"And when Joseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, It may be that Joseph will hate us, and will certainly requite us [literally, "he will surely return upon us,"] all the evil which we did unto him. And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Your father did command before he died, saying, so shall you say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray you now, the transgression of your brethren, and their sin; for that they did evil unto you: and now, we pray you, forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father. And Joseph wept when they spoke unto him. And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we are your servants. And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you thought evil against me; but God meant it for good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Now therefore fear not: I will nourish you and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spoke kindly unto them [to their hearts]. And Joseph lived in Egypt, he, and his father's house: and Joseph lived a hundred and ten years. And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: but God will surely visit you, and bring you up out of this land unto the land which He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from hence. So Joseph died, being a hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt." (Genesis 50:15-26)
It is characteristic of evil-minded people, that they cannot comprehend goodness in another. They cannot conceive of such a thing as disinterested benevolence. They imagine some ulterior motive in every kind act they see. This is expressed in God's words to the wicked: "You thought that I was altogether such a one as yourself." (Psalm 50:21)
So Joseph's brethren thought that he had shown kindness to them out of respect for his father, but that now he would surely have revenge, and do to them as they had done to him. Their suspicions showed what they would have done in the same circumstances.
"And Joseph wept when they spoke unto him." (Genesis 50:17)
Nothing can wound love more than to suspect it. He was not angry, but grieved. It was not that his feelings were hurt (he had suffered too much injustice and oppression to be wounded by misunderstanding of his motives), but he wept even as Jesus did over Jerusalem, when He said: "If you had known, even you, at least in this your day, the things which belong unto your peace!" (Luke 19:42)
It was sad that Joseph's brethren had received only the physical benefit of his kindness all these years, and had not understood it well enough to be won by it and be transformed by it.
"We can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth." (2 Corinthians 13:8)
How plainly this is demonstrated in the case of Joseph and his brethren. God had by dreams foretold that his brethren should bow down before him. They had taken effectual measures as they thought, to make it impossible for such a thing ever to take place. They had said: "Let us slay him, and we shall see what will become of his dreams." (Genesis 37:20)
By selling him as a slave they had separated him from them so completely that for years they themselves believed him to be dead; yet it transpired that what they did to prevent the fulfillment of his dreams was what brought it about.
"As for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good." (Genesis 50:20)
"[He] works all things after the counsel of His own will." (Ephesians 1:11)
"Who is he that says, and it comes to pass, when the Lord commands it not?" (Lamentations 3:37)
"The Lord of hosts has purposed, and who shall disannul it? and His hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?" (Isaiah 14:27)
Whatever the Lord thinks will surely be done, no matter though all the world tries to prevent it. All that is done will only further His plans. This is for our comfort; for just as in the case of Joseph His purpose was to save life, so now: "This is the will of God, even your sanctification." (1 Thessalonians 4:3)
And though Satan and all his hosts array themselves against us they cannot thwart God's will. His will must be done, and will be done. The only question is: "Shall it be done in spite of us to our destruction, or with our hearty assent, to our salvation?"
Joseph's hope was in the promise made of God unto the Fathers. See the article on "The Hope of the Promise." (PP Editor’s note: Waggoner is referring to another article that appeared in this same issue of October 24, 1901. That article is now included in the collection of articles, Paul and the Early Church.) He knew that when God said to Abraham: "Know of a surety that your seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; but in the fourth generation they shall come hither again," (Genesis 15:13) and afterwards confirmed this promise with an oath, saying: "Your seed shall possess the gate of his enemies." (Genesis 22:17) He was promising the inheritance through the resurrection, when death, the last enemy, shall be destroyed. He understood the glorious hope that God was holding out to Israel, and died full of faith in it.
The course of Joseph, in directing that his bones should not be buried in Egypt, but should be kept until God delivered His people, is a lesson even for us.
"By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones." (Hebrews 11:22)
During all the oppression, when the children of Israel experienced that which their fathers had made Joseph undergo, they had the bones of Joseph as a constant reminder of his trust in the faithfulness of God, and how it had been justified. Never had they any excuse for forgetting the promise of God; and during the forty years' wandering in the wilderness, the bones of Joseph were a constant reproof of their unbelief and murmuring. That same promise is ours today. The fact that they to whom it was preached did not believe it, and "could not enter in, because of unbelief," (Hebrews 3:19) does not in the least shake the surety of it.
"The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9)
Thus, "the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation." (2 Peter 3:15)--Present Truth, October 24, 190188--Genesis 50:15-26-- PP Editor’s Note: The Pioneer Writings collection that comes on the EGW CD has listed this article as October 17, 1901. This is wrong it should be October 24.
E.J. Waggoner