Joseph is one of the most beautiful Old Testament characters. There are many features about him that reflect the excellence of the person of Christ that cannot be overlooked. For example, his being sent by his father to his brethren, the suffering he endured among them and at the hands of the Gentiles, and his final exaltation give an accurate foreshadowing of the Lord Jesus in His incarnation, rejection, crucifixion, and exaltation. In this study, we will consider the grand conclusion of the life of Joseph when, his sufferings now over, he finds himself exalted and surrounded by his brethren and his father.
The Exaltation of Joseph
Within a period of twenty-four hours, Joseph went from being a prisoner to being prime minister of Egypt. Pharaoh made him ruler over all the land of Egypt (Gen. 42:41-43). Egypt and the surrounding nations would beat a path to Joseph’s storehouses to be delivered from the famine that was threatening their lives. Joseph was, in a sense, the savior of the world. Even his brethren were blessed under his beneficent rule. How encouraging for the suffering saints of our day to know that even in the seeming incomprehensible complexities, injustices, and trials of life, the sovereign purposes of God are being worked out, and that “All things work together for good, to them that love God” (Rom. 8:28)!
The Testing of his Brethren
The famine affected the house of Joseph’s father, Jacob, who sent his sons to Egypt to buy corn. When they arrived, Joseph recognized them; but they did not recognized him. Little wonder! They never expected that the young man they had treated with cruelty and sold into slavery would now be the ruler of Egypt. Joseph was very cautious in dealing with his brethren and did not immediately make himself known to them. Joseph wished to test them in several ways to determine if the passage of years had produced repentance in their hearts, and also to see if their attitude towards Benjamin, the other son of Rachel, his true brother, was different from their earlier attitude towards himself. During this testing time, we read of Joseph weeping repeatedly.
Evidence of Repentance
At first, Joseph spoke roughly to them and accused them of being spies, and he put them in prison for three days. At the end of the three days, Joseph heard them say to each other, “We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us” (Gen. 42:21). When Joseph heard this confession, “he turned himself about from them, and wept.”
We remember the sequel, how Joseph held Simeon hostage until such time as they brought Benjamin down to Egypt. Joseph’s cup was placed in Benjamin’s sack, and the messengers who pursued them accused them of stealing it. When the cup was found, the whole caravan turned around and returned to Egypt. Upon their return, Joseph said that he with whom the cup had been found would be detained as his servant, but that they were free to return to their father. It was at this juncture that we read one of the most heart-rending pleas in Scripture, as Judah poured out his soul before Joseph on behalf of Benjamin and his father Jacob. Judah explained to Joseph that Jacob had already lost one of his sons, and that “[Jacob’s] life is bound up in the lad’s life, and if it shall come to pass that the lad is not with us, that he shall die” (Gen. 44:30). Judah then offered to take the place of Benjamin.
Reconciliation with his Brethren
At this point, Joseph could contain himself no longer, and he “wept aloud…and said unto his brethren, ‘I am Joseph’” (Gen. 45:2-3). His brethren must have been terrified, wondering if Joseph would seek revenge in view of their unspeakable cruelty. But Joseph was gracious towards them and embraced them with all the warmth of his heart. How was Joseph able to take an attitude of grace and forgiveness towards his brethren who had causes him such grief? Surely it was because he firmly grasped that the sovereign purposes of God were being worked out in his life, for he said, “Now therefore, be not grieved and angry with yourselves that ye sold me thither, for God did send me before you to preserve life” (Gen. 45:5). Joseph was able to see that while the actions of his brethren could not be justified, they had contributed to the overall plan and purposes of God for him and for them.
We see this principle demonstrated when Peter delivered the first gospel message on the day of Pentecost. He could say to the leaders of Israel, “[Jesus Christ] being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain” (Acts 2:23). Men chose to act in wickedness, but became the unwitting vehicles through which the sovereign purposes of God were fulfilled.
Prophetic Fore-shadowings
The reconciliation of Joseph with his once cruel, uncaring brethren will have its counterpart when the Lord returns at the close of the tribulation period to deliver Israel. Zechariah tells us about that great moment of repentance and confession in the nation of Israel when they see their Messiah: “They shall look upon Me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for Him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn” (Zech. 12:10). “The Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day, there shall be one Lord, and his name one” (Zech. 14:9). Brethren, the crowning day is coming by and by!
Practical Applications
There are also practical lessons that can be applied to our own lives as we consider the events that culminated in Joseph’s exaltation and reconciliation with his brethren. First, we must always view present affliction in light of the revealed purposes of God. Second, in our dealings with our brethren, even some who might have caused us harm and grief, we must be generous in our forgiveness towards them when true repentance is in evidence. Third, we must not allow adversity—from any source—to make us bitter, but rather to make us better men of God. Finally, it is important that we firmly grasp that God has sovereign purposes in our lives and that we all of life’s events in that context.
The Grand Conclusion
As we close, we see how the seemingly contradictory, disconnected, complex pieces of life’s puzzle had now fallen into place; and Joseph can see the whole picture in true perspective; whether it was the dreams of his early youth, the hatred and rejection of his brethren, his being sold into slavery, the slander of Potiphar’s wife, his subsequent time and seemingly casual meeting with the butler in prison, the disturbed dreams of a heathen monarch, or the scourge of a famine. He can see that all, without exception, had contributed to the fulfillment of the unerring sovereign purposes of God for his life. All is now seen in proper context, and Joseph’s early dreams, given by God, have finally been realized. He is now upon the throne, and his brethren and his father are bowing the knee before him in all of his glory as the ruler of Egypt.
His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour.
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.
Reprinted from Precious Seed, with permission.