SHOW YOUR TRUE SELF AND SPEAK THE TRUTH

PROCLAMATION

“And Joseph said unto his brethren, ‘Come near me, I pray you.’  And they came near.  And he said, ‘I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.’ ”  Genesis 45:4 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These are the words of God which were revealed to and written by Moses under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  After playing games with his brothers for a while and testing them, Joseph revealed the truth to them that he was their brother. (Genesis 45:1-4)  Then he told them not to be angry with themselves for what they had done.  They meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.  He said because of the way things happened he was now in a position to save their lives. (Genesis 45:5-8)  He told them to go back home and get their father and bring him there.  He said that they could live in Goshen near him for there were still five more years of famine remaining. (Genesis 45:9-13)  Then he hugged and kissed his brothers and wept.  When the Pharaoh heard that Joseph’s brothers had come, he said for them to return home and get their father and bring him back, and he would give them the best land in Egypt.  He also gave them donkeys laden with provisions, and he gave them carts for their wives and children to ride in when they brought them back to Egypt. (Genesis 45:14-23)  When they arrived in Canaan, they told their father Israel all that had transpired including that Joseph was the governor of Egypt. (Genesis 45:24-28)

 

APPLICATION

All too often people put on a false face and pretend to be someone that they are not.  We should not try to “live a lie” in order to please or impress someone.  If people cannot accept us for the person that we are, then we are better off without them in our lives.  We need to be truthful to ourselves, and to others, for The Lord God detests liars. (Psalm 101:7)  As believers we are God’s representatives here on earth.  He is holy, so we should be holy. (1 Peter 1:16)  He is truthful, so we should be truthful. (Proverbs 12:17, Zechariah 8:16, and Ephesians 4:25)  Remember, perfection is not humanly possible, but it is a goal that is well worth striving for.