Slices
Prepare
‘If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there’ (Psalm 139:8). Do you feel that God is near or far away? Reflect on this verse and then pray.
Bible passage
Joseph makes himself known
45 Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, ‘Make everyone leave my presence!’ So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. 2 And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard about it.
3 Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am Joseph! Is my father still living?’ But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence.
4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Come close to me.’ When they had done so, he said, ‘I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! 5 And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. 6 For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no ploughing and reaping. 7 But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.[a]
8 ‘So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt. 9 Now hurry back to my father and say to him, “This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; don’t delay. 10 You shall live in the region of Goshen and be near me – you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have. 11 I will provide for you there, because five years of famine are still to come. Otherwise you and your household and all who belong to you will become destitute.”
12 ‘You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, that it is really I who am speaking to you. 13 Tell my father about all the honour accorded me in Egypt and about everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly.’
14 Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced him, weeping. 15 And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterwards his brothers talked with him.
Explore
Finally, Joseph reveals himself to his brothers (v 1) but they are dismayed (v 3). Why might this be? We’ve read hints of God’s involvement throughout his story, but now Joseph can see with greater clarity that what has been going on in his broken and discordant life story had been taken up by God and transformed into something beautiful (vs 8–11).
If you’d asked Joseph what God was doing when his brothers threw him in a pit and during all that followed, you would not have got the rounded explanation we read today (vs 4–9). At each stage of his life, he has worked faithfully within his varied circumstances, none of which were of his choosing, with, at best, a limited understanding of God’s purposes. The same may be true of us. We may not yet be at the stage to see the whole picture. We may not be where we want to be. But we can, like Joseph, live faithfully trusting God with the big picture of our lives.
Imagine Jacob’s surprise when the brothers return, laden with gifts (v 27), precipitating another visit to Egypt (v 28).
Respond
‘Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord’ (Colossians 3:23). Joseph exemplifies living the challenge of this verse. What might it mean for you today?
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Leviticus 15,16; Acts 9
Pray for Scripture Union
Pray that new resources being prepared for children about to move to secondary school later in the year will bring peace and comfort to children and their parents at a time of change and will introduce them to Jesus.
