Read Genesis 45:1-15
1Then 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. 2And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh's household heard about it.
3Joseph 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.
4Then 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! 5And 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. 6For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping. 7But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
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. 9Now 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. 10You shall live in the region of Goshen and be near me — you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have. 11I 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. 13Tell my father about all the honor accorded me in Egypt and about everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly."
14Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced him, weeping. 15And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers talked with him. (NIV)
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We get to the climax in the story of Joseph. It is in this passage that he finally reveals himself to his brothers. Verse 3 is a powerful statement. Joseph tells them who he is and they are unable to speak because they are terrified at his presence. This is the image of standing before God and having all our sins played out before us. There is a combination of terror and shame that will come.
But notice Joseph’s response to their being terrified. He calls them to him and tells them to not be distressed or worried about what they had done in the past. This is what it will be like for all who follow Jesus in that moment we stand before God. Jesus will call us to his side and comfort us and remind us that he has taken care of all that we are worried about.
While Joseph doesn’t mention his early dreams about his brothers bowing before him and his parents also bowing before him, they are implied in Joseph’s explanation to his brothers. He shares that God had known this terrible thing was to come in the future and thus, set in motion a series of events that looked tragic to them at the time, but proved later to be salvation.
This is an important point to remember and to even learn as we trust God. This scenario for help to come to Joseph and his brothers took years to play out. Often times, we can wonder why we seem to be on the path we are on, but God is using us and preparing us to something good. We need to live always prepared to see that moment when it comes. I think we miss those moments because we get caught up in thinking God is not with us or doesn’t care about our situation.
We need to learn that God can use all things for his glory. God doesn’t always cause bad things to happen, but he can use them for good. I love what Joni Eareckson Tada, who became a quadriplegic as a teenager from a diving accident. After years of reflection and getting her life together, she tells people that she would not trade anything for never having the accident. She says that the direction she was headed as a teenage girl would never had given her the life and relationships she has today if it had not been for that accident. God used that accident to use her to do wonderful and powerful things.
We need to see that in our lives. We need to trust God is with us always, especially in difficult times. Over the years, have you seen where God has used something in your life that you did not like at the time, but has become a powerful part of who you are? I think we all have something that God has used to help us grow and become better followers of Him.
Questions? Comments?
Blessings and Peace
Pastor Harry