Day 120 – Genesis 50:15-17
Peradventure Joseph Will Hate Us
Scripture Reading – Genesis 50:15-17
And when Joseph’s brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him.
Genesis 50:15 KJV
And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying,
Genesis 50:16 KJV
So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him.
Genesis 50:17 KJV
Scripture Review
After Jacob’s burial, Joseph’s brothers become afraid. They suppose Joseph may now hate them and repay all the evil they did. They send a message recalling their father’s instruction that Joseph forgive their trespass, then come asking forgiveness as servants of the God of his father. The text does not tell me that they invented Jacob’s words, so I should not accuse them where Scripture does not. It does show that guilt still shapes their expectation.
They have lived under Joseph’s provision, heard his explanation of God’s purpose, and traveled with him in mourning, yet they fear mercy may have been temporary. Unsettled guilt keeps looking for the delayed blow. Their request is humble and specific: trespass, sin, and evil are named. Joseph’s answer begins with tears.
The brothers meant to protect themselves from the vengeance they feared and appeal for forgiveness on the basis of their father’s words and shared God.
God meant to bring the brothers’ remaining fear into the open and give Joseph another opportunity to confirm mercy with truth.
What this asks of me
If I have sinned, I should ask forgiveness plainly rather than hide behind vague language. If forgiveness has been given, I should not keep treating mercy as a pause before revenge. Persistent fear may reveal that I am measuring another person’s grace by the retaliation I would have planned.
Consider
- Is there a specific wrong for which I need to ask forgiveness without excuses?
- Am I living as though declared mercy is only a delayed punishment?