People who are familiar with the story of Joseph and his brothers are probably most familiar with the section we are going to cover today. To me, this is the highlight of the story.
Joseph ordered everyone to leave, and then, overcome with emotion, revealed himself to his brothers. The Egyptians outside heard the uproar as Joseph cried out, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” (Genesis 45:3).
The brothers were so stunned they couldn’t respond. Joseph had to reassure them that they were indeed speaking to their long-lost brother.
Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come closer to me.” And they came closer. He said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt.
And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.
For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are five more years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest.
God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to keep alive for you many survivors.
So it was not you who sent me here but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt” (Genesis 45:4-8).
Pray for Brokenness
Years ago, a church member gave me cassette tapes of sermons by a Texas preacher, centered on “Pray for Brokenness.” As I listened to the repeated phrase, “pray to be broken,” I questioned what he was talking about.
I’ve come to understand that God can only fully work through us when we are broken and completely yielded to Him.
Isaiah understood this principle, as did Joseph centuries earlier than the prophet.
For thus says the high and lofty one who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place and also with those who are contrite and humble in spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite. (Isaiah 57:15)
God’s greatness surpasses all of creation. It is appropriate to His majesty that He resides in a high and lofty dwelling place.
At the same time, he lives with the contrite and humble in spirit. A contrite person is one who is crushed or broken.
I once used a rock from the church parking lot as a sermon illustration. I held it up next to a lovely vase on the communion table and asked, “Could this rock fit inside this vase?”
Of course, it was too big. Then I asked, “But if it were broken down into sand, would it fit?”
The congregation said yes, and we knew it would take the shape of the vase.
When we’re hard and unyielding, we can’t be conformed to Christ’s character. But when we’re broken, we can become molded into His likeness.
As a young man, Joseph’s dreams revealed his future, but he wasn’t yet prepared for God’s plan. Even in Potiphar’s house, despite his success, further refinement was necessary. Years of imprisonment finally readied him for God’s use in Egypt.
Ultimately, his brothers’ arrival allowed him to glorify God by saving the Middle East, including his own family, from famine.
I didn’t follow the Texas preacher’s advice to pray for brokenness. However, life has brought me times of it, and I’ve learned that God works through those He breaks.
Now, instead of fighting against these periods, I try to understand and embrace what God is doing in me during them.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 