Genesis 81

 

 

JOSEPH, A BELIEVER,

COMFORTING HIS BROTHERS

(Genesis 50:14-26)

 

 

Introduction:

After an eventful life, Jacob was buried in the promised land given by God. After Jacob's funeral, Joseph's brothers were once again obsessed with fear of

Joseph's revenge. The reason they feared Joseph again was because Joseph's power and influence in Egypt was confirmed once again through Jacob's

grand funeral.

 

For those who are in God, there is no crisis, despair, or failure. Through it, they realize, receive grace, repent and enjoy greater blessings. Non-believers

become discouraged when hardships come. They couldn't find way, so some people give up or commit suicide. They to overcome it with proactive thinking,

but they end up in more trouble.

However, believers realize two main things from the tribulation. Moving more closer to God and finding a bigger way through the tribulation.

 

 

1. The troubles that happened to Joseph were an opportunity for great blessings.

  1) Brothers’ jealous

    (1) The dream was confirmed. (Genesis 37:1-11)

    (2) It made Joseph pray more.

    (3) Because it was sold in the market, he entered the biggest stage (Genesis 37:26-36).

  2) Slave life

    (1) God’s testimony in the official’s house (Genesis 39:1-6)

    (2) Opportunity to learn economics (Genesis 39:6)

  3) Prison life

    (1) Opportunity to learn politics (Genesis 40:1-3)

    (2) Preparing the way to meet Pharaoh

    (3) Opportunity to become Prime Minister

 

 

2. Joseph’s brothers are afraid after Jacob’s funeral

  1) Fear of possible revenge (Genesis 50:14-15)

    v. 14. After burying his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, together with his brothers and all the others who had gone with him to bury his father.

    v. 15. When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, "What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs

           we did to him?“

 

In particular, verse 15 is an expression that represents the thoughts of ordinary people. They understood Joseph's forgiveness and service as lies because

Joseph had not yet repaid them for the evil they had committed against him. People around the world are familiar with the concept of ‘mutual transaction’

and often do not understand the values ​​of love, forgiveness, service and consideration. That is why we think of everything in the world as a ‘transaction’

where something is exchanged. This is the nature of sinners who have left God.

 

  2) Asking for forgiveness by quoting his father’s will (Genesis 50:17)

    v. 'This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.'

        Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father." When their message came to him, Joseph wept.

  3) Kneel down before their brother (Prime Minister) and apologize (Genesis 50:18)

    v. 18. His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. "We are your slaves," they said.

 

 

3. Joseph’s answer of comforting

  1) It is recorded that when Joseph heard his brothers’ words, “he wept” (Genesis 50:17)

  2) Joseph’s comforting - “Do not be afraid; am I in the place God?” (Genesis 50:19)

 

Whenever we are anxious and difficult in the face of the weight of sin that we cannot resolve, we must once again look for and rely on the evidence of forgiveness and salvation shown by God, and do the work of faith by lifting our eyes and holding on to God's words of love and promise. Regarding this, Romans 5:8 declares, “God demonstrates his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

 

  3) Joseph’s faith - “To save the lives of many people” (Genesis 50:20)

 

Conclusion: (verses 24-26)

    v. 24. Then Joseph said to his brothers, "I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised

       on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob."

    v.25. And Joseph made the sons of Israel swear an oath and said, "God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place."

    v.26. So Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten. And after they embalmed him, he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.”

 

Although Joseph enjoyed all kinds of wealth and fame as prime minister in Egypt, he was saddened by the fact that he would eventually die in Egypt,

a foreign land, rather than the land of Canaan. This shows that the homeland that Joseph truly longs for is the land of Canaan, which God promised

to give to his ancestors in faith. So Joseph is asking his family to carry his bones to the land that God promised him in the future. An interesting expression

here in verse 24 is the part that emphasizes that God will take care of the Israelites, lead them back from the land of Egypt, and bring them back to the land

that God swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Looking at this, it appears that Joseph firmly believed in the fact that not the smallest letter, not the least

stroke of a pen of God's word will never disappear and everything will come true. And Joseph's faith eventually became reality in Joshua 24:32.