Reassurance

One  of my favorate passages in the entire bible is Genesis 50 verses 15-21. It says ”

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?” ¹⁶ So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Your father left these instructions before he died: ¹⁷ ‘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. ¹⁸ His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. “We are your slaves,” they said.¹⁹ But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? ²⁰ You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. ²¹ So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.

Joseph could have  been so cruel to  his brothers and  by all rights he would have had every right, but then he showed such kindness and he really assured them. What an incredible man of God he was! He was so true to his  word. He took care of his family. Even those who were out to murder him years earlier. I heard people compare Joseph to Jesus and in many ways I can see how they were very much alike. Jesus is kind & compassionate. Joseph showed kindness and compassion in this passage. Joseph is introduced to us as a young 17 year old shepherd. It occurs to me that Jesus is called a shepherd called to save that who is lost. So another similarity. I strive daily to be like Jesus, as in fact I am supposed to. But I can learn from the Patriarch’s of the Old  Testament. Of which Joseph is one of them. And what an incredible man he really was! He showed kindness, compassion, wisdom beyond his years and charity. He led the early Egyptians through a hard 7 years of needing to save for a coming famine and then through the subsequent famine which lasted an incredible 7 years! We have been battling a drought here in Iowa, but it hasn’t lasted anywhere close to 7 years. I can not imagine what it would be  like to  go through  that. And frankly, I wouldn’t want to imagine that. Seeing people die because of simply not having  enough food, how horrible. But this is the world that Joseph lived in when he was young. Probably in his early 30s. I  am in my mid 40s right now and I’m not  sure that I could have handled all that was given to me that was put on Joseph as this young age. But he grew threw that. He went on in later years to be in charge of many things that the Pharaoh put him in charge of. That in a lot of ways is how Jesus is too. At the time between His  birth and His crucifixion he was 100% human! So  He  was temped! He had to face many of the same temptations that Joseph faced. He  faced fear, and overcame it. I have to believe that Jesus was scared when he was tempted in the desert. He had to be scared when he was facing the cross. The Word says that “Jesus wept” in John 11:35. And in fact, He wept on many occasions. He wept when John the Baptist was murdered. He wept when he faced the betrayal, trial, and death on the cross. Joseph I am sure was scared when his  brothers threw him in a pit. I can’t imagine him not being scared in that postion. He was human! Both men were. So, as I sit here thinking about Joseph, I can see how he was very much like Jesus, with the obvious difference is that he sinned. And so do I, but we also ask for forgiveness. And I do, on a daily basis ask HIM to forgive me of my sins whenever I realize that I’ve messed up, again. Thankfully, He is very patient with me and always  forgives me. That is another way that Jesus and  Joseph are alike, they are forgiving. Joseph forgave his brothers and showed it at the end of their father’s life. What an incredible man! So, what a lesson Joseph teaches. And how reassuring that is to us who live today. There are churches out there that teach  that the Old Testament doesn’t apply to us today. I think that, that is just ridiculous! For anyone to say that the Old Testament doesn’t apply today I put in the  same  category as those who  believe that Darwin’s  theory of evolution is true. Which science proves all the time can’t be true! So, the old  testament does apply to us today. God bless you and thank you for reading today. Until next time…