After Joseph’s prison release and his several years of faithful service in the Pharaoh’s court he becomes the equivalent of Egypt’s Prime Minister. During a severe famine twenty years later Joseph’s brothers come to Egypt seeking food for their literal survival. Ironically, they have to bow before Joseph to buy food (remember his dreams?) not recognizing their brother.
Because he deeply yearns to see his dad and younger brother Benjamin Joseph not only provides for them but suspects they are spies and in order to prove their innocence they must leave their brother Simeon behind until they bring back the younger Benjamin from Palestine.
After Joseph’s request his brothers are absolutely undone, “Surely we are being punished because of what we did to our brother Joseph.” In an extraordinary contrast we read, before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph. Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, “It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and my entire father’s household.” The second son he named Ephraim and said, “It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering. Gen. 41:50-52.
Ultimately, none of Joseph’s rejection and heartbreak was wasted. Nothing in our lives is insignificant in the hand of a loving God for He does not waste our pain, but uses it (2 Corinthians 1:4).
The brothers return to Egypt for more food and as requested bring their younger brother. At the sight of Benjamin Joseph hurriedly runs from their presence and is overcome with emotion. Joseph plays another ploy on them and keeps Benjamin with him in order to get them to bring back their father Jacob.
The oldest brother Judah emphatically tells Joseph that their father will die of grief if they don’t bring back Benjamin alive. At the hearing of this pleading Joseph can no longer restrain himself and openly weeps as he tells his brothers, “I am Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt,” His brothers were unable to speak because they were terrified at his presence Gen.45:4. Can you imagine being there right then?
Then Joseph kindly said to them, “do not be afraid, and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God.” Genesis 45:1-8 Absolutely amazing! Joseph maintained that God had his best in mind.
God knows and understands your life and can turn evil into good
You can be so easily disillusioned when your hope is in man or the very common shallow fixes the culture readily provides. If you come to place where you think God doesn’t care about you, you are in a very dark place indeed. But it’s just not true. I don’t have to know all the answers. I just have to know that God knows, that he is good, and that he loves me. God does care about you and is intimately acquainted with your life.Ps.139:3; Heb. 4:25; 1 Pet.5:7
God wants you to be free from bitterness
God doesn’t want your heart to become callous and hard. Guard you heart and don’t allow it to slowly become bitter and closed. If you do, you will not be fun to be around. There is a more excellent way.
Joseph had every reason to be bitter, but we have no indication that he hated his brothers after all they did to him. After his 27 years of imprisonment Nelson Mandela who also could have sought revenge said, “People learn to hate, they can be taught to love.” Love that!
“The most difficult ingredient of suffering is often time. Short periods of pain can be endured, but when a sorrow drags on its long and weary way year after monotonous year, returning day after day with the same dull routine of hopeless agony, the heart loses its strength. Without the grace of God, the heart is sure to sink into dismal despair.” C.W. Cowman
God knows your story and He sees every tear drop fall.Thankfully God’s grace is always available to you, it will never run dry. God has not forgotten you. He does cares about you and has the all of heaven’s resources to help you right now! Like Joseph, will you trust that He has your best interest in mind? Trust Him you’ll be glad you did.
With hope and assurance,
Mark
