Genesis 45:1-12 –Magnanimously forgive

Joseph had come to the point in the test that he had orchestrated, where he had discovered all that he needed to know from his brothers. He saw and knew that they had indeed changed since selling him to Egypt. Fully convinced of that fact, he could no longer keep up with his acting. Unable to control any further, Joseph cried out for everyone to leave the room except his brothers. So when there was no other man with him, Joseph then made himself known to his brothers. It was a tear jerking moment, as Joseph wept and wailed uncontrollably. It was so loud that the Egyptians, including the household of Pharaoh, heard of it. 

It must have been quite a sight as the brothers stood speechless, in fear and astonishment as they watched Joseph wailed and sobbed uncontrollably. They must have stood trembling and wondering what in the world had happened. Then Joseph told them “I am Joseph!” And continued to inquire “Is my father still alive?” Every one of his brothers must have stood there dumbfounded and dismayed at his presence when they heard that. As Joseph looked at their petrified faces, he beckoned to them to please come closer to him. And when they drew near to him, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt.” What they heard, instead of allaying their fear, must have intensified it. But graciously Joseph assured them. He said, “Now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance.” They must have expected to be chided but instead were receiving very encouraging words from the one they had cruelly treated. Joseph was virtually telling them that he had forgiven them. He was seeking to relieve them of their guilt. Oh what a sight! What magnanimity!

In the two decades that he was away from his brothers, Joseph must have prayed and thought through much about his situation. He came to see the purpose of God in all that had happened to him. Without a smidgeon of doubt, he knew he was right smack in the centre of God’s will. So he insightfully revealed that it was God who had sent him to Egypt. In verse 5 he said, “…for God sent me before you to preserve life.” In verse 7 he said, “God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance.” In verse 8 he told them, “…it was not you who sent me here, but God….” and then in verse 9 he assured them that “God has made me lord of all Egypt.” Joseph knew for sure that it was the hand of God behind everything he went through. He wasn’t giving a lecture on theology to straighten their thinking. He was comforting a bunch of trembling brothers whose hearts had been transformed by God’s grace. He showed them that what they did with intention to hurt Joseph as well as their father, God had used to preserve the people. God gave Joseph tremendous wisdom and here he was doing all he could to allay the fear of the brothers, and to effect a reconciliation with them.

Having forgiven and reconciled with his brothers, he now set out to do the next thing i.e. to bring the father to him. They were told to do so quickly.  So in verses 9-12 he commissioned his brothers to return to Canaan and bring their father to Egypt. They were told to bring back the good news that he, Joseph, was still alive. He even apportioned Goshen, a rich fertile land and good for shepherding, for them to live in. And also promised to provide for all their needs. Joseph concluded by assuring his brothers that what they were seeing and hearing was not just a dream but a reality.

We can be sure that Joseph’s brothers did not expect to have such positive reception from a brother whom they had treated so cruelly. Like most people, they probably expected him to retaliate and seek revenge for what they did to him. But what they got was forgiveness and magnanimity. These qualities can still be cultivated in our lives today. How? By looking at the example of our Lord Jesus. Hebrews 12:2 tells us that we can do so by “…fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”