Genesis 45:3-4

New King James Version

Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph; does my father still live?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed in his presence. 4 And Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near to me.” So they came near. Then he said: “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt.

For Meditation

I am Joseph!

The Shockwave that swept through the residence of Joseph was too severe to bear. The brothers had been uncomfortable, not knowing what was going on, only thinking the man had brought them into seclusion to overpower and use them as slaves. They had beads of sweat on their brows, but now, perspiration drenched their entire bodies. 

I am Joseph!

The echo of his voice reverberated in their ears, turning their faces at each other in wonderment. 

What is going on? 

Joseph is dead, so how can he become the prince of Egypt?

But, O, yes, he is your brother Joseph, not a ghost.

No load is weightier than guilt, and the sons of Jacob had truckloads of them to carry before their resurrected brother.

Judah attempted an intervention, but he choked. 

Dismay has a way of silencing the bravest of men. 

Joseph called his brothers to come close, and what they heard must have shocked them more.

“God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you on the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you who sent me here, but God.”

It is not you who sent me here!

We think we are so powerful when we exercise authority over others, but we are not. If only we knew what God does with our wickedness until He plucks our feathers and strips our pompous adornment away. Then and only then do we realize we are nothing but what God does with us or allows us to do at any time.

O that we will humble ourselves before Him!

Saul of Tarsus rode high and hard on the horse of Christian persecution until his day came on Damascus Road (Acts 9:1-6). A blinding light from heaven sent him tumbling down and on his face, and a voice called out to him, saying,

Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?

 Who are you, Lord? Saul asked.

I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting (6).

That must have shaken Saul of Tarsus harder than an earthquake. Deflated and disarmed, he prostrated on the road until Jesus graciously sent him to Ananias to heal him. Saul realized he had no power but Jesus. His zeal was gone with every authority he had. Grace remained his only hope and precisely what Jesus came to extend to him, as Joseph gave to his brothers.

So, let us be careful how we behave towards the weak because of the authority we wield. When God shows His hand, we would not like what we hear. Psalm 2 is a testament to this as a warning to us.  

I am Joseph! 

I am Jesus!  

So, what does that make you?