The Big Reveal
Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt.
Genesis 45:4-8 (NIV)
Emerging from all of these years of being suspected dead, Joseph now reveals a restored and strengthened soul, a tough and resilient survivor. And so Joseph, in one small sentence, shares how he understands this entire journey to date, though marred and filled with treachery and trials. Here is what Joseph essentially says, “Brothers, don’t be afraid. You don’t have to nurture fear. Now that I’ve revealed my identity, all of my life has been part of the intricate tapestry of God’s plans. The threads of love, redemption, and reconciliation are being woven together, creating a human picture of divine grace that will forever change the course of human history.”
We see the seismic collision of human fallibility and divine providence. We see the transformative power of forgiveness and how it has the strength to pierce through the darkest recesses of the human heart, forcing it to emerge from brokenness and mistreatment and displacement to a place of healing, restoration, and the promise of a future imbued with divine purpose.
Not one expression of hate or anger. We see Joseph enveloping more than 20 years of life’s worst hits by saying, “Trouble didn’t push me here. You brothers did not push me here. People who sold me and resold me did not push me here. It wasn’t pain that pushed me here. It was God who sent me here.” Do you see the difference in perspective?
It is God who has delivered us to this place of strength. We must not take advantage and repay evil with evil or critique in others what finally has become conquered in us. Joseph could have paid evil for evil or he could have been depressed and committed suicide. He could have pointed his finger in the face of God and told God that He’s unfair and inequitable. But Joseph has grown through what he’s been through until he had a different perspective.
He’s not a prisoner to his pain and disappointment. He’s a child of God who believes that God is working a complete work in him. He wasn’t pushed. He was sent.
