Read with Me
Genesis 50:15-26 (HCSB)
When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said to one another, “If Joseph is holding a grudge against us, he will certainly repay us for all the suffering we caused him.”
So they sent this message to Joseph, “Before he died your father gave a command: ‘Say this to Joseph: Please forgive your brothers’ transgression and their sin—the suffering they caused you.’ Therefore, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when their message came to him. Then his brothers also came to him, bowed down before him, and said, “We are your slaves!”
But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result—the survival of many people. Therefore don’t be afraid. I will take care of you and your little ones.” And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.
Joseph and his father’s household remained in Egypt. Joseph lived 110 years. He saw Ephraim’s sons to the third generation; the sons of Manasseh’s son Machir were recognized by Joseph.
Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will certainly come to your aid and bring you up from this land to the land He promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” So Joseph made the sons of Israel take an oath: “When God comes to your aid, you are to carry my bones up from here.”
Joseph died at the age of 110. They embalmed him and placed him in a coffin in Egypt.
Listen with Me
Joseph lived to be 110 years old – much younger than any of his predecessors, and even younger than some of his brothers. Some of that was purely due to the natural degradation of lifespan after the flood. But it was also due to the rigors he had undergone in his earlier life, and the much less healthy diet and lifestyle of the Egyptians.
Shortly after his father’s death, Joseph’s brothers worried that without their father’s presence, Joseph might now avenge himself on them for their sins against him. So, they invented a “final word” from their father urging Joseph to forgive rather than punish.
This caused Joseph great distress. Even after nearly twenty years of providing for them and caring for them, they believed that it was all a sham, put on for the sake of their father. Even though he had initially put on a harsh façade before he had revealed himself to his brothers, that was an act intended to test their character so that he could know whether or not he could trust them.
Joseph did not respond with anger or harshness; that would been out of his character. Instead, he reassured them of his love and his continued support and provision.
Nothing is told about the following fifty years, primarily because nothing of note happened. Joseph continued to serve honorably in Pharaoh’s court, and the Israelites lived and multiplied greatly in Goshen.
But the day finally came when Joseph knew that he was dying. He called his brothers to him and made them swear an oath that they would carry his body to Canaan when they were finally delivered by God, and that they would bury him there. This they did (Exodus 13:19, Joshua 24:32).
Pray with Me
Father, the true character of Joseph is strongly shown by the way he treated his brothers. He really was in a position of power over them, and he could have easily taken steps to wipe them out entirely. Instead, he continued to protect them and provide for them all the rest of his life. He also had great faith in Your promise, enough so that he made provisions for his body to be buried in Canaan – not right away, as his father had been, but when You called all the Israelites back to Canaan. Lord, help me to have that same great character and great faith in my own life. Amen.