Genesis 43:34

And he took and sent messes unto them from before him: but Benjamin’s mess was five times so much as any of theirs… And they drank, and were merry with him.

Joseph gave Benjamin five times more than the rest.

That was not random. I think Joseph was watching them.

Years earlier, when favor rested on Joseph, when the coat marked him out, when blessing seemed to fall on him in a special way, the response of his brothers was ugly. Envy. Jealousy. Resentment. Hostility. So now Joseph sets Benjamin in a place of obvious favor and waits to see what happens. Will they react to Benjamin the way they reacted to Joseph? Will the old poison rise up again? Will they turn cold when another brother gets more?

That is a real test, and it is still a real test for us.

It is not terribly hard to sympathize when someone is broken. Most of us can do that at least to some degree. When a brother is hurting, when a sister is crushed, when somebody is going through sorrow, something in us naturally leans that direction. But when another person is favored, when things go well for them, when the blessing seems to land on their table in a bigger portion than ours, that is where the deeper test often comes.

Can I rejoice then

Can I be glad for them then

Can I celebrate the goodness of God in their life without becoming suspicious, bitter, cynical, or quietly resentful

That tells me a lot about what is still in my own heart.

A deep work has taken place in us when we not only weep with those who weep, but also rejoice with those who rejoice. That is not natural. That is grace. That is the Lord softening a heart that used to compare, measure, compete, and brood. That is the love of Christ doing something real in a man or woman.

Jesus said that all men would know we are His disciples by our love one for another. And that surely includes how we treat the brother who is hurting, but it also includes how we respond to the brother who is prospering. Love does not just cry beside the grieving. Love can smile without envy when another is blessed.

Then the verse says they drank and were merry with him.

That is striking, because Joseph still has not revealed himself fully, yet he is already communing with them. There is fellowship before recognition. There is kindness before disclosure. There is joy at the table before the veil is lifted.

And that gives such a helpful picture. People sometimes assume that until Israel fully sees Jesus as Messiah, the Lord must have nothing to do with them. But that is not the way this story reads. Joseph is blessing his brothers, enjoying their presence, feeding them, watching over them, and interacting with them, even while they still do not understand exactly who he is.

That tells me something about the heart of God. The Lord is not waiting in cold distance until every piece of understanding clicks into place. He is still dealing with His people. Still drawing. Still providing. Still interacting. Still moving in ways they do not fully understand yet.

They do not yet sit at the same table in full revelation.

But there is real communion nonetheless.

And that is often the way the Lord works. He is nearer than people know. Kinder than they imagine. More involved than they realize. Before the full revealing comes, there is already bread on the table, already kindness in the room, already grace moving quietly through the story.