Boyd's Commentary. R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation
Shame says, “I am bad.” Though they are not the same, these dysfunctional conditions of the soul complement each other. When we feel guilty for the bad we’ve done and start believing we are bad because of it, we get tangled up in the endless loop of disappointment and emotional despair. Those who are bound by shame always feel guilty. Those who are guilty often will feel shame. What is the remedy to such a dramatic condition of the soul? For Joseph’s brothers, they had to face both their guilt and shame with humility, ownership, and surrender.
The ten brothers realized their predicament and were moved to face their shame (though unexpectedly) by their desperation and need of grain. From a humbled posture, they bowed before their brother, unwittingly exposing their true identity to him. Such is necessary to overcome our guilt. When we are humbled enough to expose the truth of who we really are in front of those we have offended, we are endowed with the strength of God to break free from the bonds of emotional dysfunction.
Joseph’s brothers also addressed their shame by owning their actions. Part of what distorts emotional perception is the assignment of blame. On one hand are those who take no blame whatsoever for their actions. On the other are those who unfairly take all of it. Both are wrong. Owning up to our actions means taking responsibility for what we have done to contribute to the problem and realizing the impact.
Finally, the brothers entrusted their well-being into the hands of the one who had all the power. Despite their uncertainty, the brothers had little choice but to do what Joseph said and play his game. So, they did. Overcoming our guilt and shame requires our surrender to the One who has all the power. When we bare ourselves naked in His presence, recognize our need for His grace, and trust in His ability to deliver us from our broken emotions, we are no longer haunted.
When Joseph and his brothers’ paths crossed again, they converged at a point of emotional despair by which all of them were burdened. Joseph’s despair stemmed from the lingering bitterness he still had against his family. His brothers were haunted by shame and guilt for their actions. At the point of that convergence, God exchanged their guilt and shame for grace and mercy. Grace and mercy always abound when we live according to His purpose.
HOME DAILY DEVOTIONAL READINGS
SEPTEMBER 21–27, 2020
| LESSON 4 | SEPTEMBER 27, 2020 |
| GOD’S PLAN REVEALED | |
| TOPIC:LOVE PREVAILS OVER ALL | BACKGROUND SCRIPTURE:GENESIS 45:1–15 |
GENESIS 45:1–8, 10–15
| King James Version | New Revised Standard Version |
| THEN Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. | THEN Joseph could no longer control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, “Send everyone away from me.” So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. |
| 2 And he wept aloud: and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard. | 2 And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it. |
| 3 And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence. | 3 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence. |
| 4 And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. | 4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come closer to me.” And they came closer. He said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. |
| 5 Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. | 5 And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. |
| 6 For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. | 6 For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. |
| 7 And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. | 7 God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. |
| 8 So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. | 8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. |
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| 10 And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children’s children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast: | 10 You shall settle in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. |
| 11 And there will I nourish thee; for yet there are five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty. | 11 I will provide for you there—since there are five more years of famine to come—so that you and your household, and all that you have, will not come to poverty.’ |
| 12 And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you. | 12 And now your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my own mouth that speaks to you. |
| 13 And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen; and ye shall haste and bring down my father hither. |
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