Sunday
Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, “Have everyone leave my presence!” So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard about it.
Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?” But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence.
Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.”
“So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt. Now hurry back to my father and say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; don’t delay. You shall live in the region of Goshen and be near me – you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds and all you have. I will provide for you there, because five years of famine are still to come. Otherwise you and your household and all who belong to you will become destitute.’”
(Genesis 45:1-11, NIV)
During the first week of devotionals on “Common Usages of the Hebrew Word Shalom,” several references to the life of Joseph were used to help fill out our understanding of this magnificent word. Today’s verses bring us to the conclusion of the story of Joseph and his brothers and, at the same time, serve as an illustration of how Joseph restores peace to his family. Chapters 43-44 of Genesis record the story of the second journey to Egypt by Joseph’s brothers and Joseph’s secret plan to hide his special cup in the grain sack of his young brother, Benjamin. He then orders his imperial guard to pursue the caravan of his brothers loaded with grain and to confront them with Benjamin’s “crime.” Fearful of now being condemned to a life of slavery, Joseph’s brothers are brought back into his presence.
It was during this confrontation with Joseph’s brothers over the “crime” of Benjamin that Joseph’s love for his family overwhelms him and he weeps so loudly that members of his court who were outside of his chambers heard his cries. Despite having been sold as a slave by his brothers, Joseph tells them that it was all a part of God’s plan to save their lives. Rather than seeking revenge, Joseph said: “it was not you who sent me here, but God” (45:8). Joseph repeats the same message to his brothers following the death of their father, as recorded in the last chapter of Genesis: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children” (50:20-21a). These kind words are accompanied by generous deeds as Joseph protects all of the families of his brothers from the devastating drought by providing food and land for them in Egypt. Joseph is a peacemaker in his own family. He forgives his brothers for what they had done to him and pays back their evil with good.
Prayer
Lord, we praise you for your grace and rejoice in the fact that you have forgiven our sins. As Joseph forgave his brothers and showed them love, so you forgive us and offer us newness of life. Teach us to forgive and forget where and how we have been hurt in the past and help us to be peacemakers in our own families. Amen.