Joseph: His Place in God's Big Story (Part 3)

Because the famine had affected Canaan, Joseph’s brothers traveled to Egypt, seeking food for their families. When they arrived, they bowed low, unwittingly to Joseph (Gen. 42:6), fulfilling his dreams.

Joseph, now the powerful vizier, recognized them and accused them of spying, perhaps to test their trustworthiness. He demanded they bring back Benjamin, Joseph’s full-brother, to prove they weren’t lying and kept one brother in prison. The rest returned to Canaan.

The famine continued, but Jacob refused to allow Benjamin, Rachel's only other son, to make the long journey. Finally, being persuaded by Judah, Jacob relented. They took gifts and much silver—as was customary—and hurried to Egypt. When they arrived, and Joseph saw Benjamin, he prepared a feast for them. When the noble Egyptian entered, they once again bowed low to pay him honor, totally unaware (Gen. 43:28).

When Joseph could no longer control himself, he demanded that everyone leave. He admitted his identity, but his brothers could not answer him (Gen. 45:3). It must have been a sight.

Joseph invited them to approach him to see that it was him (sounds like Someone else I know, Jn. 20:27). He not only assured them of his forgiveness but urged them to not be distressed or angry with themselves. He explained how God had used even their selfish hearts to enable Joseph to preserve life (Gen. 45:7). Their situation was no accident; God had sent Joseph ahead and exalted him for the saving of many lives and to preserve for Israel a remnant according to His promise (Gen. 45:8-9).

Joseph accepted those whom he could have justly and severely punished, yet he chose grace. While outwardly he was Egyptian, his grace and forgiveness reflected his fear of God and confidence in His sovereign provision, purpose, and plan.

This narrative contrasts forgiveness and unity with envy and violence. It addresses existential questions of peace versus vengeance, hatred versus solidarity, and insiders versus outsiders. It also mirrors the message of the entire first five books, that one’s love for God is expressed through one’s relationships with family, neighbors, and outcasts (Deut. 6:4-5). Joseph was both an insider (an Israelite, a son of Jacob) and an outsider (a confirmed Egyptian official) and used his distinctive bicultural identity to unite.

While he had the gift of interpreting dreams, God was teaching Joseph a deeper and more valuable kind of wisdom. He chose good, even at great personal expense, and his forgiveness toward his family was central to experiencing true success.

Joseph’s calling had become clear. Not only would he be the means by which God would bring salvation to the known world but the seed through which Abraham’s family would be preserved and God’s promise kept. God was reversing the curse, and Joseph’s rise to power was proof of His commitment to Abraham.

Joseph was a shadow of the royal seed, the servant King, through whom God would bless and restore the nations (Gen. 12). In this way, God’s purposes prevailed despite, and even by way of, human evil. Unlike the vengeful, deceptive, tooth-for-tooth motif that pervaded the story of Jacob and even Abraham, Joseph’s story focuses on radical forgiveness, mercy, and grace. He broke the family cycle and fulfilled God’s word to Abraham, whose “seed” would be strangers in a land not their own and multiply there into a great nation (Gen. 15:13).

Then the Lord said to him, “Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions.”

Genesis 15:13-14