Are you a victim or are you a villain? That is a very serious and sober question that needs to be answered honestly. And it is a question that is not always easy to answer, for it often depends on which day it is asked!
As I read and study the life of Joseph I find myself wanting to identify with him as a victim. Especially since he is such a beautiful example of one who was so victorious in his handling of the injustices which he suffered. Is there a better illustration of Christlikeness in all Scripture? One would be hard pressed to find one. Joseph was resolute: He refused to be bitter in the face of his manifold trials. This is evident in the biblical record. Life was not fair, but he would not allow this to eat away at him. When he was sold into slavery he nevertheless remained faithful to the Lord, who blessed him abundantly. After rising to the top in Potiphar’s household he was inexcusably and unjustly framed as an attempted adulterer and rapist. And yet while he sat in prison he remained faithful to God. Again, he was honoured there and rose to a position of great trust. But again injustice occurred as he was demoted at the arrival of two political big shots on the scene (the cupbearer and the baker). But again, Joseph refused to complain and to be embittered. When he had the opportunity to help them with the interpretation of their dreams, rather than exercising self pity, he chose to show them compassion. And what did he receive in exchange for his kindness, for his faithfulness to God and His name? Another two years in prison!
If anyone in history had the right to become discouraged, embittered and to exercise self pity it was Joseph. And yet we don’t see this at all. Instead, he was the measure of forgiveness and the epitome of self-forgetfulness. And we see this very clearly in his interaction with his brothers, as recorded in chapters 42-50 of Genesis.
As we have seen, Joseph was veiling his true identity from them, not in order to be vindictive but rather to test their characters. Joseph thus set them up in order to see whether or not they were repentant regarding their previous mistreatment of him, his younger brother and their father. We have seen in these episodes that Joseph, on several occasions, felt great compassion towards them. At no time was he vengeful or petulant. And this is made all the more clear in the chapter which is before us in this study. Here we see that Joseph had all along been exercising forgiveness. He desired reconciliation and this was the motivation behind his disciplined treatment of his brothers. And in this chapter the reconciliation takes place. Oh, what an example and a model Joseph is for the believer! He was such a victorious victim that he forgot he was a victim!
But having said that I also wish to note that as much as I would like to identify with Joseph, I also find that sometimes I can all to easily identify with his brothers. That is, though I may sometimes be a victim through the mistreatment of others, I am sometimes guilty of being a villain myself. I, like Joseph’s brothers, am guilty at times of envy. And this envy results in me mistreating others. Can you relate to this? Are you not aware of the insidious desire within to be numero uno? Have you not found that at times you are jealous that your co-worker seems to be more recognised and favoured by your boss than you? Are you ever jealous of others because they have a nicer house, or they are more gifted, or they seem to be more popular? Do you find yourself battling envy because of a relationship that you do not have but another does? If so, then you, like me, can relate to these villains. And if this is the case, then the good news is that we have the Joseph who saves us from this sin!
As we begin to study this chapter I trust that we will be able to relate to both the brothers and to Joseph; both to the victim and to the villains. May we be strengthened to be the one and to overcome the sin of the other. That is, may we be forgiven for being a villain and may we forgive those who behave as villains towards us.
For the purpose of our studies, I have divided this chapter into the following two sections
- The Reconciliation (vv. 1-15), and
- The Revival (vv 16-28)
Let’s focus now on the reconciliation between Joseph and his brothers through the forgiveness that he granted.
A Passionate Revelation
The opening verses form a poignant scene in which we observe the many years of pent up emotion bursting forth, not in embittered anger but rather in compassionate forgiveness and committed reconciliation. Joseph, after the events of chapter 44, can no longer hold back from revealing his identity to his eleven brothers.
Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. And he wept aloud: and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard. And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live?
(Genesis 45:1-3)
Judah’s passionate and self-sacrificing speech touched a chord with Joseph. As Judah pleaded for the release of Benjamin, on account of the welfare of his father Jacob, Joseph saw the proof that indeed his brothers had undergone a transformation—a transformation by the grace of God. Judah, the one who had vocalised the plan to sell Joseph into slavery, now pleaded that he himself become the slave in order for his younger (and more favoured) brother to be set free. He was willing to be a substitutionary sacrifice for the welfare of the accused and (as far as he was concerned) the guilty.
When Judah exclaimed, “God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants” (44:16) this must have been music to Joseph’s ears. Oh, how he longed to be reconciled with his brothers! But he knew that this could not take place unless at first there was a real repentance. And here, manifested before him, was the proof.
In this whole scene we never see the brothers making excuses or interrupting Judah in order to defend themselves. Rather there seems to be a unity of purpose, a corporate acceptance of their guilt and thus a real showing of repentance. And with that Joseph had good reason to hope for reconciliation. It is with this backdrop that Joseph now chose to reveal himself to his brothers. The villains had been forgiven by the victim but they needed to be made personally aware of this.
Verse 1 informs us that Joseph could no longer “refrain” (control, or restrain) himself from this revelation. Up until now he had been able to hide his true intent and identity but now the emotions were too strong. Joseph, a true man of God, was moved by the repentance of those who had wronged him and thus the time was right to make himself known and to reconcile. The manner in which he did so was both interesting and instructive.
Love Covers a Multitude of Sins
Joseph commanded his servants to vacate the premises while he made himself known, in private, to his brothers. This was commendable for it highlights the fact that his forgiveness was genuine. He wanted to keep the wrongs of his brothers between him and them. He had no desire to expose their folly to all and sundry.
As he confronted them with their sinful deed (v. 4) Joseph did so in private, behind closed doors. And so should it be with us. The Bible tells us that “charity shall cover the multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8). This does not simply mean that love overlooks offences (though this is sometimes true) but that true love does not expose the wrongs of others to those outside the necessary circle. The person who is truly forgiving desires only reconciliation, not retribution. And this was clearly the case with Joseph. He had no desire for his servants to know all the dirt on his brothers. He had no desire to air his dirty laundry before a curious world. Instead, he chose to deal with his brothers’ sins privately. The victim didn’t want the world to know that his brothers were villains.
I would conjecture that Joseph, throughout all of these years, probably had not shared the story of his brother’s despicable behaviour with his colleagues in Egypt. It seems to me from v. 16 that Pharaoh probably knew of Joseph’s brothers, but his favourable response to them would indicate that perhaps he did not know of their past awful behaviour. Thus we see that, long before this reconciliation, Joseph was careful to cover the sin of his brothers. Further evidence of this is found in 40:15 where Joseph, in prison, spoke to the butler of being “stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews.” “Stolen”? Interesting! To be blatantly honest, he had been sold, and that by Hebrews: his own brothers! Again, Joseph was careful to cover the sin of his loved ones.
We can learn an important lesson from this. We need to hope for the best regarding the reformation of others, especially when it comes to those with whom we have a special relationship. Let us make sure that we keep the door open for reconciliation by not caving in to the temptation to “speak the truth” to all and sundry about the follies of those who have wronged us, or who have wronged others. Just think how much easier it was for Joseph’s brothers to settle in Egypt because their neighbours did not know everything about them. After all, had the Egyptians known of their past despicable sins I doubt that they would have accepted them as neighbours.
Yes, even when we have been done wrong we would do well to keep our mouths shut. We are much like our Saviour when we are not defensive.
I fear that sometimes we make it more difficult for people to repent because we have coloured others’ opinions toward them by exposing all their deep, dark wrongs. Far better to suffer the wrong, hoping for the best and leaving the door open for a full restoration.
Behold How He Loved Him
Another observation in this passage is that Joseph’s heart never hardened in all the years of trials. Note that he showed great emotion as he revealed himself to his brothers. In fact, his emotions were so strong that the entire household heard the outburst (v. 2). I find this remarkable. He had every (human) reason to be resentful, to hold a grudge, to be hard against his brothers. He had every conceivable justification to cold shoulder them, but he didn’t. In fact, he could not contain his compassionate and affectionate emotions. What an example for us! When others do us wrong, let us not harden our hearts. Rather, let us be Christlike and grieve over their sin. Let us have pity upon them. Let us not be converted to be like them but rather may the injustices of life serve to conform us to be like Christ.
It would be good for us to realise the truth that forgiveness is both an act and a process. That is, we forgive at a point in time but that we will be called upon to continually forgive as the memory of the past creeps in to tempt us towards resentfulness. I would imagine that Joseph had to deal with this over and over again in the course of his 22 years in Egypt. But he obviously had made a conscious choice to let it go.
If Your Brother Sins against You
Another observation is that as Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, for the sake of reconciliation, he did so transparently regarding their sins against him (v. 4).
Joseph did not hold a grudge, but neither did he ignore reality. It was important that these brothers be held accountable for what they had done and it was important that this be acknowledged by all parties concerned. When others have wronged us it is important that there be transparency in order for full reconciliation to take place. This does not mean that we must rehash all the details, and in some cases (like in Luke 15 concerning the prodigal) no rebuking words need to be spoken. But in most cases there needs to be an acknowledgement of guilt in order for full restoration of relationship to take place. These brothers needed to hear Joseph identify their guilt because they needed to also hear him forgive that specific sin. Once this was articulated then they could go forward in their relationship.
A Paralysing Reluctance
When we seek reconciliation with others there may be a need to offer reassurance. This can clearly be seen in the response of the brothers to this confrontation: “And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence” (v. 3).
These brothers, upon the revelation of the identity of the vizier, were shocked into silence. They were also very fearful. The word “troubled” implies trembling and dismay. To “shake with fear” would not be far off the mark. After all, what else would you expect? This was the second most powerful man in the world. He certainly had cause to be vindictive. How could they possibly escape the inevitable consequence of their wrongdoing? But note how tender Joseph was as he sought to reassure them that his intentions were not retributive but restorative. “Brothers, relax. I have no intention of harming you. My thoughts concerning you are good and not evil. I understand that God had a plan in all of this. I am not holding this against you. In fact, I am your deliverer. God is for you and I am proof of that. Now, hurry and get down to Father, pack your things and come back here. I have already picked out the best land for you to dwell in when you return. It’s all right. The past is the past.” Music no doubt to the ears of these men who have carried guilt so long! And we too desperately need to hear such a tune. In fact, not only do we need to hear such a song but we need to sing it to others as well.
Let’s apply this to our relationship with the Lord.
Perhaps as you read these words you are “troubled” at the presence of God. Perhaps as you sit there you have perhaps been made aware of your sin against your Elder Brother. As you have contemplated this you have wondered what your fate is. Perhaps you feel as though you have sinned so egregiously that there is no way that you can escape deserved judgement. Listen to the words of Joseph: “Come near to me” (v. 4). What an encouraging word of invitation on the part of the offended to those who were the offenders! “All is well; I hold no grudge; you are forgiven. Come and inspect my countenance; it is not angry. Yes, for a while I showed you my anger as I interviewed you concerning the stolen cup. But I was seeking to show you the folly of your ways and your need for forgiveness. But that is past; there is no longer the sword of condemnation hanging over your heads. Please come near and see the love in my face. You have heard my weeping and wailing over you, now see that the tear stained face reveals, not a harsh despot but rather a loving lord.”
It takes very little mental effort to connect the dots between this lord and the Lord to whom Joseph’s life pointed. The Lord Jesus says to guilt-carrying sinners, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” He convicts as the Judge of all, but the purpose of the resultant weeping in the night is that there may be the blessed joy in the morning—joy ushered in by repentance and faith.
The Lord Jesus is the sum of all tenderness: “A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench” (Matthew 12:20). When He summons us to come to Him for forgiveness that is exactly what He aims to accomplish! And we believers need to hear this message afresh. Yes, you have sinned against your brother or sister in Christ. You feel perhaps that you have sinned to such a degree and so often that there is no hope for you. Well listen then to this call: “Come near to me, I pray you.” And praying He is doing. He is ever living to make intercession for us. As the songwriter states it, “Before the throne of God above, I have a strong and perfect plea; a great High Priest whose name is love, who ever lives and pleads for me.” Hallelujah, what a Saviour!
This gospel message is music to the sinner’s ear. And it is a chorus that needs to heard by many, including many reading these words. Believers need reassurance concerning the fact that their failures are not final. They need to hear the invitation to “come near.” And that means, among other things, that we need to so relate to one another that the repentant can see indeed that they are forgiven.
When others have sinned and have asked for forgiveness may we, like Joseph, be able to wholeheartedly say, “Come near to me, I pray you and look into my face. I am your brother. I love you and I forgive you.” May our countenance reassure others that all is forgiven and that together we will walk this road together as God continues to work His purposes in the establishment of His kingdom. Oh, how important this is! We will sin against one another but we must also be committed to forgiving one another. There is too much at stake for us to be bitter and unforgiving. The next generations are depending upon us to get through the famines of life together. Let us then follow the example of Joseph; but more importantly, let us obey the exhortation of Jesus to forgive those who have sinned against us.
A Powerful Reassurance
The verses that follow, in a nutshell, let us in on the secret of Joseph’s remarkable response over the past 22 years. They also give us the insight as to how he could be so transparently, compassionately forgiving in this scene. Joseph was, in a word, God-centred.
And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. Haste ye, and go up to my father,
(Genesis 45:4-9)
All Things Work Together for Good
Four times in these verses Joseph mentions God. He was able to reconcile with his brothers because he interpreted all these events as providences from God. And this is the only way that you can handle the injustices of life without growing bitter.
Listen to Joseph’s God-centred interpretation of the sin of his brothers: “God did send me before you,” “God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity,” “So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God.” Has Joseph taken leave of his senses? Of course it was the brothers that had sent him to Egypt! We know from the record of Genesis 37 that Judah negotiated the deal and that the Midianites purchased Joseph for twenty pieces of silver, and shortly thereafter Joseph ended up in Egypt. The brothers were all accomplices in this deal. In fact, did Joseph not just remind them that they had sold him into Egypt (v. 4)? What is going on here?
Simply, Joseph understood something that most do not: Behind the actions of men, even sinful actions, is the hand of God. “The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing is of the LORD” (Proverbs 16:33). “The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD” (Proverbs 16:1). “A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps” (Proverbs 16:9).
Yes, these brothers were very much responsible for their sin and yet God was sovereign. He was working out His everlasting plan in spite of the evil intentions of men. What they meant unto evil God meant unto good. And that good came to pass! Yes, these men were responsible for their sins and yet God took responsibility for it all.
At this point we need to pause and reflect upon this fact. God is in control of everything. God is responsible for everything that happens—everything! Nothing escapes His control and thus nothing escapes His responsibility. Don’t miss that truth. Don’t dismiss it. Don’t reject it. Learn that and live in light of it.
Observe that I did not say God is at fault for the evils of this world. The sinful deeds of men are clearly put to the account of the guilty. But at the same time, because God is sovereign, He is responsible. If in your foolish, though well-intentioned, desire to defend God you seek to mitigate God’s responsibility then you defame Him. He cannot be both sovereign and irresponsible at the same time. The one cancels out the other.
Again, God does not and cannot sin. But He allows it, and in His plan He takes responsibility for it. Listen to these words from James Montgomery Boice: “Since God is the author of Scripture and certainly sets his seal to what Joseph is declaring [then] God assumes ultimate responsibility for the evil of men, and for evil events.”
There is no way to escape this conclusion. And quite frankly when you consider the alternative, who would want to? The alternative means that Satan, or you, or others are in control of the events of life. And if that is the case then we have no reason to be thankful and joyful in trials. God is manifestly the One who is responsible for all events, both good and evil. And thus we are commanded by Scripture to give thanks in everything and to rejoice always. It is precisely because God takes responsibility for all that we can have such a countercultural response. And this is obviously a great faith building factor in our lives. Listen again to Boice:
By looking past secondary causes to God, who is the first cause, Joseph gained a stabilising perspective on life and achieved a frame of mind out of which he was able to forgive and reassure his brothers. It is a perspective to be held by every Christian.
This is such a fundamental theological reality that we dare not ignore it or try to explain it away. If we do so then we no longer have a God worthy to be worshipped and loved. To be sure, we may be left with a god, but he would be a deity calling forth our pity rather than our awe-filled reverence.
When bad things happen to good people (allowing, for the sake of argument, such a distinction) we need to rest in the fact that the reason is because God decreed it.
I recently had a discussion with a neighbour about abortion. I explained to him that the Scriptures teach unambiguously that life begins at conception and thus the child in the womb is to be guarded by the commandment, “Thou shalt not kill” (Exodus 20:13). He agreed with this but then he asked how I would counsel someone who had been raped and then later on found out that they were pregnant. I conceded that this would be a very difficult situation to deal with, but since the Bible addresses the issue of life and prohibits us from taking it, I would need to counsel that such a woman carry the pregnancy to term.
How, you may ask, could I say such a thing? Because God is sovereign and He has written the rules of the universe. I must trust Him that even in the case of rape, an act motivated by evil and intended for evil, He intends good. What kind of good? I have no idea. That is God’s prerogative and responsibility. But this I do know: God is holy and just and good and thus His decree can be trusted.
If this is not our conclusion then we have no right to claim God’s control and responsibility for anything that happens. It is not for us to decide what events are and are not under His responsibility. How can we give Him our hearts in absolute trust for anything if we are not willing to do so for everything?
Dear people, quit trying to defend God against the calumnies of an unbelieving world. Rather, submit to God’s Word and laud the God who is. He needs no defence; He is holy and He will be vindicated in the end.
In returning to our theme let it be grasped that without this understanding of God’s sovereign responsibility we will struggle with the issue of forgiveness. In fact, we will have a hard time letting go of our own sense of guilt.
It is interesting that Joseph counselled his brothers with these words: “Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither” (v. 5). This seems a bit strange since in the previous verse he had just convicted them of doing wrong! Yet what he was doing was helping them to constructively deal with their guilt. He was pointing them to the fact that though they clearly had sinned, God had used this for much good. Thus in the midst of condemning their sinful actions Joseph’s firm belief in the sovereignty of God was being used to give them hope. And oh, how we need this!
Yes, when we sin the fault lies squarely with us. And yet since God is ultimately responsible for all that happens we can rest in the fact that in addition to the possibility of forgiveness, there is also the promise that God will turn our failure into a means of His fulfilling His plan.
Of course this is a promise that only the believer will embrace. Unbelievers will either scoff at such a notion or they will seek to abuse it. But let them try. God will take such exceeding evil and prove His truth even more!
But notice further, that apart from such theology we will probably never be able to forgive, biblically. It was this belief in the sovereignty of God that enabled Joseph to forgive his brothers. And he could forgive them, among other reasons, because he was not bitter against God. You see, one reason that we do not forgive those who offend us is because we blame God for our suffering. And of course this is sinful. Sadly, today we hear much blasphemous nonsense about the need to “forgive God.” Where does such an idea come from?
It comes from the perversion of the truth that God is responsible for every event. This fact is perverted by making God the cause of the sinful or calamitous behaviour of others. Such reasoning, of course, is fallacious, for man is the sinner. But without getting sidetracked, we need to realise that until we see that the good God is behind all events, even of the sinful mistreatment at the hand of others, we will continue to commit the sin of unbelief and irreverence and thus will find ourselves unable to forgive others. To put this positively, Joseph was able to forgive because his theology was right, both in principle as well as in practice. Listen to these insightful words of Donald Grey Barnhouse:
To see God in all things, both good and evil, enables us to forgive easily those who injure us. It does not incline us to condone their fault as if they were unconscious instruments impelled by him who made use of them, for they act as freely as if God had no part at all. But we can pity, forgive, and pray for them, as slaves to their own passions, enemies to their own welfare, and real, though unwitting, benefactors to our souls. This is strongly exemplified in Joseph, for he saw the hand of God overruling the designs of his brothers; and from that consideration, he not only readily forgave them but entreated them “not to be grieved or angry with yourselves,” since whatever had been their intentions, God had used their misdeeds to accomplish his own gracious purposes.
Let me apply this by again citing Boice: “Do you have trouble forgiving someone? Has someone deeply wronged you and does your body tense up in anger whenever you think of him or her? Have you prayed about it and had little relief? If so, try thinking of the wrong as part of God’s providence. See his hand in it. Think of the good he is accomplishing. If you gain that perspective, you will find your anger softening and discover at the last that you are actually able to forgive the one who has wronged you greatly.”
In summary, let us strive to know God so intimately that we will relate everything that happens to us to Him.
A Providential Relocation
This text clearly shows that the motives of Joseph were pure. He really did desire the welfare of his family. He truly desired to reconcile with them. Vengeance had no hold on him. And we see this illustrated by his promise to provide for the family by relocating them. No longer would they be at the mercy of the elements for the ruler would care for them.
Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not: And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children’s children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast: And there will I nourish thee; for yet there are five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty. And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you. And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen; and ye shall haste and bring down my father hither.
(Genesis 45:9-13)
I Prepare a Place for You
What an amazing revelation in this passage! Joseph had already prepared a place for those that he would be reconciled with. Goshen, a fertile region in Egypt, had been set apart by Joseph long before this revelation and reconciliation.
His people were shepherds and thus would be despised by most of the Egyptians. Thus Joseph prepared a place for them where they could live separate from others. They would have unique needs and a unique lifestyle and he had made provision for this. And so it is with Jesus and His people, those with whom He has brought into reconciliation.
Yes, He has prepared a place for us in heaven. One day we will enjoy that eternal land of Goshen. But until then He has given us a unique place that separates us from the world and enables us to live productively for Him, though surrounded by the Egyptians. We call this place the church. This provided place protects us from spiritual famine and thus from spiritual destruction.
A Precious Reconciliation
The closing verses of this section highlight the tender reconciliation between Joseph and his brothers: “And he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck. Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that his brethren talked with him” (vv. 14-15).
But Speaking the Truth in Love
As this scene comes to a close it ends on a precious and tearful note. These are not tears of sorrow but of joy. And what was experienced here relates to us in our reconciliation with others; especially with those within the body of Christ.
There is a significant phrase in v. 15 which we must note: “And after that his brethren talked with him.” This is a beautiful scene. Before this, Joseph was talking to them and Judah was talking to him (whom he supposed was the vizier). But now there was sweet communion taking place. Reconciliation had occurred and thus there had been a restoration of relationship between Joseph and his brothers. The reassuring words and conduct of Joseph had made this possible. For the first time in their entire life, communion was taking place.
It must have been an amazing scene: Twelve brothers all talking at once expressing their sorrow at how they had treated Joseph, and Joseph forgiving each one. There were certainly tears of joy as they embraced him and as he embraced them. They would have reported on the wellbeing of their father and he would have been all ears as they told him of what had occurred in Canaan over the past 22 years. But he doubtless would have done most of the talking as they listened to him recount the varied experiences that he had undergone since being sold into Egypt. Perhaps he even pointed out to them that they had bowed to him already several times in fulfilment of the dreams that had formerly created so much trouble for him! Furthermore, he no doubt would have shown them that his position of favour and prestige was for the benefit of the covenantal family rather than for his own self-gratification. Yes, the conversation would most certainly have been God-centred.
This scene exhorts us that when reconciliation is taking place between believers we need to seal it with meaningful communion. We need to be sensitive to the feeling of alienation that the offending party may feel towards the one against whom they have sinned. And as forgiveness has been extended to us, we must go out of our way to demonstrate that indeed we desire their fellowship. True forgiveness opens the door to fellowship. Let us be sure to seek God-centred restoration of communion and begin the restored relationship afresh. The past is the past and we need to build toward the future. May God grant us the grace to experience this as we reconcile with others. Whether we were at one time the villain or the victim, restored communion will remove the bitter memory of the past.
A Profound Redemption
Most commentators agree that silver is a symbol of redemption in biblical literature. In the story of Joseph there are some twenty references to silver. Moses is making a point. He is pointing us to redemption.
Joseph was sold for twenty pieces of silver; redeemed or purchased as a servant for this amount. And in the scene preceding the one we are studying here, it was a silver cup that resulted in Judah’s offer to be a surety for Benjamin. Of course, this led to this revelation and reconciliation based upon the brother’s repentance. This story is all about redemption; not primarily with reference to the family of Israel but rather with reference to the true Israel of God, ransomed by the Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, this account teaches us something about what I will call redemptive irony.
In the course of the past several chapters we have seen how the brothers experienced the truth that their sin would find them out. They faced several ironic twists in their encounter with Joseph. Consider just a few. Just as they had sold Joseph into slavery they found themselves as slaves; just as Joseph had been framed for a crime so had they been; just as Joseph had been imprisoned in Egypt so were they; just as they had caused their father to rend his garments so had they; and, of course, the continual resurfacing of the issue of silver. In these cases we see retributive justice taking place. God will not be mocked, for whatever we sow we will reap.
And yet there is also in this story, especially highlighted in chapter 45, the concept of retributive irony; that is, that which was meant for evil being turned on its head to serve God’s glorious redemptive purpose. As Joseph had made plain to his brothers, God had sent him, through their sin, into Egypt in order to “preserve a remnant.” That is, in their attempt to slay him God in fact turned it around to save them. And so it was with the Lord Jesus and Calvary. Listen to these words of John Currid:
At the cross there is a sense of retributive irony; there Satan and his followers attempt to destroy the promised one by hanging him on a cross. But it is the very death of the Messiah on the cross that brings about the eternal defeat of Satan and his gang. And of course, all of that unfolded according to “whatever [God’s] hand and purpose predestined to occur” (Acts 4:28). Satan and all his thugs meant the cross for evil, but God meant it for good.
But the cross is also an event of restorative irony. That is, through the death of the Messiah life was brought to his people. Through his suffering, his people are made whole and restored to a proper relationship with the Creator.
Thus, through the outworking of retributive and restorative irony, we have the blessed reality of redemptive irony.
Yes, Joseph was the victim at the hands of some very bad villains. And yet these villains were saved by the victim! And so it is with us before the Lord Jesus Christ. Praise the Lord that the Victim used the human injustices against Him to be the Victor that we villains might be saved. And when it comes to forgiveness that is the greatest lesson we can learn. Hallelujah, what a Saviour!