The
image depicts Joseph son of Jacob who ruled over the Egyptians as a
vizier and second in command to Pharaoh.
Today,
reply is on the response by Joseph to his wicked brothers who had
sold him into slavery. Joseph expressed no anger or bitterness, no
desire for revenge, and no self-pity as an innocent victim of hatred
and malice. Instead of denying them, forcing them to endure
imprisonment for more than ten years as he had done, or even refusing
to provide food to them and their families, Joseph behaved as their
deliverer, and a truly wise ruler. It is written: Genesis 50:
14-21, King James Version (KJV): 14 And Joseph returned into Egypt,
he, and his brethren, and all that went up with him to bury his
father, after he had buried his father. 15 And when Joseph’s
brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will
peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil
which we did unto him. 16 And they sent a messenger unto Joseph,
saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying, 17 So shall
ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy
brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we
pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy
father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him. 18 And his
brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said,
Behold, we be thy servants. 19 And Joseph said unto them,
Fear not: for am I in the place of God? 20 But as for you,
ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to
bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.
21 Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little
ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them. A fighter
in the “Yahoo! Answers” public forum on Religion &
Spirituality who uses the ID “Annie” (Level 2 with 620 points)
posted the following:
If
you were Joseph and you became a powerful official in Egypt, would
you forgive your brothers for selling you to slavery or execute them?
I
saw the film Prince of Egypt and was puzzled how Joseph would forgive
his brothers after they hurt him so much.
Selling
your own sibling to slavery is just unthinkable. I wouldn't be so
forgiving, but why was he?
THE
GOLDEN ARROW: And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I
pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your
brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. Now therefore be not grieved, nor
angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me
before you to preserve life. For these two years hath the
famine been in the land: and yet there are five years,
in the which there shall neither be earing nor
harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in
the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it
was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath
made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler
throughout all the land of Egypt. Haste ye, and go up to my father,
and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of
all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not: And thou shalt dwell in
the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy
children, and thy children’s
children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast: And
there will I nourish thee; for yet there are five years of
famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to
poverty. (Genesis 45: 4-11, KJV)
THE
DOUBLE DAGGER: Pray For Your Enemies? (01/03/2020); Presuming To
Judge Others? (12/16/2019); Violating Commandments On Love?
(10/13/2019); Willingness To Forgive Others? (05/24/2019); Sacred
Characters, Not Fictional (12/12/2018); Kingdom and One-world Empire
(09/08/2016); Slaves to Sin? (04/13/2015)
“Annie”,
Joseph was an instrument and a living tool used by GOD to provide
divine grace. Many mature Christian believers, who practice
discernment and the careful recognition of spirit substance appearing
within events, themselves, and other persons, willingly acknowledge
that Joseph was a prophet and spokesperson prepared and sent by
divinity. As the son of Jacob, and heir to Adam, Abraham and Isaac,
Joseph demonstrates divine government by Messiah/the Christ; and he
serves in multiple sacred roles. Included are that of a judge; a
high priest; a primary heir among the tribes of Jacob (who was not
determined by law or tradition promoting the firstborn and birth
order); a living sacrifice; a savior to the then known world; the
father to 2 new tribes in Jacob (Ephraim and Manasseh); and a father
to those who left Egypt to form Israel as a new nation under GOD, in
place of Pharaoh.
Like
those called to be Christian believers, today, Joseph was to display
authentic humanity made in the image of GOD; and to resemble,
reflect, and reveal the character and likeness of Jesus Christ. In
addition to forgiveness for those who have practiced betrayal and
transgression of sacred law (we say, sin), Joseph demonstrated mercy
in judgment toward those clearly guilty. Moreover, rather than
condemn his brothers following the death of Jacob, while they were
still mourning their father, Joseph was a source of comfort, healing
and lovingkindness. Joseph practiced sacred redemption, and affirmed
the device of perpetual covenant between divinity and mankind that
appears through family, kinship, and blood relation.
There
is far more that should be said, correctly examined, and spiritually
apprehended. (For example, during the years of famine, the Egyptian
people sold their livestock, their land, and themselves as slaves to
Pharaoh; the Hebrews continued to acknowledge the dominion of I AM.
In all Egypt, earthly inheritance existed only for the Pharaoh. The
eternal kingdom of GOD, spiritual inheritance, and sovereign rule
through sacred law are contrasted against that of a one world empire
having rule generated from the extremes of the flesh (e.g., anger,
covetousness, imbalance, pride). Joseph also represents divine
grace, the fulfillment of promise, freedom, and manifesting the
righteousness within the law, rather than idolatry, poverty, strict
obedience, and relying on the letter of the law.) Even so, I trust
this fragment that includes a selection from the music ministry of
Shirley Caesar (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HV9TqW-_fkU)
will be useful. Be it unto you according to your faith.
Image
downloaded 9:35 PM, January 15, 2020 @
https://mattsbibleblog.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/joseph-of-egypt.jpg
Washington,
DC
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