the gravity of a judge, the natural affection of a father or brother.

I. Joseph ordered all his attendants to withdraw, v. 1. The private conversations of friends are the most free: when Joseph would put on love, he puts off state; which it was not fit his servants should be witnesses of. Thus Christ graciously manifests himself and his loving kindness to his people, out of the sight and hearing of the world.

II. Tears were the preface or introduction to his discourse, v. 2. He had dammed up this stream a great while, and with much ado; but now it swelled so high, that he could no longer contain, but he wept aloud, so that those whom he had forbidden to see him, could not but hear him. These were tears of tenderness and strong affection, and with these he threw off that austerity with which he had hitherto carried himself toward his brethren; for he could bear it no longer. This represents the divine compassion toward returning penitents, as much as that of the father of the prodigal, Luke 15. 20. Hos. 11. 8, 9.

III. He very abruptly (as one uneasy till it was out) tells them who he was, I am Joseph. They knew him only by his Egyptian name, Zaphnath-paaneah, his Hebrew name being lost and forgotten in Egypt; but now he teaches them to call him by that, I am Joseph: nay, that they might not suspect it was another of the same name, he explains himself, (v. 4.) I am Joseph, your brother. This would both humble them yet more for their sin in selling him, and would encourage them to hope for kind treatment. Thus when Christ would convince Paul, he said, I am Jesus; and when he would comfort his disciples, he said, It is I, be not afraid. This word, at first, startled Joseph's brethren; they started back through fear, or, at least, stood still astonished; but Joseph called kindly and familiarly to them, Come near, I pray you. Thus when Christ manifests himself to his people, he encourages them to draw near to him with a true heart. Perhaps being about to speak of their selling of him, he would not speak aloud, lest the Egyptians should overhear, and it should make the Hebrews to be yet more an abomination to them; therefore he would have them come near, that he might whisper with them, which, now that the tide of his passion was a little over, he was able to do, whereas, at first, he could not but cry out.

IV. He endeavours to soften their grief for the injuries they had done him, by showing them, that whatever they designed, God meant it for good, and had brought much good out of it, (v. 5.) Be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves. Sinners must grieve and be angry with themselves, for their sins; yea, though God, by his power, bring good out of them, for that is no thanks to the sinner, but true penitents should be greatly affected with it, when they see God bringing good out of evil, meat out of the eater. Though we must not with this consideration extenuate our own sins, and so take off the edge of our repentance; yet it may do well thus to extenuate the sins of others, and so take off the edge of our angry resentments. Thus Joseph dues here; his brethren needed not to fear that he would avenge upon them an injury which God's providence had made to turn so much to his advantage, and that of his family. Now he tells them how long the famine was likely to last, five years; yet, (v. 6. ) what a capacity he was in of being kind to his relations and friends, which is the greatest satisfaction that wealth and power can give to a good man, v. 8. See what a favourable colour he puts upon the injury they had done him, God sent me before you, v. 5, 7. Note,

1. God's Israel is the particular care of God's providence. Joseph reckoned that his advancement was designed, not so much to save a whole kingdom of Egyptians, as to preserve a small family of Israelites: for the Lord's portion is his people; whatever goes with others, they shall be secured.

2. Providence looks a great way forward, and has a long reach; even long before the years of plenty, Providence was preparing for the supply of Jacob's house in the years of famine. The Psalmist praises God for this, (Ps. 105. 17.) He sent a man before them, even Joseph. God sees his work from the beginning to the end, but we do not, Eccl. 3. 11. How admirable are the projects of Providence! How remote its tendencies! What wheels are there within wheels, and yet all directed by the eyes in the wheels, and the spirit of the living creature! Let us therefore judge nothing before the time.

3. God often works by contraries; the envy and contention of brethren threaten the ruin of families, yet, in this instance they prove the occasion of preserving Jacob's family. Joseph had never been the shepherd and stone of Israel, if his brethren had not shot at him, and hated him; even those that had wickedly sold Joseph into Egypt, yet themselves reaped the benefit of the good God brought out of it; as those that put Christ to death, were many of them saved by his death.

4. God must have all the glory of the seasonable preservations of his people, by what way soever they are effected, (v. 8.) It was not you that sent me hither, but God. As, on the one hand, they must not fret at it, because it ended so well; so, on the other hand, they must not be proud of it, because it was God's doing, and not their's. They designed, by selling him into Egypt, to defeat his dreams, but God thereby designed to accomplish them. Isa. 10. 7, Howbeit he meaneth not so.

V. He promises to take care of his father and all the family during the rest of the years of famine.

1. He desires that his father might speedily be made glad with the tidings of his life and dignity. His brethren must hasten to Canaan, and must acquaint Jacob that his son Joseph was lord of all