By Jeffery M. Leonard, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Biblical & Religious Studies, Samford University
The Pitfall of Bitterness
Genesis 45:1–5, 9–11
Pharaoh had dreamed a pair of dreams that even the best of his diviners could not interpret: Seven fat cows were devoured by seven lean cows, and seven plump ears of grain were devoured by seven withered ears of grain. Two nearly identical dreams in succession must surely mean something, but what? Thankfully, the young Hebrew Joseph was on hand to solve the mystery.
Finally remembered by the cupbearer who had once been imprisoned with him, Joseph was hauled out of prison and cleaned up for a royal appearance. In Pharaoh’s presence, Joseph conveyed God’s message. The seven fat cows and seven fat heads of grain were seven years of plenty; the seven lean cows and seven withered heads of grain were seven years of famine. Preparations must be made during the years of plenty to see the country through the bad years to come.
Joseph was put in charge of the vital preparations. For seven years, he collected one-fifth of the grain of the Egyptians and set it aside for the seven years of famine ahead. The wisdom of Joseph’s preparations was evident as soon as the famine came. When the people could no longer produce food on their own, they sought out Joseph and found a ready supply to carry them over to the next year.
But the famine reached well beyond Egypt. Even the people in Joseph’s former home of Canaan suffered through a most difficult time. When things grew dire, Joseph’s father, Jacob, sent his sons to Egypt in hopes they could find food there. These brothers could scarcely have imagined that they would be forced to get food from the brother they had once sold into slavery.
Embrace your pain so you can move forward. (1–3)
When the brothers appeared before Joseph, he immediately recognized them. But they failed to recognize him. Concerned about the treatment of his younger brother, Benjamin, Joseph imprisoned one brother and refused to let him go until Benjamin also made an appearance. Jacob was none too happy about the prospect of sending Benjamin to Egypt, but when circumstances grew bad enough, he found he had no choice. Now all Jacob’s sons were in Egypt.
Though the brothers may not yet have realized it, their fates were on a knife’s edge. Assured of Benjamin’s safety, Joseph could have disposed of his treacherous brothers with a snap. Who would question the second-in-command in Egypt if he demanded their deaths? But rather than kill his brothers, Joseph took pity on them. Weeping loudly, he revealed himself. “I am Joseph,” he said. “Is my father still alive?” So stunned and terrified were his brothers that they could not answer him.
Forgive those who have wronged you. (4–5)
At first they could hardly believe their eyes. Could this really be Joseph? But when the gravity of what they had done resettled upon them, disbelief turned to dread. They deserved death. What would their brother do to them now that he had them under his thumb? Thankfully for them, Joseph chose to forgive rather than exact vengeance. He told them that though they had intended evil, God had worked to turn Joseph’s circumstances into a source of life for Egypt and for his family.
Restore broken relationships by seeking their best. (9–11)
Joseph could hardly have realized it at the time, but his act of mercy preserved the life and hope of God’s chosen people and, by extension, our own spiritual heritage. Joseph could have killed his brothers as revenge for their actions; instead, he took the long view of God’s providence and forgave them. When he did so, he kept alive the brothers who would become the heads of the 12 tribes of Israel. He saved the nation and even saved his own father, whom he asked the brothers to now bring to this place of shelter in Egypt.
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