Joseph brought his father and all his brothers and their families to live in Egypt so that they would have plenty during the famine years. Their father, Jacob, died in Egypt, and after burying him in his home in the land of Canaan, they all returned to Egypt (Genesis 46:1-50:14).
Now Joseph’s brothers started worrying that he still had hatred towards them. When Jacob was alive, they thought they had a line of defense to prevent Joseph from taking revenge for selling them as a slave, but now they were wondering what would happen next.
The brothers sent a message to Joseph, confessing their sins against him and pleading for forgiveness. Although they had been living with Joseph for several years in Egypt, they were still unsure of his feelings toward them. Had he really forgiven them? When Joseph received their message he wept. He had already forgiven his brothers, but reconciliation may take years to take shape.
When Joseph’s brothers came to him, he reassured them and helped them see again that God had intended it all for the good. In fact, God was working on His plan to make their family a nation that would bless all others (Genesis 12:1-3).
It was a new kind of vision to help people see the wonderful works of God in our lives and His world.
