Welcome to today’s Daily Scripture Reading and Meditation covering Genesis 43:29-31 wherein we see the heart of Joseph and have our attention turned to Christ.
And he lifted up his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, and said, “Is this your youngest brother, of whom you spoke to me? God be gracious to you, my son!” Then Joseph hurried out, for his compassion grew warm for his brother, and he sought a place to weep. And he entered his chamber and wept there. Then he washed his face and came out. And controlling himself he said, “Serve the food.”
Any resentment that Joseph may have been harboring in his heart was quickly running out. So much has led up to this scene and he has had a good amount of time between visits from his brothers to think through how he would continue to treat them. Two big things seem influential here in Joseph’s softening. He had just found out that his father was still living and well. This was the one family member that he knew he trusted, one that cared tenderly for him up to the moment he was sold as a slave by the rest of the family. But then there was Benjamin, who was in a sense the last great reminder of his dear mother, Rachel, who died as she was giving birth to him. Benjamin was his only full-blooded brother and the only one that had taken no part in introducing Joseph to his many hardships. God be gracious to you, my son! was the final phrase that led to his loss of all control and the finding of a place to let out those penned up emotions. This was a moment of great healing for Joseph as compassion flooded his soul and the years of hurt flowed out with his tears.
Joseph though, as real and as feeling as he was, showed himself to be a man of strategy and patience. Many of us at that point would have run to our family and poured out every emotion that had been bottled up, but not this man. He cleaned himself up, put his game face back on, and stuck with the meal plans. They would continue to sit on edge while he blessed them, favored Benjamin, and acted the part of mighty Egyptian ruler. The time for revealing his true identity was yet to come.
All of us deal with emotion-filled situations differently and it can be difficult to know what the proper response is when we find ourselves in such places. The first thing we need to note then is that there is much grace to give to one another within this area. But the example before us of Joseph is a helpful one. He knew that it was OK to let his emotion out even though it was a pretty inopportune time. Doing so didn’t mean that he was weak or less of a man; he had done plenty to prove his strength prior to this. At the same time though, he was able to regain his composure, stay the course, and complete what he had set out to do. This all sounds a bit more psychological than biblical, but in reality, Joseph’s example here should move our attention onto God and His character, specifically as it is revealed through Christ. We know that Jesus experienced an enormous range of emotions, expressed them freely, but always continued the path of faithfulness. So let us in our admiration of Joseph have our souls knit more closely to our feeling and faithful Lord today.
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