Gen 50:20 | KingComments | STEP | When Jacob’s father is buried, the brothers are afraid that Joseph will revenge himself for what they have done to him. They think he treated them well for the sake of their father. He took care of them for seventeen years. Now that their father is no longer there, they believe that Joseph will change. How badly they know Joseph! It is as if they say: ”We know what he has done for us, but we don’t know what he feels for us.” Once again, the exceptional character of Joseph is evident. He doesn’t blame the brothers that they must know him better in the meantime. He shows them the unpretentious love he has for them and reassures them with words of comfort. He is not in the place of God. He did not determine the course of events, God did. If there should be any retaliation, then he leaves it to God ( ). Joseph subjects himself completely to the will of God. Sometimes we are like the brothers of Joseph. We know that the Lord Jesus has undergone God’s judgment on the cross for us. We know that He cares for us, we have experienced that. However, when a problem arises in our lives, it may suddenly become apparent how little we really trust Him. If there is no direct outcome, we think He is turning against us. We can be very busy with Scripture and know a lot about the Lord, but if it is not combined with a personal, living fellowship with Him Himself, we will react just as Joseph’s brothers do. Joseph weeps – we read this of him for the seventh time – when he hears what the brothers say. It is a great sadness for him to notice that his love is answered by the brothers in this way. He shows through his tears that their attitude hurts him (cf. ). Their attitude betrays the lack of trust in him. There is another lesson to be learned from the behavior of the brothers. When someone around us falls away, it becomes clear whether our faith is only directed at the Lord Jesus or whether we have attached too much to the other in the experience of our faith.

‏ Genesis 50:20

Joseph Comforts his Brothers

When Jacob’s father is buried, the brothers are afraid that Joseph will revenge himself for what they have done to him. They think he treated them well for the sake of their father. He took care of them for seventeen years. Now that their father is no longer there, they believe that Joseph will change. How badly they know Joseph! It is as if they say: ”We know what he has done for us, but we don’t know what he feels for us.”

Once again, the exceptional character of Joseph is evident. He doesn’t blame the brothers that they must know him better in the meantime. He shows them the unpretentious love he has for them and reassures them with words of comfort. He is not in the place of God. He did not determine the course of events, God did. If there should be any retaliation, then he leaves it to God (Rom 12:19). Joseph subjects himself completely to the will of God.

Sometimes we are like the brothers of Joseph. We know that the Lord Jesus has undergone God’s judgment on the cross for us. We know that He cares for us, we have experienced that. However, when a problem arises in our lives, it may suddenly become apparent how little we really trust Him. If there is no direct outcome, we think He is turning against us. We can be very busy with Scripture and know a lot about the Lord, but if it is not combined with a personal, living fellowship with Him Himself, we will react just as Joseph’s brothers do.

Joseph weeps – we read this of him for the seventh time – when he hears what the brothers say. It is a great sadness for him to notice that his love is answered by the brothers in this way. He shows through his tears that their attitude hurts him (cf. Jn 14:9). Their attitude betrays the lack of trust in him.

There is another lesson to be learned from the behavior of the brothers. When someone around us falls away, it becomes clear whether our faith is only directed at the Lord Jesus or whether we have attached too much to the other in the experience of our faith.