Joseph #55: In God's Place?

When the brothers ask Joseph for forgiveness, he weeps. Why? There are many possible reasons. His response, however, encourages the brothers to visit the palace grounds and address him face-to-face. In a final fulfillment of Joseph's youthful dreams, all the brothers bow down before him—symbolizing their desperation. But Joseph does not answer them. Instead, he takes a conversation in a different but familiar direction. He asks, "Am I in the place of God?" Or, as other commentators suggest, "Am I not also under God?" He echoes what his father had asked when his mother, Rachel, demanded that Jacob give her children. It is a question of sovereignty and power. Unlike his father, Joseph does not become angry. He reassures them, encouraging them not to be afraid. For how could he, one who is "under God," usurp God's authority and violate his commandments by refusing forgiveness?

He then utters one of the most famous declarations of God's sovereignty in the entire Bible, "you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good." It is important to remember that this statement is couched within the greater context of the story of Joseph and the book of Genesis (themes of sibling rivalry, covenant, land, promise of kings, and especially the seed—the coming Messiah) and the immediate context. The statement is not uttered in a vacuum. Joseph points to God's amazing providence as the foundation for resolving conflict and granting forgiveness.

He concludes by demonstrating the kind of man he has become: he is kind, good, and godly. He reassures his family that he will nourish them, including the little ones.