Deeper Reflection
This Scripture passage tells us that Joseph truly and completely forgave his brothers for their sin against him. It was not that Joseph restrained himself and treated them well for their father Jacob’s sake while he was alive. The most telling words that reveal the depth of Joseph’s forgiveness towards his brothers were these: “So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones (v.21).”It was no small thing for Joseph to forgive his brothers for the betrayal and evil that they had committed against him in the past. The young Joseph suffered grievously when they threw him into a pit and thereafter sold him to Midianite traders, who brought him to Egypt and sold him as a slave to Potiphar (Gen 37:23-28, 36). Joseph must have been sobbing and shaking with distress as he begged his brothers for mercy and pleaded with them to let him go home.⁴¹ Joseph must also have experienced abject fear as he was forcibly restrained and taken away by the Midianite traders. He would certainly have suffered severe emotional trauma as a result of being separated from his parents, taken to a foreign land, not knowing what his captors will do to him and what will become of him in the future. During the harrowing journey to Egypt, young Joseph must have cried out again and again to the Lord for deliverance.How could the adult Joseph not harbour anger and resentment in his heart towards his brothers nor seek revenge? Two key practices: (1) Joseph recognised God’s blessings in his life;⁴² and (2) Joseph submitted himself to God’s will.⁴³

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⁴¹ Genesis 42:21 ⁴² Genesis 41:50-52. ⁴³ Genesis 45:4-8.