Matthew Henry Commentary Genesis 45
Matthew Henry Commentary
Genesis 45
Matthew Henry Commentary
Genesis 45
"Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood before him; and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. And he wept aloud: and the Egyptians heard, and the house of Pharaoh heard. And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence. And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. And now be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and there are yet five years, in which there shall be neither plowing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve you a remnant in the earth, and to save you alive by a great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not; and thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children`s children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast: and there will I nourish thee; for there are yet five years of famine; lest thou come to poverty, thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast. And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you. And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen: and ye shall haste and bring down my father hither. And he fell upon his brother Benjamin`s neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck. And he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that his brethren talked with him." — Genesis 45:1-15 (ASV)
Joseph let Judah continue and heard all he had to say. He found his brothers humbled for their sins, mindful of him (for Judah had mentioned him twice in his speech), respectful to their father, and very tender toward their brother Benjamin. Now they were ready for the comfort he intended for them by making himself known. Joseph ordered all his attendants to withdraw.
In this way, Christ makes himself and his loving-kindness known to his people, out of the sight and hearing of the world. Joseph shed tears of tenderness and strong affection, and with these, he cast off the austerity with which he had until then behaved toward his brothers. This represents the divine compassion toward returning penitents. I am Joseph, your brother. This statement would humble them even more for their sin in selling him but would also encourage them to hope for kind treatment.
Similarly, when Christ wanted to convince Paul, he said, I am Jesus; and when he wanted to comfort his disciples, he said, It is I, be not afraid. When Christ reveals himself to his people, he encourages them to draw near to him with a true heart. Joseph does so, and shows them that whatever they intended to do against him, God had brought good out of it.
Sinners must grieve and be angry with themselves for their sins, even though God brings good out of them, for that is no thanks to the sinners themselves. The similarity between all this and the experience of a sinner when Christ reveals himself to his soul is very striking.
On this account, the sinner does not consider sin a lesser evil, but a greater one. Yet he is so armed against despair that he even rejoices in what God has done, while he trembles when thinking of the dangers and destruction from which he has escaped.
Joseph promises to take care of his father and all the family. It is the duty of children, if the needs of their parents at any time require it, to support and provide for them to the utmost of their ability; this is showing piety at home (1 Timothy 5:4). After Joseph had embraced Benjamin, he caressed them all, and then his brothers talked with him freely about all the affairs of their father's house. After the signs of true reconciliation with the Lord Jesus, sweet communion with him follows.
"And the report thereof was heard in Pharaoh`s house, saying, Joseph`s brethren are come: and it pleased Pharaoh well, and his servants. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Say unto thy brethren, This do ye: lade your beasts, and go, get you unto the land of Canaan; and take your father and your households, and come unto me: and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land. Now thou art commanded, this do ye: take you wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father, and come. Also regard not your stuff; for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours. And the sons of Israel did so: and Joseph gave them wagons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way. To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of raiment. And to his father he sent after this manner: ten asses laden with the good things of Egypt, and ten she-asses laden with grain and bread and provision for his father by the way. So he sent his brethren away, and they departed: and he said unto them, See that ye fall not out by the way." — Genesis 45:16-24 (ASV)
Pharaoh was kind to Joseph, and to his relatives for Joseph's sake. Egypt would make up for the losses of their removal. Thus, those for whom Christ intends his heavenly glory should not regard the things of this world. The best of its enjoyments are but mere clutter; we cannot secure them while we are here, still less can we carry them away with us.
Let us not set our eyes or hearts upon the world; there are better things for us in that blessed land, where Christ, our Joseph, has gone to prepare a place. Joseph dismissed his brothers with a timely warning, See that ye fall not out by the way. He knew they were too apt to be quarrelsome; and having forgiven them all, he gives them this charge, not to reproach one another. This command our Lord Jesus has given to us, that we love one another, and that whatever happens, or has happened, we do not fall out.
For we are brothers; we all have one Father. We are all guilty, and instead of quarrelling with one another, have reason to fall out with ourselves. We are, or hope to be, forgiven by God, whom we have all offended, and, therefore, should be ready to forgive one another. We are by the way, a way through the land of Egypt, where we have many eyes upon us, that seek advantage against us; a way that leads to the heavenly Canaan, where we hope to be forever in perfect peace.
"And they went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan unto Jacob their father. And they told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt. And his heart fainted, for he believed them not. And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them: and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived: and Israel said, It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive: I will go and see him before I die." — Genesis 45:25-28 (ASV)
To hear that Joseph is alive is too good news to be true; Jacob faints, for he does not believe it. We faint, because we do not believe. Eventually, Jacob is convinced of the truth. Jacob was old and did not expect to live long.
He says, 'Let my eyes be refreshed with this sight before they are closed, and then I need nothing more to make me happy in this world.' Behold Jesus manifesting himself as a Brother and a Friend to those who once were his despisers, his enemies. He assures them of his love and the riches of his grace.
He commands them to lay aside envy, anger, malice, and strife, and to live in peace with each other. He teaches them to give up the world for him and his fullness. He supplies all that is necessary to bring them home to himself, so that they may also be where he is. And though, when he finally sends for his people, they may for a time feel some doubts and fears, yet the thought of seeing his glory and of being with him will enable them to say, 'It is enough; I am willing to die; and I go to see and to be with the Beloved of my soul.'
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