Seeing as God Sees: The Contrast Between Joseph and His Brothers

Listen to today’s passage – Genesis 48 – 50

Follow Along on Blue Letter Bible – Genesis 48

(Second Milers also read – Mark 9 – 10; Proverbs 19; Psalms 91 – 95)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Psalm 119:105

Read the “0119 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read a previous post from this passage – “Graduation Day“

“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.” (Gen 50:15–21)

After years of reconciliation, Jacob’s death stirs fresh fear in Joseph’s brothers. With their father gone—the one who had kept Joseph’s kindness in check—they panic. What if Joseph finally repays them for the pit, the slavery, and all the evil they did to him?

They send a message claiming Jacob commanded before he died: “Forgive thy brethren.” Yet Genesis records no such command from Jacob. Many Bible teachers (and perhaps you’ve noticed this too) see this as a fabrication—a desperate, carnal scheme to shield themselves. Instead of trusting Joseph’s proven forgiveness or God’s work in his heart, they resort to manipulation and half-truths. Fear drives them to human methods rather than faith.

Joseph’s response stands in stark contrast. He weeps—likely grieved that after all these years, his brothers still doubt his heart. Then he speaks one of the Bible’s greatest declarations of God’s sovereignty: “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.”

Joseph sees the entire story—the betrayal, the prison, the rise to power—not as random cruelty, but as God’s sovereign hand weaving salvation for many lives, including their own.

Here is the clear divide:
  • The brothers operate in the flesh—fearful, self-protective, scheming.
  • Joseph walks in faith—gracious, trusting, seeing God’s greater purpose even in evil.
Reflection
  • How often do we act like the brothers? When we’ve wronged someone and fear the consequences, do we trust God’s grace in their heart, or do we manipulate circumstances to “help” God along.
  • When painful things happen to us, do we fixate on the evil others intended, or do we look for how God is turning it to good?
  • Joseph’s words in verse 20 are a lifeline for every believer. Evil is real. People really do intend harm. But God is greater. He does not originate the evil, yet He overrules it, redirects it, and brings life from it—to save many, to shape us, and to display His glory.
Application
  • Is there a relationship where lingering guilt or fear is causing you to resort to “carnal” solutions instead of resting in the forgiveness already extended?
  • Think of a painful chapter in your own life. Can you trace—even faintly—how God has brought good from what others (or circumstances) meant for evil?
  • Who in your life needs to hear a Joseph-like reassurance today: “Fear not: I will nourish you”?
Commit to following this advice from Proverbs today:

“5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Prov 3:5–6)


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People Can Change

Today’s Passage – Genesis 43 – 44 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Mark 5 – 6; Proverbs 17; Psalms 81 – 85)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Psalm 92:1 – 4

Read the “0117 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read previous posts from today’s reading passage – “Passed the Test,” “Bereaved Again,” and “The Joseph Principle.”

One year ago today, I shared this devotion on how God changed Judah—and how He can change us. As I reread it this morning, I’m reminded afresh of the ongoing work of sanctification in my own life this past year. I pray it encourages you.

“And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood? Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content.” (Genesis 37:26 & 27)

“Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren. For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me? lest peradventure I see the evil that shall come on my father.” (Genesis 44:33 & 34)

There is quite a contrast between the events that take place in chapter 37 and those that happen in chapter 44 of the Book of Genesis. In chapter 37, the brothers of Joseph want to put Joseph to death (all except Reuben). Judah, who is the fourth oldest son comes up with idea of selling his brother into slavery. While his idea spared Joseph’s life, consider the devastating pain it inflicted on their father, Jacob. Now, I am sure that most of us are familiar with the events that transpired in the life of Joseph; they are recorded in these chapters – 37 through 44. God had his hand on Joseph, and although he certainly suffered, God raised him up to a position of great influence and authority. But what about Jacob? For years Jacob thought his favorite son, Joseph, was dead. Joseph’s brothers had no problem going home and telling their father that their brother was killed by some wild beast. How could their level of compassion and care for their father be so low that they would be willing to put him through the tragic loss of Joseph.

There is certainly a change, however, in chapter 44. Joseph puts his brothers through a series of tests. (You will have to read the story for yourself in order to fully grasp the thought I am trying to convey here.) The final test is when Joseph arranges to “set up” Benjamin his youngest brother. It seems Joseph may have been seeking to protect Benjamin by keeping him in Egypt, away from potential harm by his brothers. He tells the brothers that Benjamin is going to have to be kept as a bondman in Egypt. But notice how Judah intercedes this time for his brother. He remembers what the loss of Joseph did to his father, and now he is doing everything in his power to keep the same thing from happening to Benjamin. He knows that the loss of Benjamin will completely destroy his father. He even goes as far as to offer to take the place of Benjamin. This is certainly a change from his earlier days.

Fast-forward to Genesis 44, and we see a remarkable transformation in Judah – God changed him. God can change you and I too. People can change. I believe the best way to bring about the needed changes in your life is for you to get as close to God as you can. I am convinced that as we draw nigh to God, He will purge the dross from our lives, and conform us to the image of the Lord Jesus. Do you desire to remain the same or do you desire to be more like Jesus in your life? Judah certainly bore a resemblance to the Lord Jesus here in chapter 44 in the way that he interceded for his brother, and by the way he was willing to be a substitute. Perhaps this is why God chose Judah, not Reuben, Simeon, or Levi to be the tribe that would give to the world the Lord Jesus.

God can do the same for you and me as we yield our lives and our will to Him. Salvation will bring about a dramatic change in your life, both eternally and while you are still living down here on the earth. It’s called sanctification. Salvation (justification) is immediate, sanctification is the process through which God gradually conforms you to the image of Christ. 

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” – (2 Corinthians 5:17)

As you yield to God’s Holy Spirit, surrender to God’s will, and saturate yourself in God’s Word, He will change you. 

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” – (Romans 12:2)

As we begin another year, where do you sense God calling you to change? Draw near to Him through His Word, prayer, and surrender—He is faithful to transform us.

If this devotion speaks to you, share how God has changed you in the comments below—I’d love to hear your testimony.


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Godly Character

Today’s Passages – Genesis 38 – 40 (Click on the references to listen to the passages. Click here to view today’s passage on Blue Letter Bible.)

(Second Milers also read – Mark 1 – 2; Proverbs 15; Psalms 71 – 75)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Psalm 89:1

Read the “0115 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read previous posts from this passage – “What About Judah?“ and “God’s Perfect Plan“

“And it came to pass after these things, that his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me. But he refused, and said unto his master’s wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand; There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:7-9)

Joseph was a man of great godly character and is a wonderful picture, or type, of Christ in that regard. He is simply not like other men. He has the ability to say no to his flesh and completely yield to the will of God for his life. This attribute of godly character can be exhibited in many examples from Joseph’s life, but a particularly vivid picture of this is painted for us in the verses above. Joseph, a young, single man, was being tempted in the area of sexual purity by the wife of his employer. Joseph had the perfect opportunity to yield to the the lusts of his flesh, but instead refuses. He says, “NO!” He knew that yielding to Potiphar’s wife’s wishes was foremost a sin against God and was also a sin against Potiphar, a man that had been very good to Joseph up to this point. How many young men in Joseph’s position would have been able to resist the temptation and say no to this kind of proposition?

Sexual impurity is not limited to just the act of committing adultery with another man’s wife. It is just as wrong for unmarried people to commit fornication regardless of what our very carnal contemporary culture would say. It is also dangerous to view images portraying sexual impurity on the internet. It is very difficult for both men and women to say no to their flesh and yield to God in these areas, but it can be done through the power of the Holy Spirit. The Bible says:

“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16)

I realize that the Holy Spirit did not work in quite the same way in the Old Testament time that Joseph lived, but I know this: Joseph had a deep and abiding relationship with God, which is exactly what walking in the Spirit is for the New Testament Christian today. Joseph’s love for God and His will superseded Joseph’s fleshly desires. Joseph did not have “better flesh” than other men; he was not superhuman. He just was in love with God.

Peter wrote about this level of Christian discipline:

“And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:5-8)

Notice two of the seven attributes that Peter states can and should be added to every Christian’s life: virtue and godliness. These are the two that Joseph exemplified in his encounter with Potiphar’s wife. However, Joseph also demonstrated the other five attributes listed by Peter throughout his life. And so can we, if we are walking with and filled with the Spirit of God, and yielded to God’s will. It is not easy to “just say no” to our flesh, but it is certainly not impossible with God’s help.

By the way, we see quite a contrast in Joseph’s godly character in chapter 39 with the character of Judah and his family in chapter 38. Notice the language used in v. 2:

“2 And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name was Shuah; and he took her, and went in unto her.” (Genesis 38:2)

It does not say that he married her; it just states that he “went in unto her.” There is all kinds of other weirdness going on in this chapter also including immoral behavior by Judah’s sons and also Judah sleeping with his daughter-in-law whom he thought was a harlot. 


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