And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed themselves to him to the earth. And he asked them of their welfare, and said, Is your father well, the old man of whom ye spake? Is he yet alive? And they answered, Thy servant our father is in good health, he is yet alive. And they bowed down their heads, and made obeisance. And he lifted up his eyes, and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son, and said, Is this your younger brother, of whom ye spake unto me? And he said, God be gracious unto thee, my son. And Joseph made haste; for his bowels did yearn upon his brother: and he sought where to weep; and he entered into his chamber, and wept there.
Commentary:
Our family is a
great blessing from God. Not everyone
has parents, or children, or siblings, and some children don't even know who
their own father is. Though our families
are indeed great blessings, there is also much sin and pain within
families. For years Joseph had pain in
his heart due to his brother's sins against him, and he longed to be one with
them again. While Benjamin had not
sinned against Joseph as the other brothers, Joseph was not able to reveal
himself yet. He had to first discern
whether or not his brothers had repented.
Though he long ago forgave them, there was yet need for reconciliation. His love for Benjamin and the pain of this
estrangement with his own family caused him immense pain of heart. While we cannot keep or prevent our family
members from sin and unbelief, we should do all in our power to love them as
Christ loves us. Joseph sets a good
example for us.
No comments:
Post a Comment