V1 -V3 – Joseph can now no longer stand it, He breaks down and weeps. His emotions are so strong; He weeps so loudly that even Pharaoh gets told about it. He reveals his identity, and the brothers are stunned, speechless.
The brothers cannot even begin to believe what is happening. This man they have been buying food from is second only to Pharaoh in Egypt. He lives in a palace and has many servants. And yet this is their brother??!! The one they betrayed and sold?! What!
When they were evil against him, selling him many years ago, they could never have thought what had happened right before their eyes. It is true our human minds cannot fathom the things of God. We think we are so much in control when putting plans (good or bad), but the truth is…No! We are definitely not in control. The Lord God, who created the Heavens and the Earth, rules from on High. He orders the winds, rains, sun, moon, and everything. Everything and every story is in His Power.
Why would we even think He is not in control right now? Why do you think He doesn’t care when those difficult things happen? Why are you calling the things that are happening… “just a coincidence?” The Bible does not show or tell about coincidences. On the contrary, it shows us that there is one who is sovereign over all. The best thing you can do is:
Micah 6:8 NLT
No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
and 1 Peter 5:6 NLT
So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honour.
And Proverbs 9:10 NLT
Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.
And Proverbs 4:14 -15
Don’t do as the wicked do, and don’t follow the path of evildoers. Don’t even think about it; don’t go that way. Turn away and keep moving.
V4 – V8 – Joseph sees things with the eyes of God. He is a man of Faith and thus sees God’s plan. I believe part of the weeping was because He had realized so powerfully what God had been doing with his life. It all made sense now!
Do we see God in the details? And do we always wait upon Him, even when things are unclear? Let’s put our Faith in the Lord today and wait patiently for Him. Patiently and expectantly because He will act.
Again, V9 – V11 – Joseph shows Godly wisdom, as He has done many times before. After He understands what God is doing, He knows what God wants him to do. He tells his father and family to come down. But remember, in all these things, Joseph does everything by Faith in God. He casts off doubts, trusts in the Lord and sets things in motion.
There are two lessons here. First, put your faith in God and trust in Him wholeheartedly and then second, use common sense and discernment (good judgement) to act.
One of the most important foundations of good judgment is LOVE. Clearly, here, Joseph is acting out of love. He wants to preserve his family. So, in that situation, what does LOVE say? (This means AGAPE love… Godly love.) When thinking about what Love says in your situation, you must also search your heart. Is it filled with another agenda? A sinful agenda? Like Pride? Are you taking that decision out of pride? Is your lust of the flesh pushing you? Is it the lust of your eyes pushing you? Think prayerfully about these things before making decisions.
V16 – 23 – Because of Joseph’s favoured position, Jacob and the family get a lot of favour from Pharaoh.
V24 – Knowing what the brothers’ reaction might be about coming down to Egypt and all the happenings that had taken place, Joseph again is wise to tell them not to quarrel about this. He knows there is no need to. He knows that it is and has always been God’s plan to preserve them, so it’s useless to quarrel about it.
There is no need to fight over what God wants. Be quiet and obey. This applies to all of God’s commands and his will for us. God wants a closer relationship with us and wants to preserve us. He wants us to enjoy eternity, so He gives us his word. What is the need to continue arguing against Him? Why do you keep giving God a quarrel, excuses and complaints? Do what He says… it is to preserve your life in these last days.
V27 – V28– A very important fact of the story is that his brothers are not put to shame before their father. They do not have to go and narrate the whole story of how they sold Joseph long ago. No, Joseph gave them the exact words to say. He does this in verses 9-13: giving them the words to tell Jacob. And He also gave them a lot of provisions for the journey to and from.
And so, when they arrive, Jacob can’t believe it at first, but He then believes after they explain to Him according to what Joseph said and how Joseph had sent him all these wagons and provisions.
Even in future chapters, it doesn’t ever seem that Jacob ever knew what really happened to Joseph.