No. 1.
IT only seemed a commonplace occurrence, but there was a great deal in it. Several members of one family had been sent on urgent business and were returning. A general famine was prevailing in all the surrounding countries, and the pinch of want began to be sorely felt everywhere. In their own land corn could hardly be obtained for money. Hence, when tidings reached this family that, in a certain land, it was possible to purchase corn, they decided to travel thither and secure, if possible, at any cost what would meet their bodily necessities.
It was at a wayside inn, and on their homeward journey, that one of this little band of nine made the mysterious discovery which we now refer to.
Their minds had already been greatly disturbed by what had occurred during their short visit to that immense store. Something had, happened many years before, not at all to their credit. Of this their consciences had been forcibly and unexpectedly reminded; and it must have been strange enough to their minds, that this reminder should have come through no less a person than the Chief Administrator of the vast abundance stored in the huge granaries. This great man seemed to have some good reason for questioning their integrity. In order to put their sincerity to the test, he had taken the unaccountable measure of detaining one of their number, as a guarantee for their return with their youngest brother, of whom they had spoken.
They were thus going back to their aged father with one less than he would naturally expect. Ten went; only nine were returning. How would he feel about it? They might well ask themselves such a question, for they could not forget how a similar occurrence had, once before, affected him. In that case eleven had left home and only ten had come back. Indeed, they had themselves darkly referred to this missing one in speaking of their family affairs to the all too inquisitive “lord of the land.”
It was while all this was fresh in their minds that the mysterious discovery we are considering was made. The following is an accurate account of the occurrence: ―
“As one of them opened his sack to give his ass provender in the inn, he espied his money;
for, behold, it was in his sack’s mouth. And he said unto his brethren, My money is restored; and, lo, it is even in my sack! And their hearts failed them, and they were afraid, saying one to another, What is this that God hath done unto us?” (Gen. 42:27, 2827And as one of them opened his sack to give his ass provender in the inn, he espied his money; for, behold, it was in his sack's mouth. 28And he said unto his brethren, My money is restored; and, lo, it is even in my sack: and their heart failed them, and they were afraid, saying one to another, What is this that God hath done unto us? (Genesis 42:27‑28)).
There was not only an uncomfortable mystery in the incident itself, but it must have proved a fresh pang for their already uneasy consciences; for it could hardly fail to be a fresh reminder of the time when they had returned to their father not only with one of their number missing, but when money was in their possession, received from the foreign spice-merchants to whom they had sold the missing one (twenty pieces of silver).
There will be very few readers of these pages who will not have been familiar with this story from the very earliest recollections. We refer to it now as an illustration of the marvelous grace of God in Christ to sinners, whose offenses are all better known to the One they have sinned against than the sins of Joseph’s brethren were known to him. Joseph did not know all. God did. The God that “found out” their iniquity has found out ours. “All things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with Whom we have to do” (Heb. 4:1313Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. (Hebrews 4:13)).
Another has well said that grace supposes all the sin and evil to be in us, and all the goodness in Him. The sin is put away at the cost of the very One against Whom it was committed. As John Newton, speaking of the death of Jesus for himself, wrote: ―
“Thus, whilst this death my sin displays
In all its blackest hue,
Such is the mystery of grace,
It seals my pardon too.”
In the history of Joseph we get a rich example of this precious grace. It is here that we get the first intimation in the types of Scripture that a Man would be the center of attraction for the famine-stricken children of men everywhere, with resources not only sufficient to satisfy the hungry for a few years, but to fill everything for eternal ages (Eph. 4:8-108Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. 9(Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? 10He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) (Ephesians 4:8‑10)).
As we know, Joseph was the greatly beloved son of his father, and that with the expression of this peculiar affection his brethren had no sympathy. They hated him and sold him into the hands of the Gentiles. So with the Greater than Joseph—greater in every way. In humiliation and suffering He went down immeasurably lower, but His exaltation was incomparably higher. Then His influence is infinitely wider; while, as to His personal worth, He has no equal. He is peerless. In Him perfection has found its full height. Eternally and unchangeably blessed is He! All praise to His adorable Name.
Joseph’s brethren, as a family, were amongst the last to find out his place of exaltation and supreme authority; and so it will be with the brethren of Jesus according to the flesh. But when, at the end, they will be brought to repentance, there will be nothing but grace for them. So here. What stint was there in the kindness shown to these brethren of Joseph? None whatever. It was as though he had said: “I will not recompense you for your hatred; and you shall not recompense me for your blessing. What you have sown in undeserved hatred, you shall reap in unmerited kindness, and my heart shall rejoice to have it so. You put me into the pit; and sat down to your meal without me but I will not put you into the dungeon; you shall eat and drink with me and share the best that can be put upon my table.” This was grace indeed. How refreshing! But it was not all. If the covered-up story of their sin was a mystery to their sorrowing father, the witness of Joseph’s grace in the money found in his brothers’ sacks might well be a mystery to them until it was solved by the knowledge of the love which he bore them. When they had their opportunity to show their hatred, they made instant use of it. But the very first opportunity Joseph had of showing his care for them, moved with tender compassion, he made good use of it.
All this is only a shadow of the great and blessed realities of the Gospel. Jesus, Beloved Son of the Father, made Lord and Christ, is proclaimed to all men everywhere as a present and ever-approachable Saviour―yours, reader, if you desire Him. The kindness and grace of Joseph is but a type of Him of Whom the Apostle wrote: “Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich” (2 Cor. 8:99For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. (2 Corinthians 8:9)).
Do you not need the kindness of such a Friend, dear reader? Have you never yet felt the pinch of soul-famine? Is not this why you find no attraction in such a Saviour?
The first mention of forgiveness in Scripture is the forgiveness of Joseph for his brethren’s sin. Have you no buried secrets for which you need God’s forgiveness? Are you not aware that those secrets, sooner or later, must be faced in the searching Light of His holy presence? It is so. They must either be freely forgiven in grace, through the precious blood of Jesus, or be remembered against you in judgment. All may now be blotted out; all frankly forgiven. Then “God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil” (Eccles. 12:1414For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. (Ecclesiastes 12:14)).
Remember the words of one who knew the impossibility of standing clear of sin’s consequences if he came into judgment, and the blessedness of forgiveness also. “Enter not into judgment with Thy servant, for in Thy sight shall no man living be justified” (Psa. 143:22And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified. (Psalm 143:2)).
If you miss God’s forgiveness and come into judgment, you will heartily wish you had never come into the world at all. Indeed, far, far better that you had not been born than meet the eternal consequences of willfully disregarding the gracious call of such a Saviour as Jesus is. But why should such a calamity overtake you? Jesus still says, Come. What a discovery will be yours if you wake up at last just too late for God’s forgiveness! Bear in mind, you will have all eternity to brood over the madness of it! But again we remind you, Jesus still bids you come.
GEO. C.