“Genesis 50:14-21”

Saturday, May 09, 2020

“After he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brothers, and all who had gone up with him to bury his father. When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, ‘What if Joseph bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong which we did to him!’ So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, ‘Your father charged before he died, saying, “Thus you shall say to Joseph, “Please forgive, I beg you, the transgression of your brothers and their sin, for they did you wrong.’” And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.’ And Joseph wept when they spoke to him. Then his brothers also came and fell down before him and said, ‘Behold, we are your servants.’ But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive. So therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” So he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.”

---End of Scripture verses---

“What if Joseph bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong which we did to him!” (verse 15) Jacob’s sons viewed their father as the only shield insulating them against Joseph’s anger and quest for vengeance. Even though he had assured them that he no longer held them accountable for their wicked crimes, and that God was using him to provide for and protect them and their families (Genesis 45:4-10), the inclination of their guilty consciences was to distrust and fear the worst because they knew they did not deserve Joseph’s best.

Sometimes some of us feel that way about God. We feel that our past sins are too atrocious for Him to be willing or able to fully forgive us, but that is only because we find it nearly impossible to forgive ourselves. Friends, God’s ways and thoughts are infinitely higher than our own (Isaiah 55:8-9), and His love and forgiveness are greater than the sum total of all the world’s sins (John 3:16). “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust.” (Psalm 103:11-14) The only sins that God will refuse to forgive us for are those we refuse to turn loose of.

“So they sent a message to Joseph…” (verse 16) The brothers are so fearful, either of Joseph’s smoldering animosity toward them or of the anger the message would incite, that they delivered it through a third party and not directly to him. “Your father charged before he died, saying, ‘Thus you shall say to Joseph…” (verses 16-17). There is no scriptural reference to these words ascribed to Jacob and it appears to be a story the brothers invented to save their own hides. “If Jacob had wanted to give Joseph a message about forgiving his brothers, he, it seems to us, would have given such a message to Joseph himself, rather than leaving it for the brothers to tell it.” (James Burton Coffman) When Joseph had accused them of being spies upon their first arrival in Egypt in search of food, they responded: “We are all sons of one man; we are honest men, your servants are not spies” (Genesis 42:11). They were by no means spies but, then again, they were not entirely honest men either. Jacob’s sons had grown to be decent and godly men, but sadly we see yet another of the many biblical examples of fear propelling God’s people to employ pretense and prevarication.

“Joseph wept when they spoke to him.” (verse 17) These tears were undoubtedly driven by mixed emotions on Joseph’s part. He must have felt compassion for his brothers because they were suffering such tremendous emotional fear and turmoil, but it also must have broken his heart to know that they still did not trust him after all the love and compassion he had extended to them over the previous seventeen years. “Please forgive, I beg you, the transgression of your brothers and their sin.” Those transgressions had been forgiven, if not fully forgotten, many years before. This appeal written by the brothers and falsely ascribed to their father leads me to wonder if they had ever personally expressed remorse to Joseph for their wickedness and formally asked him to forgive them.

“Then his brothers also came and fell down before him and said, ‘Behold, we are your servants.’” (verse 18) “When the brothers learn of Joseph’s emotional reaction they feel free to go to him in person. There is here an echo of the opening scene of the Joseph narrative. The boyhood dreams of lordship over his kin (37:7-10) have long been fulfilled, but the reality is now distasteful to him for his character is being called into question…” (Nahum Sarna) But, instead of chastising his brothers for their distrust, he “comforted them and spoke kindly to them” (verse 21).

“Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place?” (verse 19) Vengeance was and is solely the Lord’s business, and Joseph being the true man of God that he was, fully appreciated and honored this truth (Leviticus 19:18; Romans 12:19). “Willis stated the meaning of this to be, ‘Is it my prerogative to judge men and to punish them for their injustice to others?’ Jacob asked the same question of Rachel who had complained about not having a child; and there, it meant, ‘Do I have the power to enable you to conceive and bear a child?’ As Willis said, ‘The answer, in both cases, of course, is no.’” (James Burton Coffman)

“Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:17-21) Friends, that is the only way to overcome evil. Evil cannot be defeated by additional evil.

Please read Genesis 50:22-26

Have a wonderful day!

-Louie Taylor

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