Just You Wait…
Opening Prayer
Good Lord God, I praise You for Your daily mercies to me, and for the many blessings of Your Word.
Read Genesis 50:15-26
[15] 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?” [16] So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Your father left these instructions before he died: [17] ‘This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.’ Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father.” When their message came to him, Joseph wept. [18] His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. “We are your slaves,” they said. [19] But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? [20] You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. [21] So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them. [22] Joseph stayed in Egypt, along with all his father’s family. He lived a hundred and ten years [23] and saw the third generation of Ephraim’s children. Also the children of Makir son of Manasseh were placed at birth on Joseph’s knees. [24] Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” [25] And Joseph made the Israelites swear an oath and said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place.” [26] So Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten. And after they embalmed him, he was placed in a coffin in Egypt. Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION
Reflect
Why could Joseph so readily forgive his brothers?With Jacob gone, who is to protect the brothers from Joseph’s righteous anger (15)? They are consumed by a guilty fear that has little to do with the grace and love that Joseph has shown them since they were reunited 17 years before. Is it because they know how they would act in Joseph’s place? After all, in a similar situation Jacob had to flee from Esau after Isaac’s death (27:41). With his father dead, Joseph could have taken revenge, but instead acts with integrity, and his words are wonderful to hear: “Am I in the place of God?” (19). These words seem so fitting these days. Like the brothers, I often see only the smallest piece of a story and make judgments about people, sometimes holding on to assumptions for a long time, vowing to “show them” or “get my own back.” But Paul echoes Joseph’s stance in his letter to the Romans: “Do not take revenge…but leave room for God’s wrath” (Rom. 12:19). The brothers are only seeing part of the story. Joseph, however, is gracious enough to remind them of the truth that, although they intended to wrong him, God used his situation to save the future of two nations!
Apply
What assumptions or grudges might you need to lay down? Ask God for help with any such area of your past.
Closing prayer
I thank You, Lord, that You can work all things together for good for me and all Your children (Rom. 8:28).
Click here to sign up to receive the EXTRAs via email each quarter.
© 2024 Scripture Union U.S.A. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission is prohibited.
Discovery is published in the USA under license from Scripture Union England and Wales, Trinity House, Opal Court, Opal Drive, Fox Milne, Milton Keynes, MK15 0DF.