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15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “Perhaps Joseph will hate us, and may actually repay us for all the evil which we did to him.” 16 So they sent messengers to Joseph, saying, “Before your father died he commanded, saying, 17 ‘Thus you shall say to Joseph: “I beg you, please forgive the trespass of your brothers and their sin; for they did evil to you.” ’ Now, please, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of your father.” And Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18 Then his brothers also went and fell down before his face, and they said, “Behold, we are your servants.” 19 Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? 20 But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. 21 Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them. ~ Genesis 50:15-21
Today, we continue our study of Genesis 50 which has in it three burials: the burial of Jacob, the burial of Joseph's brothers' sin, and the burial of Joseph. Having considered Jacob's burial, today, we will consider the burial of the sin of Joseph's brothers.
In v.15-18 of today's passage we read, "15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, 'Perhaps Joseph will hate us, and may actually repay us for all the evil which we did to him.' 16 So they sent messengers to Joseph, saying, 'Before your father died he commanded, saying, 17 Thus you shall say to Joseph: 'I beg you, please forgive the trespass of your brothers and their sin; for they did evil to you. Now, please, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of your father.' And Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18 Then his brothers also went and fell down before his face, and they said, 'Behold, we are your servants.'"
This reconciliation between once estranged brothers pictures the story which this life is all about: Our reconciliation to God through the Lord Jesus Christ. However, Joseph's brothers were worried that Joseph might seek his revenge. Joseph's brothers projected their way of thinking upon Joseph although he never considered their way of thinking that comes as a result of feeding the flesh. This entire story is pregnant with the sin of the brothers who resisted being defined by God. This explains why they had a hard time understanding Joseph's forgiveness.
As we have mentioned before, there are three parts to forgiveness: the injury, the debt created by the injury and the cancellation of the debt. The brothers of Joseph who refer to themselves as the servants of God confessed their sin and asked Joseph for his forgiveness. In doing so, Joseph's brothers got religious with Joseph. Religion requests that we earn the favor of the one to whom we appeal for forgiveness. This is the way of the self life. Oh, it is good to confess our sin to God and to anyone whom we have injured. But, confession doesn't earn anything from the one who decides according to his character whether to forgive or not.
Joseph's brothers failed to realize that Joseph had placed his fate and his life in the hands of the Lord from his earliest days. He accepted his lot at Potiphar’s house. He also accepted it when he was thrown into prison, just as he accepted it when he was elevated to the highest position in Egypt. Everything in Joseph’s life revealed his utter trust in God who was directing his every move. He was assured that what his brothers intended for evil, God intended for good. And because of this, when he received their words, he broke down and wept. His brothers didn’t comprehend God’s hand in all of what occurred and how it would affect them. This was all due to their lack of trust in the Lord, even after his many demonstrations of care for them over their lives. They desired forgiveness from a brother who had long ago forgiven them.
In v.19-21 of today's passage we read, "19 Joseph said to them, 'Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? 20 But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. 21 Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.' And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them."
What is down in the well will always come up in the bucket. Joseph was a godly man because he was being defined by God. Unlike his brothers, he did not even think of usurping God's position as the Supreme Being in his life. This is why Joseph brought attention to it with this question that he asked his brothers. His question proved that he had a very big view of God. When we do not allow God to be the Supreme Being in our lives, we welcome a puny view of Him into our souls.
It was then that Joseph sought to soothe his brothers' consciences. He did not want them to be riddled with guilt or to be estranged from him. Joseph desired complete reconciliation with his brothers. He wanted them to be completely comfortable being around him. He didn’t want anything to separate them. He wanted to make sure that they knew that they were forgiven. Then, to prove his forgiveness, Joseph promised to take care of them and their children as well.
He then comforted his brothers and spoke kindly to them. There was no bitterness held against them. Joseph had no ill feelings against his brothers who had treated him so poorly. He did not withhold anything from them or hope that something bad would happen to them. He sought to develop the relationship and put on actions in keeping with his forgiveness.
