Genesis 43:11 - Meaning and Application

Observe here, first, Jacob’s willingness to be persuaded. He was ready to listen to reason, even when it came from those beneath him. He saw the need clearly, and since there was no other way, he agreed to give in to necessity: “If it must be so now, take your brother” (Genesis 43:11). If no grain could be had except on those terms, it was better to expose Benjamin to the dangers of the journey than to let the whole family, Benjamin included, die of hunger.

A man will give up almost anything to save his life, even what he loves most. There is no death so dreadful as famine (Lamentations 4:9). Jacob had once said, “My son shall not go down” (Genesis 42:38), but now he lets himself be persuaded to consent. It is no sin, but rather wisdom and duty, to change our plans when there is good reason to do so. Firmness is a virtue, but stubbornness is not. It belongs to God alone never to change and never to need to revise his purposes.

Second, Jacob shows prudence and fairness in three ways. First, he sent back the money they had found in their sacks, and he chose a generous explanation: “Perhaps it was an oversight.” Honesty calls us to make things right, not only when we are at fault, but also when we have received something through another person’s mistake. If we keep what came to us by mistake after we know it, then we are keeping it by deceit. When we settle accounts, we must leave room for errors, even errors that favor us. Jacob’s words also teach us to give a kind interpretation to what we are tempted to take as an insult. Pass it by and say, “Perhaps it was an oversight.”

Second, he sent double the money, twice as much as they had carried before. This may have been because grain had become more expensive, or because he wanted to show a generous spirit, hoping they would receive kind treatment from the man who ruled the land. Third, he sent a present of the products of Canaan, things that were scarce in Egypt, such as balm and honey (Genesis 43:11). These were among the goods Canaan exported (Genesis 37:25). Providence gives different gifts to different places, so that trade may continue between them. Honey and spices can never make up for a lack of bread. Canaan was suffering from severe famine, and still it had balm, myrrh, and the like. Plain food is enough for us; we do not need luxuries. But we cannot live on luxuries without plain food. Let us thank God that what is most necessary and useful is usually the cheapest and most common.

A gift given quietly can calm anger (Proverbs 21:14). Jacob’s sons had been wrongly accused as spies, yet Jacob was willing to pay the cost of a present to calm the accuser. Sometimes we should not think it too much to buy peace, even where we might rightly demand it as our due.

Third, Jacob’s godliness appears in his prayer: “May God Almighty give you mercy before the man” (Genesis 43:14). Jacob had once softened an angry brother with a gift and a prayer, and here he uses the same tried way again, and it succeeds. Those who want favor from people must seek it from God, who holds all hearts in his hand and turns them wherever he wills.

Fourth, Jacob shows patience. He ends with this thought: “If I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.” If he must lose them one after another, he will submit and accept the Lord’s will. It is wise to bring our hearts into agreement with the hardest troubles and make the best of them. There is nothing gained by fighting against our Maker (2 Samuel 15:25, 2 Samuel 15:26).