(Genesis 45:1-28) Then Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried, “Have everyone go out from me.” So there was no man with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. 2 He wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard of it. 3 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence.
4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come closer to me.” And they came closer. And he said, “I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 Now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6 For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. 7 God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. 8 Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt. 9 Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, “God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. 10 You shall live in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children and your flocks and your herds and all that you have. 11 There I will also provide for you, for there are still five years of famine to come, and you and your household and all that you have would be impoverished.”’ 12 Behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see, that it is my mouth which is speaking to you. 13 Now you must tell my father of all my splendor in Egypt, and all that you have seen; and you must hurry and bring my father down here.” 14 Then he fell on his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck. 15 He kissed all his brothers and wept on them, and afterward his brothers talked with him.
16 Now when the news was heard in Pharaoh’s house that Joseph’s brothers had come, it pleased Pharaoh and his servants. 17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Say to your brothers, ‘Do this: load your beasts and go to the land of Canaan, 18 and take your father and your households and come to me, and I will give you the best of the land of Egypt and you will eat the fat of the land.’ 19 Now you are ordered, ‘Do this: take wagons from the land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives, and bring your father and come. 20 Do not concern yourselves with your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.’”
21 Then the sons of Israel did so; and Joseph gave them wagons according to the command of Pharaoh, and gave them provisions for the journey. 22 To each of them he gave changes of garments, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of garments. 23 To his father he sent as follows: ten donkeys loaded with the best things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and sustenance for his father on the journey.
24 So he sent his brothers away, and as they departed, he said to them, “Do not quarrel on the journey.” 25 Then they went up from Egypt, and came to the land of Canaan to their father Jacob. 26 They told him, saying, “Joseph is still alive, and indeed he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.” But he was stunned, for he did not believe them. 27 When they told him all the words of Joseph that he had spoken to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. 28 Then Israel said, “It is enough; my son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
No matter how badly we have been treated by someone, we are to forgive them. This doesn't say that what they did was okay, it just means that you are not going to allow it to weight you down in any way. In fact, God is able to comfort and heal you and use those experiences to build you up in His love, wisdom and strength. And who knows how the Lord will be able to use you because of this!
Forgive! The sooner the better. Even if we are not able to go to that person for whatever reason, in our hearts, we can forgive... so we do not live in fear or bitterness. This is to our benefit. As with Joseph, right after his brothers threw him into a pit and then sold him into slavery... he didn't stew in anger (even though it would have been righteous anger). Rather, he focused on God and continued to grow in his trust and faith in the Lord, being obedient to His will.
If we are able to meet with the person, this is an awesome way to demonstrate God's love, mercy and grace. I'm not talking about going up to the person who has hurt us and self-righteously saying, "Just know that I have forgiven you!" Everything we do and say is to be done with God's love and tenderness. Notice that Joseph initially stepped away to compose himself before speaking with his brothers.
If there is anything we have done wrong, it helps to lead with an apology, which might help them to apologize and release some of their guilt. Now, there are some incidences where we will be completely innocent. So even with that, notice that Joseph starts the conversation with his brothers by saying "do not be grieved or angry with yourselves..."
As well, Joseph doesn't rehash what they did or tell them everything he had felt and gone through as a result. Depending on what happened, chances are they will already realize what they have done, and will have already imagined how much hurt they have caused. So unless they are continuing their bad behavior, why open old wounds and pour salt into them.
Which brings us to how we react whether they apologize or not. If they do apologize, don't say stupid things like, "That didn't sound very sincere." Can we judge anyone's heart? And does it really matter? Imagine that there is a chasm between us and this other person. By saying something like that, we are only widening the chasm. And then we can widen the chasm even further if we follow that with, "Well, I'll forgive you but I can never trust you ever again!" Notice that Joseph hugs and kisses each brother, and extends long term help for them - and they didn't even apologize! This is how to build bridges towards reconciliation.
Now, maybe a person is too dangerous to approach! In some circumstances, security might be required. Sometimes we just need to stay clear of someone. Sometimes that person avoids us. Sometimes that person has passed away. Whatever the case, we are still to forgive. and if it seems impossible, ask God, "Please forgive that person FOR me!
And then we should be in prayer as to how to continue on in life. Notice that Joseph more than equipped their brothers for the journey, and cared enough about them to say that he didn't want them arguing with each other. We can foster an environment of peace by being an example of God's love, mercy and grace!
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