LESSON # 217 IN HIS SERVICE July 22, 2014 GENESIS: 50: 15-21 AN UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN BROTHERS 15) When Josephs brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, Perhaps Joseph will hate us, and may actually repay us for all the evil which we did to him. 16) So they sent messengers to Joseph, saying, Before your father died he commanded, saying, 17) Thus you shall say to Joseph: I beg you, please forgive the trespass of your brothers and their sin; for they did evil to you. Now, please, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of your father. And Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18) Then his brothers also went and fell down before his face, and they said, Behold, we are your servants. 19) Joseph said to them, Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? 20) But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. 21) Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones. And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them. (NKJV) While Jacob was alive, the brothers felt secure in his shadow as far as Joseph was concerned, but now that he is dead, they are concerned about where they stand. Their guilty consciences reared themselves and they doubted Joseph’s genuine forgiveness and affection for them. It seemed that Jacob had doubts about this too since he told his sons to again seek Joseph’s forgiveness; or he may have wondered if his sons would revert back to their old sinful ways with his passing. They humbled themselves before him, confessed their sin, and begged his forgiveness. And the eleven stars did homage to Joseph, to again accomplish his dream. Humbling ourselves before Christ for forgiveness of sin is probably one of the main reasons why many people will not accept Christ. The humanistic way is to take care of ourselves; and pride keeps us from realizing that the only way to receive Christ as our Savior and Redeemer is to bow down to Him, realizing that He paid our sin debt with His blood, and asking that our sins be forgiven. Such proud hearts we have. Genesis began with Adam and Eve believing Satan’s lies and turning from God. At that time, and to this day, Satan uses the same lies to bring us to his will. The lust of the flesh (I want that and I deserve it), the lust of the eyes (that is beautiful, it should be mine), and the pride of life (I can handle this myself and be like God). It is working today as well as it did in the Garden of Eden so why change something that works so well to keep us from accepting and serving Christ. Joseph’s response was genuine; he had totally forgiven his brothers and moved on some time ago. We can’t move anywhere in our Christian life if we hold anything against anyone because it will hinder our fellowship with Christ. Joseph was a compassionate person with a tender heart. He so wants them to understand that he isn’t God! It isn’t his own strength that he’s in this position but that it is God’s will and plan. God put him here for a reason. This wise answer from Joseph to his brothers has gone down in history as the classic statement of God’s sovereignty over the affairs of men: “you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.” God has a plan for our lives and a purpose for our being; so when we are yielded to Him the journey is much more pleasant for us and will bring glory to God. Praise His Holy Name!!!! NEXT: JOSEPH DIES
Posted on: Tue, 22 Jul 2014 10:54:11 +0000
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