Perspective: WK5 - FRI
Redemption
Genesis 45:25-46:1
So they went up out of Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. They told him, “Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt.” Jacob was stunned; he did not believe them. But when they told him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts Joseph had sent to carry him back, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. And Israel said, “I’m convinced! My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”
So Israel set out with all that was his…
Genesis 50:15, 18-20
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?”
His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. “We are your slaves,” they said.
But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”
The brothers return home with quite a story to tell. They have had miles to decide how to break the news of their treachery from fifteen years earlier. How did they decide who would be the spokesperson as they admitted what they had done? My guess is that the same brother who so often stepped up to the challenge does so again. Judah is likely the one.
Jacob is one hundred thirty years old, feeble and easily confused. He struggles to process the story as the punchline is shared: Joseph is alive. This passage omits the harsh words he must have spoken as disbelief gives way to understanding. His son is alive. Not only that, he is the leader of the one country with the resources to save his family. And he is calling for them to come.
The beauty of a family reunion forms the foundation of this redemption story, but it will not be fully realized until after Jacob's death. Fear and separation still hover just beneath the surface of the relationship between Joseph and the ten brothers responsible for his exile. They must have wondered whether the only reason they were included in their family's rescue was their father's presence. What would happen after he was gone?
Mercy and grace are the capstone of this story. After burying their father, Judah and his brothers fall at Joseph’s feet in guilt and shame, declaring, “We are now your slaves.” Joseph lifts their faces and covers their shame, saying, “Yes, you meant to harm me. But God has turned it into good. He has also changed my perspective, filling my heart with forgiveness and compassion. He has used this to save many lives. He has saved my life.”
Genesis 45:25-46:1
So they went up out of Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. They told him, “Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt.” Jacob was stunned; he did not believe them. But when they told him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts Joseph had sent to carry him back, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. And Israel said, “I’m convinced! My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”
So Israel set out with all that was his…
Genesis 50:15, 18-20
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?”
His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. “We are your slaves,” they said.
But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”
The brothers return home with quite a story to tell. They have had miles to decide how to break the news of their treachery from fifteen years earlier. How did they decide who would be the spokesperson as they admitted what they had done? My guess is that the same brother who so often stepped up to the challenge does so again. Judah is likely the one.
Jacob is one hundred thirty years old, feeble and easily confused. He struggles to process the story as the punchline is shared: Joseph is alive. This passage omits the harsh words he must have spoken as disbelief gives way to understanding. His son is alive. Not only that, he is the leader of the one country with the resources to save his family. And he is calling for them to come.
The beauty of a family reunion forms the foundation of this redemption story, but it will not be fully realized until after Jacob's death. Fear and separation still hover just beneath the surface of the relationship between Joseph and the ten brothers responsible for his exile. They must have wondered whether the only reason they were included in their family's rescue was their father's presence. What would happen after he was gone?
Mercy and grace are the capstone of this story. After burying their father, Judah and his brothers fall at Joseph’s feet in guilt and shame, declaring, “We are now your slaves.” Joseph lifts their faces and covers their shame, saying, “Yes, you meant to harm me. But God has turned it into good. He has also changed my perspective, filling my heart with forgiveness and compassion. He has used this to save many lives. He has saved my life.”
- Has there ever been anyone in your life you once considered an enemy who became a friend? How did that happen?
- Is there someone you treat well only because you share a mutual friend? Who is that person? What would happen if the mutual friend left the picture?
- Is there something bad that has happened in your life that, over time, you have seen God use for good? What was it? How does it make you feel that God has brought something positive out of it?
No Comments