Thursday: “I am Joseph Your Brother”
Read Genesis 45:1-28. What lessons of love, faith, and hope can be found in this story?
It is at that very moment, when Judah talked about the “evil” that would fall upon ’avi, “my father” (Genesis 44:34), that Joseph “cried out” (Genesis 45:1, NKJV) and then “made himself known” to his brothers. This expression, often used to refer to God’s self-revelation (Exodus 6:3, Ezekiel 20:9), suggests that it is God also who had revealed Himself here, as well. That is, the Lord had shown that His providence reigns, even despite human foibles.
Image © Jeff Preston at Goodsalt.com
Joseph’s brothers cannot believe what they are hearing and seeing. Thus, Joseph is obliged to repeat, “I am Joseph your brother” (Genesis 45:4, NKJV), and only at the second time, when they hear the precise words “whom you sold into Egypt” (Genesis 45:4, NKJV), that they believe.
Joseph then declares: “God sent me” (Genesis 45:5, NKJV). This reference to God has a double purpose. It serves not only to reassure his brothers that Joseph does not have bad feelings about them; it is also a profound confession of faith, and an expression of hope, because what they did was necessary for the “great deliverance” and the survival of a “posterity” (Genesis 45:7).
Joseph then urges his brothers to go to his father in order to prepare him to come to Egypt. He accompanies his call with specific words concerning the place where they will “dwell,” that is, Goshen, famous for its rich pasture, “the best of the land” (Genesis 45:18, Genesis 45:20, NKJV). He also takes care of the transportation: carts are provided, which will ultimately convince Jacob that his sons were not lying to him about what they had just experienced (Genesis 45:27). Jacob takes this visible demonstration as visible evidence that Joseph is alive, and this is enough for him to become alive again (compare with Genesis 37:35, Genesis 44:29).
Things are now good. Jacob’s 12 sons are alive. Jacob is now called “Israel” (Genesis 45:28), and the providence of God had been made manifest in a powerful way.
| Yes, Joseph was gracious to his brothers. He could afford to be. How, though, do we learn to be gracious to those whose evil toward us doesn’t turn out as well as it did for Joseph? |
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I don't watch reality TV (Real life is good enough for me), but I have seen the ads often enough to know that today's lesson is what the TV producers call "The Big Reveal"!
What a dramatic moment. And all the brothers stood there like stunned mullets (Aus colloquialism). Or in biblical words:
Wouldn't you like to have been a fly on the wall at that meeting?
And after a brief explanation of the Lord's leading in all of this, the hugging began.
It must have been a noisy reunion because Pharoah heard the commotion.
And while we may make a lot of theological mileage out of this story, sometimes it is worthwhile rejoicing at a good salvation outcome so loudly that others hear us!
The Bible says that there is rejoicing in heaven over one sinner that repents, and I don't think that heavenly beings just nod their heads solemnly and say "Amen".
Joseph revealed himself to his brothers!
How often has the LORD revealed Himself to us? Do we believe? Are we afraid? Do we weep with joy?
Praise the LORD that He has preserved His Word for us and sent His Son to show us His true character. Heb 1:1-2
I find Ex 6:3 interesting, we learn that the LORD revealed himself by different names in different situations.
When we share the Good News - do we share different aspects of the LORD's character depending on the seeker's needs?
God Almighty or Yahweh, personal and loving LORD?
This is why we study the old stories of Genesis to get us thinking about how the revealed principles apply to our lives.
Genesis 45 is such a moving chapter where we witness how a broken family is reconciled and reunited in an exceptional manner. The Bible teaches us how important relationships are because the greatest commandments deal with the right relationships.
The story of Joseph and his family shows how God was all along involved in restoring and healing this family.
What I find remarkable about Joseph was not necessarily his brilliancy or highly administrative qualifications. It was his attitude being submissive to the sovereign Lord that helped him make a choice to forgive his brothers and there was no hint of revenge in his actions- neither towards Potiphar and his wife who caused his unjust imprisonment. That reminds me when the apostle Paul referred to himself being „a prisoner of Christ“ although he was a prisoner of the Romans. Yet he also had the right attitude knowing God can deal with hardships thus working for our ultimate good.
The brothers are worried. They may even have doubts about Joseph's claim, because he does not provide any more information than the information that they imparted to him. They are concerned for their lives. All of this appears suspicious, particularly considering the more recent experiences they have had with this man. This why Joseph repeats a second time, "I am Joseph", but this time he is more precise and adds a piece of information no one knows, except his brothers: "Your brother whom you sold into Egypt" (Genesis 45:4 NKJV).
Alluding to the dream, Joseph is using the fulfillment of that dream as an implicit argument for God's providence.
QUESTIONS:
What lessons of reconciliation can we learn from Joseph's attitude?.
How might Joseph have responded had his plight not turned out so well?
God has a plan in everything, as we can see the revelation in this amazing story. We can trust Him.
Maybe we need to also learn from King David's experience of Shemei's curses against him and how King David gives God the credit for these curses from Shemei against him.
The shock and surprise of Joseph revealing himself to his brothers had to be a heart-thumping event for them. I'd image that Benjamin alone saw it as a wonderful, joyous, although unbelievable event. He alone knew the loss of his big brother who'd been his companion in his childhood. Perhaps we might say losing Joseph was worse for him who had never known his Mother. He was not privy to the information that Joseph had been sold and therefore he and his father mourned for the beloved dead.
Joseph's revelation affected the others in a different way. The mental and emotional effects of their terrible secret lasted even beyond the death of their father.
Perhaps Benjamin represents those who are filled with love and joy as we look forward to the coming of Christ. I want to be among those who 'love' His appearing.
I also was thinking about Benjamin. It must have come as a shock to him that his older brothers did this horrible thing to his brother. How must this have affected him in that moment? What thoughts were running through his head as he tried to make the connections? Did his brothers speak with him and explain on the way home? Just some questions I'd like to ask Benjamin someday.
There are so many parallels between the Joseph story and our story now…
Jesus has revealed Himself to us (Rom. 5:8; Romans 1:20; John 1:18). Jesus has offered Himself as our substitute to serve our sentence and we have been reconciled to our Father. There has been much rejoicing and emotion in heaven that we’re all back together (Luke 15:7). And Jesus has explained to us that even though the family is together, there is still a time of more famine ahead (John 15:19, 16:33; 1 Peter 4:12-19), the hardest years of famine, actually.
This little verse in the Joseph story pops out at me…. Joseph told his brothers “not to quarrel on the way home” (Genesis 45:24). Jesus begs us to have one-ness of Spirit in these last days, on our way Home (2 Timothy 2:14; Romans 13:13). To not be looking at and arguing over if a brother or sister is receiving 5x more, or having this kind or that kind of relationship with our Big Brother. A Christian family unified not because we’ve reached consensus on everything (I’m sure there were many angles of their shared story Joseph’s brothers still didn’t agree upon), but because we’re unified in accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior, and unified in wanting to follow His instructions in order to bring joy to our Heavenly Father.
Beautiful, profound connections Esther, thanks for sharing.