“²¹Then the sons of Israel did so; and Joseph gave them carts [or: “wagons”], according to the command of Pharaoh, and he gave them provisions for the journey. ²²He gave to all of them, to each man, changes of garments; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of garments. ²³And he sent to his father these things: ten donkeys loaded with the good things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, bread, and food for his father for the journey. ²⁴So he sent his brothers away, and they departed; and he said to them, “See that you do not become troubled along the way.”

– Genesis 45:21-24 (NKJV)

“Then the sons of Israel did so; (recognise the wording of this phrase, affirming the full redemption and righteousness of the brothers and Jacob’s identity as Patriarch of Our Faith at this point: this handful of men have become so much more and so much greater than simply who they are as individuals; these moments are the final birthing pains of what they are being set up to represent, as indicated by this all-powerful description “the sons of Israel “ : They Are the Father of- and the Tribes of Israel, indicating a great and glorious plan beyond what has even been revealed to us even at this point in history, stretching all the way from Genesis to Revelation and beyond into Eternity Future; pointing to prophecy fulfilled and yet to be fulfilled for generations and generations to come) and Joseph gave them carts, (as noted in the words of Pharoah previously, these carts or “wagons” are able to carry people: “for [their] little ones and [their] wives“ for example, and are designed and given to expediate the journey both in terms of duration and comfort, lest they be delayed by the inevitable timeous consequences of all having to travel on foot) according to the command of Pharaoh, (just a little reminder that these gifts have been given and blessed and authorised by the very highest authority in the land and is not to be questioned or opposed or resisted by anyone) and he gave them provisions for the journey. (See also the final note for this passage, Genesis 45:21-24.) He gave to all of them, to each man, changes of garments; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of garments. (It is important that we as people not attempt to make rules cast in stone when it comes to the principles of being fair versus appointed favour, but be entirely led by the Holy Spirit, faithfully and humbly Trusting the Lord and His Revealed Will moment by moment. Here for example we can clearly see that generally a sense of fairness and equality is adhered to lest any are overlooked or side-lined; nevertheless the God-appointed Principle set out in 2 Timothy 2:20 and Romans 9:21 ought always to be respected. In other words, if God, or those led by- and Divinely Inspired to represent Him, chooses to favour or honour or bless someone especially, we are never to react wickedly in envy or by other ungodly means to indicate our displeasure or opposition to His ways, such as grumbling or protest. After all God is not a socialist, He’s a monarchist .) And he sent to his father these things: ten donkeys loaded with the good things of Egypt, (notice the use of the word “good ” here indicating of course that Joseph seeks not only to bless his dear father with the very best of what Egypt has to offer and communicate unto him that it is safe and necessary for him to come; compelling him to do so, but also that Joseph is not sending anything “evil” associated with the pagan culture and worship of false gods associated with the “Babylon” of the time, lest it grieve his father’s conscience or cause him to doubt that this great man promoted over all Egypt is indeed his beloved Hebrew, God-fearing, El-Shaddai-Worshipping son) and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, bread, and food for his father for the journey. (There exists here also a subtle allusion that the former, otherwise undefined, “good things“ are quite weighty as suggested by the fact that they are carried by the stronger male donkeys as opposed to the latter “grain, bread, and food “ carried by the female donkeys. I furthermore detect an even more subtle, but exceedingly beautiful intimation made in the sending of both male and female donkeys, namely that fruitfulness, growth and multiplication of favour, providence, blessing and the very literal goods sent, is to be anticipated and Hoped in, even whilst they are still on the journey, serving also as an especially lovely and artful device from the Lord’s hand to quell doubt and encourage Faith and Trust in Him.) So he sent his brothers away, and they departed; (and so the wheels are set in motion for the next phase of the story as the journey begins . . .) and he said to them, “See that you do not become troubled along the way.” (As mentioned earlier, and reinforced by several words spoken In Wisdom by Joseph thus far, it is imperative that the brothers – and especially Jacob whom they might also influence if they do succumb to this very real threat – do not allow room for any doubt whatsoever to set in. When the stakes for the People of God are this high – not only in terms of the story of one Beloved Family of God, but for posterity’s sake: the generational line of the Chosen Hebrew People, the generational line of our Lord Himself, how we relate to and remember the patriarchs of the Faith and the very narrative we as readers get to enjoy in the Scriptures at these very moments almost 6000 years later – the enemy will undoubtedly try any and every conceivable means of thwarting the process, not least of all through the lures of doubt. Even here we still recognise the lingering and far-reaching effects of Joseph’s stepping outside of God’s Will to retain Benjamin unto himself from a place of fear and feeling threatened (as opposed to Love for- and Trust in- Almighty God), in that that action has much potential now to cause the brothers to fear that perhaps another such a trick might catch them wholly unawares, disarming them completely. For let us remember: the first time Joseph returned the money to their sacks he was acting out of a place of deep Love, empathy and generosity – seeking only to provide “provisions for the journey “ then, as also here, only without revealing his identity. There “being no law against such things“ [Galatians 5:23], it therefore followed that the brothers were lovingly put at ease, reassured and Peace reigned upon its discovery. The second time however when the cup was placed in the sacks, Joseph was acting from a place of self-seeking and fear, and as we well know with such intentions come “confusion and every evil thing “ [James 3:16] and this time it followed that the brothers felt confused, gaslit and fearful and Peace departed upon its discovery. It is perhaps then also no small thing that this wretched cup was associated with divination even in the Scriptures. As a result, the memory of this second painful encounter provides a good foundation for the enemy to build upon in creating doubt in their minds during their journey home to retrieve Jacob. Thankfully we as believers Know and Trust that God is Sovereign and that ultimately His Will Be Done, all things are worked together for the Good of those who Love Him and are called according to His Purposes; and quite literally that “all’s well that ends well”; yet we ought nevertheless soberly to recognise how much unnecessary anguish we can potentially bring upon ourselves when we listen to the voice of the enemy.)