Verse of the day: Genesis
43:34 Then he took servings to
them from before him, but Benjamin’s serving was five times as much as any of
theirs. So they drank and were merry with him.
Joseph
here continues to test his brothers. He is digging to the very core of the
matter in discovering what is truly in the hearts of his brothers. Have they really
changed? When Judah stepped up and took Benjamin’s place, that was the ultimate
evidence of at least one brother’s heart-change (Gen 44), but here, the heart
of all of them was tested. Note that Benjamin received five times more than his
brothers received. This may have been Joseph’s way of testing them to see if
they would envy Benjamin, and despise him, as they did Joseph when Israel
showed him favor. Proverbs 27:19 tells us that, “As in water face reflects
face, so a man’s heart reveals the man.” Luke 6:43-45 reads, “For a good tree does not
bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 For every tree is known
by its own fruit. For men do
not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. 45 A
good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil
man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the
abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” God will often show us
what is in our heart when he allows us to see the blessings bestowed upon
others. How we react to the good being done for others, especially when we
might be going through difficulties ourselves, says a lot about where our heart
is. As born again believers, and God’s children, we are to rejoice with those
who rejoice, and weep with those who weep (Romans 12:15). However, in order to
do this we must put aside envy, and pride. We are to be satisfied, and content,
with whatever good God allows into our lives, and not compare it to the good He
allows in the lives of others. We must dismiss the thought that we deserve to
suffer less than someone else simply because we are serving the Lord
faithfully, and they are not (or for whatever other reason we conjure up in our
minds). In Matthew 20:1-16, Jesus tells the parable of the workers in the vineyard.
The owner of the vineyard hires workers throughout the day, and ultimately pays
all the workers the same, even though some came toward the end of the workday.
Those who were hired first complained that they were paid the same for doing
more of the work; even though the wage was set before they agreed to do the
work. The owner responded this way in verses 13-15 “Friend, I am doing you no
wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what is yours and go your way. I wish
to give to this last man the same as
to you. 15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is
your eye evil because I am good?” When we learn contentment in Christ, only
then will we be truly joyful of others being blessed more so than we are. The Apostle
Paul put it this way in Philippians 4:11-13 “Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have
learned in whatever state I am, to be content: 12 I know how to be abased, and
I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be
full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all
things through Christ who strengthens me.” The evidence of what was in
their hearts toward Benjamin was the fact that “they drank and were merry with
him”. How we react to the blessings of others will be one of the indicators as
to whether or not there is envy and pride in our hearts that needs to be
surrendered to the Lord.
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