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Genesis 45:1-7
Joseph Makes Himself Known
1Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, “Have everyone leave my presence!” So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. 2 And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard about it.
3 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?” But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence.
4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! 5 And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. 6 For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. 7 But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.”
We usually base our Reflections on one of the New Testament readings that are listed in the lectionary for the day – either the gospel or the epistle readings. But once in a while, the lectionary’s Old Testament reading strikes me as having an important lesson in it, and today is one of those days.
You might remember the story of Joseph, who was the most beloved of the twelve sons of his father, Jacob. He was so favored that Jacob gave him a special robe. When we were kids in Sunday School, lots of us colored pictures of Joseph’s “coat of many colors,” but newer translations of the Bible call it a “richly ornamented” robe. In any case, Jospeh’s brothers were jealous of him, and Joseph alienated them by reporting dreams that seemed to indicate that all the others were destined to bow down to him. Eventually, the brothers joined in selling him into slavery. Joseph’s ten half-brothers wanted to murder him, but his only full brother, Benjamin, talked them out of it. So his brothers sold him to a caravan, and he was carried off to Egypt.
Of course, Joseph overcame some early troubles and made a good life in Egypt. He was briefly and unjustly thrown into prison, but was brought out by Pharaoh because Joseph had the ability to interpret dreams. Joseph then entered Pharaoh’s service, and rose through the ranks to become what we might call the prime minister of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh himself. Among his contributions was a system for collecting and storing food against a future famine Joseph had foreseen.
And when the famine struck the region, Joseph’s brothers were sent by their father to Egypt to buy food. When they were brought before him, the brothers didn’t recognize Joseph. That might seem surprising, but ways of dressing and grooming were no doubt a lot different among the Egyptian elite than among sheep herders in Canaan. And, of course, many years had passed since the brothers had seen Joseph. So it’s believable that they wouldn’t recognize him.
At first, Joseph tested the honesty of his brothers by putting them through a series of tests. He made them travel between Egypt and Canaan, held one of them hostage, and compelled them to bring his full brother Benjamin on a later trip to Pharaoh’s court.
Now in our reading for today, Joseph reveals his identity to his brothers. As you might expect, the brothers are shocked and horrified to find themselves completely in the power of someone they had callously sold into slavery. Clearly they expected Joseph to take revenge for their treachery of years before.
But Joseph’s take on the events of his life is not at all what his brothers expected. Joseph sees God’s hand at work in the ordeal he had gone through. Joseph understands that God has placed him in Egypt, and elevated him through the ranks of the Egyptian government, so that he can protect the people (including his own family) from starvation in this time of famine. Joseph sees that out of great injustice, God has brought salvation.
There are some Christians who say that any time something bad happens in your life, it’s God’s doing. What they often say is, “Everything happens for a reason.” Generally, I think that’s a mistake. Sometimes people do bad things – or bad things just happen – that are not “God’s will.” I don’t believe that every time tragedy strikes, it’s a deliberate act of God to teach us a lesson or punish us. Joseph was a special case chosen to save lives in a time of great emergency.
But having said that, I also believe that in all the circumstances of our lives – even the most difficult – God provides opportunities for us to be agents of his blessing to bring good out of bad. Some people really do emerge from hardship stronger and more resilient. And some people are sustained in times of suffering by the determination to bring good out of it – even if only to bear witness against the great evil they have gone through.
So when we go through trials, maybe the example of Joseph can help us to see those hardships from God’s perspective – as opportunities to be agents of his gracious love in the lives of others when they go through hardships of their own.
Let’s pray. Lord, when we face times of hardship, help us to look for ways that you might work through us to bring salvation, not just to us, but also into the lives of others. And sustain us in those times with the knowledge that even in hard times, we can be serving your purposes. Amen.
Blessings,
Henry
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