Joseph was rich. He did not need the money which his brothers had brought to buy food. He told his servants to fill their sacks with corn and he also provided all the food they needed for their journey. Then they started out for Canaan.
At night they stopped at the inn, and when they opened their sacks, what do you think they found in them? Every one of them found that his money had been put in the top of his sack. They could not understand it. Why should their money be given back to them? It was just because Joseph loved them, even though they did not know him, nor the kindness of his heart. If you are unsaved, dear young reader, you do not know the heart of God. If you knew His great love, you could not go on one day longer without Him. The love of God is far greater than Joseph’s love for his brothers, but like them, you do not realize how He longs to bless you. God’s love has been proven in the gift of His beloved Son who died for sinners. He now offers eternal life as a free gift to “whosoever will.”
Walking in Faith
Upon their arrival in Canaan, they told their father about all that had happened. Poor Jacob was greatly troubled when he heard that the lord of Egypt (Joseph) had kept Simeon, and worse still that he had said they must bring Benjamin down before they could get any more corn. Jacob did not know the blessing which was in store for him and his family but only thought of how hard it would be to part with his much-loved son Benjamin. Do you feel some burden like this pressing on you, dear Christian? Perhaps a dark cloud has come into your life, and you are wondering why the Lord has allowed it just as Jacob did. If Jacob had only known the future, he would not have worried at all, but God did not tell him. He wanted his servant to walk by faith, not sight. Faith believes that God knows the future perfectly, and here in His perfect wisdom He was working things out for the best in Jacob’s life. How good to trust Him! He knows your future and mine too. Let us learn then to trust Him even when the way seems dark and uncertain, and say like one of old, “My Father, Thou art the Guide of my youth.”
My Times Are in Thy Hand
A good many months rolled by, and again Joseph’s father and brothers felt the need of corn from Egypt. Poor old Jacob had put off the decision to send Benjamin there for a long time, but it had to come, for when God begins to work, He will not give in. He continues the trial until the lesson is learned. Joseph had definitely told his brothers that he would not see them again unless they brought Benjamin with them. Jacob began to look at “second causes,” forgetting that the first cause of all that had happened was that the Lord had allowed it. He asked his sons why they had told the lord of Egypt that they had another brother. How often we, too, ask the “why” and “wherefore” of things, only to learn that God does them His own way, and He brings us to the point where we have to say like David, “My times are in Thy hand” (Psalm 31:15).
Our times are in Thy hand,
Father we wish them there;
Our life, our soul, our all, we leave
Entirely to Thy care.
Our times are in Thy hand,
Why should we doubt or fear?
A Father’s hand will never cause
His child a needless tear.
Further Meditation
1. What did Joseph’s brothers find when they stopped at the inn?
2. There are a lot of things in our lives that don’t make sense to us. Learning to trust the Lord in those circumstances takes a lifetime for many of us. What did the Apostle Paul say about learning to be content?
3. Sometimes our hearts are crying out to the Lord asking Him to end the suffering. You might find the pamphlet How Long, O Lord? Until ... by R. Elliott quite comforting if you are going through one of those difficult times.