“And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth. And the men looked at one another in amazement. Portions were taken to them from Joseph’s table, but Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as any of theirs. And they drank and were merry with him.” (Genesis 43:33-34)
One can only wonder the thoughts racing through the mind of these eleven brothers. Ten wrack themselves with guilt; one with wonder. Providence places before them a strange set of circumstances that would only make sense in the rear-view mirror. For the twelfth brother, for Joseph, what we find is not confusion, but clarity. Every decision comes loaded with intentionality, and intention clarifies the heart. What do we see in Joseph’s heart?
First, time failed to dim Joseph’s memory of his brothers. He seats them in perfect order (which is no small feat). Bitterness had not dulled his affections nor his memory. Furthermore, he continues to show the honor due to the oldest by sitting him at the head of the table. After the pit and prison, Joseph may feel “entitled” to dishonor the brother tasked most with protecting and preserving his life, but he does not stoop to that level. Truly, Joseph demonstrates what it is to act “above reproach.” But there is one last act of kindness – the large portion of Benjamin. Benjamin receives a heaping portion because he is the blood brother of Joseph, but this is not all. Joseph also knows that Benjamin is loved by his father and at the mercy of his brothers. He is the least of all the brothers, and for that, the most loved.
Do we not see in Joseph a dim reflection of our Savior? Our sin against Him has not dampened His love toward us. Rather, that love flows freely and abundantly to the least in the kingdom. To the widow and the orphan, to the weak and the feeble, to those still in the world He pours out a fivefold portion of His love. Truly, this love is a table spread in the presence of our enemies, a reviving elixir in days of distress. This portion prevents us from fearing the lion that stalks by day and the arrow that flies by at night, for we live under the eye of Him who reigns from on high. Reader, why are we fearful? Why do we tremble? Let the love of Christ nourish, sustain, confirm, and restore you.
