Joseph: The End of the Story
For many months we have been reading
and reflecting on the story of Joseph, his brothers, and his father,
Jacob. Today we come to the end of that story. Jacob has died and
after a 70 day period of mourning, Joseph and his brothers take his
body to be buried in Canaan (see Genesis 49:29 – 50:14) With
Jacob gone, the brothers worry that Joseph still holds a grudge
against them for their cruel treatment of him many years before.
What do they do with that anxiety? They send word to Joseph that
Jacob said “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.” (50:17a) and then speak for themselves as
well “Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of
your father.” (50:17b)
Genesis 50:19-21
“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. So then, don't be afraid, I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.”
After all these years, it seems that
the brothers are still feeling bad for what they have done to Joseph.
Most likely, they are also feeling vulnerable, wondering if Joseph
was only providing for them and getting along with them while their
father was alive. He is a very powerful man in a country that is not
their home so they need to ensure that things are okay between them
and him.
I am struck by Joseph's response: “When
their message came to him, Joseph wept.” (50:17c) Joseph has cried
many tears because of his brothers' treatment of him. To me, these
tears are more about their present relationship than what has passed.
Why do the brothers feel they need their dead father to give Joseph
instructions to forgive? Why do they send it via a message instead
of coming to him themselves? I see it as evidence of their fear and
insecurity in their relationship with Joseph.
The brothers do come..... and when they
do, they present themselves not as brothers but slaves. “His
brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. “We are
your slaves,” they said.” (50:18). But Joseph will have none of
that and seeks to reconcile with them. And here we have the famous
speech of Joseph's that brings together the mystery of human freedom
and God's sovereignty, of how God can work good out of evil, and of
how God's purposes are fulfilled despite human sin.
Genesis 50:19-21
“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. So then, don't be afraid, I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.”
Joseph is a great model to us. He is
honest, humble, full of faith, and kind. He doesn't deny what
happened (“you intended to harm me”) and he doesn't take the
place of God as Judge. He meets them where they are at, kindly
reassuring them of his care for them and their children. He upholds
God's working for good (“the saving of many lives”) despite the
pain he has suffered.
The end of the story of Joseph is the
end of the book of Genesis. In Genesis 50:22-26, Joseph dies.
He is embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt. But he has made the
sons of Israel swear an oath that when God comes to their aid, they
will carry his bones back to the land of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
When that takes place, well, that's another story....
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