A Breathtaking Account

It’s a verse I have read numerous times over the past 36-plus years, but it was not until this morning that it actually struck a chord with me.

It’s one of those tucked-in, easy-to-overlook verses of the Bible, but if you stop and think about it, it’s one that really fires the imagination.

The verse is part of the emotionally-packed Joseph-and-his-brothers narrative, and occurs just after Joseph – now the second-in-command of Egypt – reveals his true identity to his brothers.

If you know the story, you know that 22 years earlier Joseph’s brothers heinously sold Joseph as a slave to the Ishmaelites (Genesis 37:25-28), who in turn brought him down to Egypt, where Joseph was wrongly imprisoned, but also providentially prospered.

For more than 2 decades the brothers believed Joseph to be dead. They had no idea he was alive, and even ruling over Egypt – at least to the point where he was supervising the nation during the severe drought that consumed the region.

Because Joseph was in charge, he was the man the brothers had to solicit when they sojourned to Egypt seeking food for their families.

Little did they know that man with whom they negotiated was their long-lost brother, and we can only imagine their shock, awe, and stupefaction when at long last they discovered the truth.

After the breathtaking reveal is made in Genesis Chapter 45, we read this seeming tagged-on verse: “And he [Joseph] kissed all his brothers and wept on them, and afterward his brothers talked with him” (v. 15, emphasis added).

Hey, Not So Fast!
Over the years, I simply moved past this verse without a second thought, but for some reason, on my most recent reading of the account, I said to myself, “Hey, wait a minute. Not so fast!”

The reason for this is that the account continues in verse 16 as if verse 15 didn’t exist. But as I thought about it, my imagination shifted to hyperdrive. I began to think about what the brothers talked about. I doubt this was some casual discussion, but more – so much more!

Every brother must have had their heart in their mouth as they recounted so much of what had occurred over the past 22 years.

Did it start with the actual treacherous selling of Joseph? Did one of the brothers – speaking for the others – explain how young and stupid they all were, how they allowed their jealously to overtake their intellect.

Did they tell Joseph about the immediate aftermath of the odious deed – namely, their father Jacob’s inconsolable grief and refusing to be comforted?

Did they speak about how unbearable it was to face each other as they toiled in the fields with the flocks? I say this because in the very next chapter following the account of the treachery we read that “it came about at that time, that Judah departed from his brothers” (38:1).

Did they tell Joseph about their families – how many children they each had and their names?

And what must each brother have thought as he absorbed the incredible details Joseph likely shared regarding his time as steward in Potiphar’s house, his betrayal by Potiphar’s wife, his 13 years in jail, and his unfathomable rise to the near-top of Egyptian governmental power?

What would it have been like for Joseph to finally get the opportunity to tell his story to his brothers? And what would it have been like for his brothers to comprehend such a remarkable account?

What kind of heart-searing emotions would have been coursing their spirits as they engaged in this indescribable moment, and how could any of the 12 have possibly slept that night!

If only the Bible had filled us in on some of the details, but perhaps it’s better it didn’t. Some things simply cannot be adequately described.

But at least the Bible does tells us that they talked, and, if you let that seeming tidbit sink in, it absolutely fires the imagination!

David Ettinger was born and raised in a Jewish family in New York. After moving to New Mexico as an adult, he suffered through many trials. The nudge of the Holy Spirit caused him to examine his heart and in 1986 he surrendered his life to Jesus and has walked with Him ever since. David holds a BA, and MA, in English from New Mexico State University. He began his journalism career writing for The Roundup, the university paper. After graduation he became the sportswriter for the El Paso Times. He has held many other positions as both writer and editor with major publications. David is active in providing his skills with Zion’s Hope, Inc., in Winter Garden, Florida. His publications include Lifeway publications, Single Parent magazine (Focus on the Family), Zion’s Fire magazine, and Real Life magazine. In addition, he served as managing editor for Zion’s Fire and Real Life. David’s book, Overcomers: 30 Stories of Triumph from the Bible, is available online. David is proud of his son and grandson. Please read his testimony here, on his website. 

Feature Photo taken from David Ettinger Website.