Genesis 50:21 So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.
Again I am captivated by Joseph’s words in verse 20: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good….” Verse 21 says that he reassures them and speaks to them kindly. The thought that radiates through me is that I want to be like Joseph. I want to have that kind of grace and graciousness for others.
Genesis 50:22-23 Joseph stayed in Egypt, along with all his father’s family. He lived a hundred and ten years and saw the third generation of Ephraim’s children. Also the children of Makir son of Manasseh were placed at birth on Joseph’s knees.
I know that if you are consumed with bitterness, life will not go well for you. Just feeling the bitterness for Joseph’s brothers as I type makes me feel….icky. And yet, when I am hurt, my first reaction is to defend, to strike back. That is not grace and graciousness. That just drags me down to a level where I do not want to be.
Genesis 50:24 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”
Precious Savior, Forgive me when my human side is at war with my eternal side, when bitterness makes me think about getting even. The emotion feels terrible inside of my skin. Help me, instead, to strive for grace and graciousness–not because they deserve it, but because You deserve it. Help me to be so focused on You that I don’t have time for that nonsense. Amen.
Genesis 50:25-26 And Joseph made the Israelites swear an oath and said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place.” So Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten. And after they embalmed him, he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.
Have a blessed day.