seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Genesis 50:15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?” 16 So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Your father left these instructions before he died: 17 ‘This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.’ Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father.” When their message came to him, Joseph wept.
18 His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. “We are your slaves,” they said.
19 But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. 21 So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.
18 His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. “We are your slaves,” they said.
19 But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. 21 So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.
I think I can do this one without a commentary, though I'm going to read them anyway.
Once Jacob [Israel] died the brothers were shaking in their sandals. Based on the blessings Jacob [Israel] passed out on his death bed, they knew it was unlikely that Joseph told him what they had done. In dysfunctional families that are so ripe with events to hang over sibling heads, this kind of secret could get a brother anything he wants.
When they went to Joseph and threw themselves down before him, they weren't being magnanimous. They really knew the spot they were in. They were indeed his slaves. He could have jailed them for life.
The blueletterbible.org commentary offers another perspective.
Joseph first understood he was not in the place of God. It wasn't his job to bring retribution upon his brothers. If the LORD chose to do it, He would have to find another instrument than Joseph.
Joseph did not romanticize the wrong his brothers did. He plainly declared, "you meant evil against me." Although this was true, it was not the greatest truth. The greatest truth was "God meant it for good."
This was the immediate good in the situation. If this large family did not come to Egypt and live it would have perished in the famine. Had the family barely survived, it would have assimilated into the Canaanite tribes surrounding it. Only by coming to Egypt could they be preserved and grow into a distinct nation.
Joseph did not romanticize the wrong his brothers did. He plainly declared, "you meant evil against me." Although this was true, it was not the greatest truth. The greatest truth was "God meant it for good."
This was the immediate good in the situation. If this large family did not come to Egypt and live it would have perished in the famine. Had the family barely survived, it would have assimilated into the Canaanite tribes surrounding it. Only by coming to Egypt could they be preserved and grow into a distinct nation.
Joseph let it all go. He saw that in the end, everything had worked out for good.
What a guy! So there's hope for this dysfunctional family.
