“And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the corn which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said... Go again, buy us a little food.
“And... Israel said... If it must be so now, do this; take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds” (Gen. 43:2,112And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the corn which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them, Go again, buy us a little food. (Genesis 43:2)
11And their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this; take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds: (Genesis 43:11)).
Unbelief in the goodness of God a sad, restricting influence in believers’ lives is strikingly illustrated in the life of Jacob. But if we are to gain blessing from this account, it must serve as a mirror to our hearts—hearts which are prone to the same miserly thoughts of our gracious, giving God.
The Lord appeared to Jacob, as he fled from his brother Esau, with promises of rich, undeserved blessing. Regarding the land through which his grandfather Abraham had walked, the Lord said, “To thee will I give it, and to thy seed.” Regarding Jacob’s family, He said, “And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth... and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.” Regarding Jacob’s protection, Jehovah promised, “I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest.... I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken” (Gen. 28:13-1513And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; 14And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. (Genesis 28:13‑15)). But poor Jacob’s first thought of that place where he had met Jehovah and heard such wonderful things was, “How dreadful is this place!” How like our own unbelief!
For the next 21 years, Jacob received daily reminders of God’s rich grace. He had fled from his father’s house empty, but now he returned full blessed with children, servants, flocks, herds and great possessions (Gen. 31-33). Yet when Jacob hears that Esau is coming to meet him (Gen. 32:66And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him. (Genesis 32:6)), he forgets the Lord’s care. “Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed.”
Later, after his beloved Joseph had been lost (Gen. 37:31-37), yet another trial comes a famine. Still seemingly unaware that God was working for his blessing, Jacob hears that “there is corn in Egypt” and sends his sons to buy food (Gen. 42:1212And he said unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye are come. (Genesis 42:12)). But not one word of confidence in Jehovah do we hear from the lips of this dear, aged pilgrim.
Of course, the time comes when their supply of food from Egypt runs out (Gen. 43:22And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the corn which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them, Go again, buy us a little food. (Genesis 43:2)). How happy would it have been to have heard Jacob, in faith, repeat the words of Abraham: “God will provide.” Instead, looking only with the eyes of nature, he tells his sons, “Go again, buy us a little food.” He desires to buy only a little, because he knew his resources were insufficient to meet the famine, which had become greater to him than Jehovah!
Beloved brethren, our hearts are not one bit different! Never could we measure the limitless, divine provisions which God’s infinite grace has given to each of us! Yet when a famine looms in our lives, we, like Jacob, forget the largeness of His supply, thinking instead how we may get by with just a little food. How dishonoring to the “Giver of all good” are all such faithless thoughts! God has not withheld from us the “Son of His love” (Col. 1:1313Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: (Colossians 1:13) JND), having “delivered Him up for us all” (Rom. 8:3232He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? (Romans 8:32)). Such divine provision is the very opposite of littleness. With the gift of His beloved Son comes the promise to “freely give us all things.” Our Father does not want His children existing as spiritual paupers, barely sustained by a little food.
With Jacob, we also see that not only was his heart constrained in trying to meet his needs (“buy... a little”), but it was equally constrained in giving to his benefactor take “a present, a little balm, and a little honey.”
This same spirit of littleness in giving may mark us also. If we refuse to draw upon the unlimited resources and largeness of our Father, the result will be that rather than a rich outpouring of thanksgiving and praise (Heb. 13), our hearts are only capable of giving to Him a little present.
Oh! that we might be enlarged to enjoy abundantly the exceeding great and precious promises which are ours in Christ! Will there not then be rivers of living water flowing from us?
Ed.