RBWords

     This tender moment is the climax of the story of Joseph in Genesis.  He has revealed himself to his brothers and now they realize that they are completely in his power and beg him for forgiveness for their crime of selling him into slavery.  His response is quoted above!  He will not take revenge since that is God's prerogative, and he will take care of his brothers and their children.  This scene seems to repeat what happened in an earlier chapter, except that now it is after the death of Jacob and the brothers are afraid that Joseph may have changed his mind.  But Joseph sees the plan of God in all of this because if he had not been sold into slavery, he would not have been able to help his clan with food in the time of famine.

     It can be a very difficult challenge to see anything providential in an unjust situation, but we know that God can bring good out of actions that have been deliberately unjust.  At least that has been my experience.  The sadness and resentment of loss give way to a new and wonderful opportunity that would not have been possible otherwise.  The story of Joseph will stand as a challenge to us to remember Jesus' own teachings about forgiveness and ask how forgiving we can be!  AMEN