Week 3 (Joseph) – Day 5: Jospeh Reveals His Identity

Day 15 – Joseph Reveals His Identity - Genesis 45:1-46:7

We finally reach the climax of the past three days: Joseph reveals his identity to his brothers.  The reconciliation begins but is not finished in this scene.  Only after their father’s (Jacob) death is final resolution achieved.  The process begins with Joseph’s words, and even more so actions, of forgiveness.  Reconciliation is a complex process, which almost always begins with an action of forgiveness from the aggrieved party.  Is there anyone you would like to reconcile with, knowing that you need to take the first step? 

The reading also includes one explanation to the greatest “why” question: Why is this bad thing happening?  We humans are fascinated with this question.  The Bible never gives a completely clean cut answer.  Bits and pieces can be gleaned from various parts of the Bible.  The problematic nature rests between two great aspects of God.  First, God is all powerful.  Second God is good and would not perform an evil action.  One way or another, the issue of evil rolls back and forth between these two great truths.  We need to very carefully use the texts which deal with this issue or we risk misrepresenting God.  Many have suffered great harm due to quick and easy diagnostics incorrectly presented as the “answer”. 

How do human actions interact with God’s?  One could take Joseph’s words very concretely: “So it was not you who sent me here, but God;” (v. 8a) and declare that the entire series of events was a puppet play controlled by God.  But this clearly ignores the brother’s intent and responsibility.  Perhaps it is better to see that God did not control or somehow initiate the sinful actions leading to this point.  But God did use the actions ultimately for good.  God did not have to, but chose to.  I like Terence Fretheim’s thoughts on this situation: “the brother’s sinful objectives have been thwarted by being drawn into the larger orbit of God’s purposes and used by God in such a way as to bring life rather than death.”  What do you think?  (And wouldn’t this whole question be a great class!)

We should note that these events explain the movement of the family from Canaan to Egypt, setting up the events we will look at next week. 

I must also throw out a little historical tidbit, from my love of ancient Egyptian history.  The time period of Joseph’s entry into Egypt likely coincided with a time when the Egyptian delta was ruled by a non-Egyptian group called the Hyksos.  The Hyksos would be culturally linked to Jacob’s family.  Therefore, Joseph’s rise in the government is not as shocking as it may be.  The native Egyptians reconquered this region, possibly leading to the ominous words early in the Book of Exodus: “Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.” (Exodus 1:8)

In Christ,

Randy