Fulfillment of Joseph’s Dreams
Now we see a full confession. I am deeply moved by Judah’s speech, but I
will save that for the end of the story.
First, let’s pause for a moment and look at Genesis 44:14. Here the brothers bow before Joseph – all 11
of them! This fulfills Joseph’s dreams,
and Joseph can now readily see that God has indeed been with him and provided
for him all along. The dream that
started this whole chain of events has finally come to be fulfilled and it
marks the beginning of the end of this story.
It is neat to simply pause and look at how a story of God’s faithfulness
is marked by God’s proclamation in the beginning and God’s fulfillment in the
end.
Judah
Let’s get on with Judah’s speech. Here we have a passionate speech of
repentance and forgiveness. Here the
rubber meets the road, and Judah fully understands what life has dealt
him. Judah knows that his own reputation
with his father – as well as the lives of his children back in Canaan – is at
stake. So Judah has no reason to hold
back. He has fallen as far as he is
going to fall. He has fallen as far as
he is capable of falling. He lets it all
out.
I find it very interesting that this remains true. Until people have fallen completely, people
will only confess what they feel safe to confess. It is only when they have fallen completely
and they have nothing left to hide or protect that it all comes out. Only when it all comes out can change really
occur.
Notice what Judah confesses here. Judah begins in Genesis 44:16 with
recognition of guilt. As Judah relates
the story, notice that he includes the story of Joseph’s “demise” and Jacob’s
reaction to it. Judah may not realize
it, but his inclusion of this part of the story shows Judah’s repentance to
Joseph. Judah may be including it to help
this Egyptian vizier to understand why Benjamin is so important to Jacob, but
Joseph hears the words and knows how the sinful act of selling him into slavery
has torn apart this family.
Finally, Judah pleads to remain instead of Benjamin. Here Judah is willing to accept the blame for
an act that he did not commit. Here
Judah shows to Joseph what lies at the heart of a truly repentant person:
selflessness.
Sin comes out of our own selfish desire, ambition, and
perspective. When we repent, we take our
focus off of ourselves and put it back where it belongs, back where it is in
line with God’s perspective. Repentance
allows us to see the community and the people around us in addition to
ourselves.
Joseph’s Response
Joseph understands just how much Judah has come to a new
place in his life, a place where his love for father and brother would mean a
willingness to sacrifice himself. That
is a truly different Judah than the one we saw who argued for Joseph’s slavery!
This is such an incredible story of repentance on the behalf
of Judah. Perhaps back in Genesis 38 you
thought as I did, “Why, God, did you pick Judah as the son through whom Jesus
would come?” But now it is clear. Judah was no saint, but he did repent and fully
come around to see God’s ways.
This really sounds like someone else we will meet in the Old
Testament from the line of Judah: King David.
In both of these figures we understand that God truly does desire true
repentance more than absolute perfection.
Neither of these characters is a shining moral example of the Godly
life. But both figures are a beautiful
shining example of godly repentance: men after God’s own heart.
Christ
One final thought. I
really see Christ here in this story, although it took reading a commentary for
me to come to truly see it. Like Judah
before Joseph, the sinner stands before God and confesses their sin expecting
to be judged and expecting their life to be over. But Christ stands before the sinner while
hearing the honest confession. As we
shall see portrayed through Joseph in the next chapter, after hearing the
confession Christ weeps and embraces the repentant sinner back into the
fold.
I challenge you to see Judah as an analogy to the
stereotypical sinner – even yourself. As
you read the next chapter, I challenge you to see Joseph as the analogy to
Christ. Not that he is Christ, of course,
but Joseph acts in a manner similar to Christ.
I think we can read these passages far more deeply when we see the cycle
of repentance and forgiveness that these chapters tell us is available also for
us through Jesus Christ.
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