seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Genesis 45:4 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! 5 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. 6 For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. 7 But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.[a]
8 “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. 9 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. 10 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. 11 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.’
12 “You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, that it is really I who am speaking to you. 13 Tell my father about all the honor accorded me in Egypt and about everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly.”
14 Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced him, weeping. 15 And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers talked with him.
8 “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. 9 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. 10 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. 11 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.’
12 “You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, that it is really I who am speaking to you. 13 Tell my father about all the honor accorded me in Egypt and about everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly.”
14 Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced him, weeping. 15 And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers talked with him.
This morning the commentaries just don't work. Generally one or two of the "feels" right. But this morning, that is not the case.
No matter how rotten your family is, there is always some kind of redeeming light in it somewhere. It might only have a tiny flicker in order that it might be found, but the light is there somewhere. Brothers and sisters, children and parents, all say things to each other that they regret. All do things to each other that they regret. Guilt can be a heavy load.
The story of Joseph has been laying heavy on me for some time now. I come from a horribly dysfunctional family. In spite of the dysfunctional part there are times when my family is the very best too. My dad is the one who brought me to Christ. My maternal grandmother was the preacher when the regular preacher couldn't get up in the holler due to the swollen river or the snow. My paternal uncle is a Presbyterian preacher. My great, great, great, great, whatever maternal grandfather was a Primitive Baptist preacher fresh off the boat from Ireland back in the 1600's. My children went to Sunday School. My son recently returned to the church. I'm the only Baptist left, I think, in my family. My sisters are Catholic. My sisters haven't talked to me or my family since shortly after my mother passed away. My brother was evangelical, I'm not sure what he's doing now. I saw him last about a year ago but we're "friends" online now. I know he and his wife are Christian, just don't know the denomination.
My family rocks at dysfunction. I know I went down paths my parents knew nothing about. When I went to them for help, they couldn't help me because they had no experience. Alcoholism and drug addictions, they could advise me on, but not the paths I was led down. My ex-husband was a real piece of work. The divorce was horrible. My dad and mom raised my son for me when it became apparent that he needed protection from the damage my ex-husband wreaked on us. My ex-husband starved me out. He took my daughter for Christmas and I couldn't get them back for years. I think my daughters have forgiven me for the things I did back when. I hope my son has. My son is a good man with a strong foundation because I had the good sense to do what was right for him.
In spite of all that.... I am proud of my children and how they turned out. My daughters and I talk all the time. My son is a busy man. He has four children and one on the way. When a tornado came through town and wiped out his place of employment, he was led to open a business of his own by a man whom he called "a good Christian man". When he called to tell me about the fourth baby's birth, he told me things are going great. My kids were a phone call away during the cancer, in spite of dysfunctional.
I'm sure there are some who will ask me if I want some cheese with this whine. I'm not whining.... I'm sure that God led us to this point. No, I don't believe that I deserve to be led by God any more than I believe that Simeon, that murderous brother of Joseph's deserved to be led to Egypt to receive Joseph's forgiveness two years into a severe worldwide famine. I am thrilled to say, "What I deserve doesn't matter". What Joseph's brothers deserved doesn't matter. God had a plan. God has a plan now.... sometimes we don't choose the path.... I'm sure Joseph wouldn't have chosen to be thrown down a cistern, sold into slavery, accused of rape or thrown into prison. It's what the plan called for.
Now I'm anxious to see how this forgiveness will affect this dysfunctional family....
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