Happy Reunion
“And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.
For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall be neither earing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.” (Genesis 45:4-7)
The cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. He was guilty of stealing it (so they thought), yet his brothers couldn’t go back to their father without him. Judah asked to be sentenced instead of Benjamin. He had nothing else to offer, and Joseph didn’t have to consent to his request. The brothers had nothing going for them but Joseph’s mercy, and they knew it.
Genesis 45:1 says, “Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him;… And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren.”
Joseph had not been playing games the whole time and suddenly decided, “Ok, guys, game’s over.” Not at all. He had God’s leading in Potiphar’s house, in prison, and as Egypt’s governor. We can be sure he also had God’s leading in his dealings with his brothers, as well.
If Joseph had kept Benjamin or even kept Judah, he would have been punishing an innocent man, since no one actually had stolen the cup. Yet Joseph saw repentance and God-fearing in his brothers’ lives, and this was apparently God’s time for Joseph to reveal his true identity.
Immediately after Joseph told them who he was, he said, “Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither:” They had done him a terrible wrong, but he bore no grudge. He made it clear that all was forgiven. What a great picture of Jesus’ forgiveness for sins!
Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” Not only have we all sinned, but we’ve sinned many times in many different ways. We couldn’t even begin to count how many times we’ve sinned. Romans 6:23 also says, “For the wages of sin is death;” Revelation 20:14 also says, “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.” If we got the punishment we deserved for our sins, we’d be in hell forever.
Yet Jesus, God the Son, died for all of our sins on the cross. His death was “…one sacrifice for sins for ever,” (Hebrews 10:12). Jesus was buried and rose again victorious over sin and death: “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen;” (Revelation 1:18)
When you come to Jesus in repentance to be forgiven for sins and receive Him by faith as your personal Saviour, He forgives you of every sin, as Joseph forgave his brothers for everything. Aside from selling him into Egypt, they may have also been unkind to him on occasion. Yet every wrongdoing was forgiven.
When you receive Jesus as Saviour, He forgives you for past, present, and future sins. His atoning death is applied to you, and you are no longer condemned: “He that believeth on him is not condemned:” (John 3:18) “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:” (Colossians 1:14)
If you want to know more from the Bible about how to receive Jesus as your personal Saviour, please go to www.clevelandbaptist.org, click “Helpful Links,” then “How Do I Go to Heaven?”
Brian Miller 2/21/2023
Cleveland Baptist Church 4431 Tiedeman Road, Brooklyn, Ohio 44144 216/671-2822