Day 22

Genesis 44:1–45:28; Matthew 14:13-36; Psalm 18:37-50; Proverbs 4:11-13

TODAY IN GENESIS, we reached the great revelation —Joseph told his brothers who he was. After hiding items once again in the brothers’ grain sacks, Joseph forced them to confess at the risk of Benjamin’s freedom.

Amid the tension, Judah stepped forward:

“My lord, I guaranteed to my father that I would take care of the boy. I told him, ‘If I don’t bring him back to you, I will bear the blame forever.’

“So please, my lord, let me stay here as a slave instead of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers. For how can I return to my father if the boy is not with me?”

In this confession, Joseph discerned his brothers’ hearts. The men who had once tried to destroy him now were willing to sacrifice themselves for Rachel’s other son. Joseph couldn’t hold his secret inside any longer. After sending all his assistants and servants from the room, Joseph revealed his identity through tears, to the stunned silence of his brothers.

Don’t be upset, and don’t be angry with yourselves for selling me to this place. It was God who sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives. . . . God has sent me ahead of you to keep you and your families alive and to preserve many survivors. So it was God who sent me here, not you!

That, friends, is the long view in this story. Joseph had legitimate reasons to sink into despair and bitterness. The ordeal he endured was unjust and had cost him many of his formative and vital years, yet he never lost sight of God’s presence, and he never blamed God for his circumstances. He knew that there must be more going on than he could see. And in this knowledge, he stayed true. He trusted God and could see His hand in the entire process. Joseph’s trust is a fantastic example of Romans 8:28: “We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

We must believe this and take the long view. It is essential for how we interpret the different seasons of our lives.

WORSHIP:

The LORD lives! Praise to my Rock! May the God of my salvation be exalted!