PASTOR’S NOTES
And Joseph said to his brothers, Please come near to me.”
In the eyes of God, freedom always comes after the admission of guilt. This is a truth that we very much see in this week’s text. This week we see all the struggle and all the years come to the surface of God’s great plan in the lives of Joseph and his brothers. We see that prison and the famine had nothing to do with worldly struggle, but more to do with a spiritual call to repentance and true life. All the struggle experienced by all parties involved has brought this family to an overwhelming place of joy! A place of joy that will be born in guilt.
In chapters 44 and 45, we see Judah and some of his brothers willingly fall to their knees in the reality of guilt. They had a chance to walk away and save themselves, but instead repentance is what they chose. Judah knew that worldly freedom in a life of unrepentant sin was not freedom at all. Judah knew that they were guilty, and it was time to stop running. We see that in their guilt and repentance, true freedom was given!
This week we will take our Lord’s Supper again as this week’s text calls us to same repentance and celebration we were called to last week. I pray that as you read this and as you go through the text before Sunday, you examine your own life:
How is God calling you to life through the reality of your own guilt?
Is God calling you to stop running and fall at the altar of His saving grace?
Does the enemy keep giving you a way to continue running away and trying to save yourself?
I pray that the arms of Jesus find you this week and the burden of sin is swallowed by our savior. Like how Joseph could not “restrain himself” when his brothers admitted their guilt, Jesus is the same way. He calls to us to fall at the cross and stop running.
Stay faithful church.
EXTRA READING THIS WEEK
Read 2 Chronicles 7:14 this week which speaks on the promises of God for those who repent.
