Genesis 50:15 - Meaning and Application

Here we see Joseph and his brothers settling into a good relationship again after their father died. Joseph lived at court, in the royal city, while his brothers lived in Goshen, out in the country. Even so, it was important for them to keep a strong bond of respect and affection. That would honor Joseph and help his brothers too.

When parents die, families should do all they can to prevent quarrels among the children, especially over the estate. They should also work to keep friendship and love alive. The old center of family unity is gone, but unity should continue.

Joseph’s brothers came humbly to ask for his favor. They had begun to suspect Joseph, not because he had done anything to deserve it, but because their own guilt made them uneasy. They could not easily forgive and forget themselves, so they feared Joseph might still hate them (Genesis 50:15). While their father was alive, they felt protected under his care. Now that he was gone, they expected the worst from Joseph.

A guilty conscience keeps people in constant fear, even when there is no real danger. It makes them suspicious of everyone, like Cain was (Genesis 4:14). If we want to live without fear, we must keep ourselves free from guilt. If our hearts do not condemn us, then we have confidence before both God and people.

The brothers humbled themselves before Joseph, admitted their wrong, and asked for his pardon. They did this first by sending a message (Genesis 50:17), and then in person (Genesis 50:18). Now that the sun and moon had set, the eleven stars bowed before Joseph, bringing his earlier dream even closer to its full meaning. They spoke of their old sin with fresh sorrow, saying, “Forgive the trespass.” Then they threw themselves on Joseph’s mercy and said, “We are your servants.”

We should grieve over sins we committed long ago, even if we trust that God has forgiven them through grace. And when we ask God for pardon, we should also offer ourselves to him as his servants.

The brothers also appealed to their connection with Jacob and with Jacob’s God. They said Jacob had told them to make this humble request, not because he doubted Joseph would forgive, but because he doubted whether they would do the right thing by humbling themselves. Joseph could not reasonably be expected to show kindness if they refused to prepare themselves for it (Genesis 50:16). In the same way, when we come to Christ with faith and repentance, we may say that this is what his Father, and our Father, commands us to do.

They also said, “We are the servants of the God of your father” (Genesis 50:17). They were not only children of the same Jacob, but worshipers of the same Lord. We should be ready to forgive anyone who has wronged us. But we should be especially careful not to keep bitterness toward those who serve the God of our father. We ought to treat such people with special kindness, because we and they have the same Master.

Joseph answered them with great compassion and renewed his friendship with them. His compassion showed when he wept as they spoke to him (Genesis 50:17). Those tears were from sorrow that they still mistrusted him, and from tenderness as they humbled themselves before him.

In his reply, Joseph first pointed them to God in their repentance. He said, “Am I in the place of God?” (Genesis 50:19). In humility, he felt they showed him too much honor, as if all their safety depended on his good will. His meaning was much like Peter’s words to Cornelius, “Stand up, I am only a man.” They needed to make peace with God first, and then they would find it easier to make peace with him.

When we ask forgiveness from someone we have hurt, we must be careful not to put that person in God’s place. We must not fear their anger more than God’s or seek their favor more than his. God alone has the right to judge and punish. People who take revenge put themselves in God’s place (Romans 12:19).

Joseph then softened their guilt by pointing to the great good God had brought out of it. He said, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20). They wanted to ruin Joseph’s dreams, but God used their actions to bring those dreams to pass and to make Joseph a greater blessing to his family than he could have been otherwise. This does not make their sin any less sinful, but it does show God’s wise rule over human actions.

Often God uses people’s actions to carry out his plans, even when they mean something very different from what he means, sometimes the opposite. Still, God’s purpose stands (Isaiah 10:7). He often brings good out of evil and carries forward his providence, that is, his wise care and rule over all things, even through human sin. That does not make God the author of sin, and we must never think that. But his wisdom so directs events that what was meant to dishonor him ends up praising him. The death of Christ is the clearest example (Acts 2:23). This does not make sin less sinful or sinners less guilty, but it greatly magnifies God’s wisdom.

Finally, Joseph assured his brothers of his lasting kindness. He said, “Do not be afraid. I will provide for you” (Genesis 50:21). This shows what a noble spirit Joseph had, and we should learn from him to repay evil with good. He did not keep them guessing or say he would be kind only if they proved themselves first. He would not leave them in fear or seem suspicious of them, even though they had been suspicious of him. He comforted them, and to drive away their fears, he spoke kindly to them.

Broken hearts need to be healed and encouraged. Those we love and forgive should not only receive our help, but also our kind words.