Joseph's story ends with a famine that reached Canaan. His brothers and father are starving to death. Jacob sends Joseph's brothers to Egypt to buy grain. His brothers don't know it, but Joseph is in charge of selling and distributing grain. His brothers have to see him to make their purchase. They come in and bow before him, but they don't recognize him.
Eventually, the brothers are invited to Joseph's home. When Joseph sees them he begins to weep loudly and says, "I am Joseph, your brother!" And they're like, "What?"
"I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt. Don't be afraid. I'm not mad. God put me here to save you guys. The famine will get worse, so go get dad and move in with me."
Not long after that Joseph's father dies and the brothers start to think, "Now that dad is dead, Joseph is going to come after us! They come to Joseph and they throw themselves down at his feet, and say, "We are as nothing. We are your slaves. We are your servants. We are so sorry." Joseph says, "Guys I was serious when I said ‘Don't worry.' What you meant for evil, God meant for good. Throughout those thirteen years, God was with me.
"But Joseph said to them, 'Don't be afraid.'" Look at this next question: "Am I in the place of God?" To which all of his brothers said, "Yes, you are. You are the man. You have all the power. You have all the influence. And you have all the authority. You could have us strung up, and ripped apart. You can do anything you want. Yes, you are in the place of God. That's why we are so afraid!"
Joseph says, "Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God was up to something. When you guys tied me up, threw me in the pit and sold me, you thought you were up to something. No, it was bigger than that. God was up to something. In fact, God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, do not be afraid. I am going to provide for you and your children." And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.
Do you know why? Because that is what anybody with that much power and that much wealth and that much authority and that much hurt and that much memory and that much baggage and that much dysfunction would do if they were absolutely confident that God was with them.
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