Joseph's brothers continued to carry the guilt of selling their brother, especially after their father died. It was a heavy burden on them because they knew they had taken away a lot of good years he didn't get to spend with the man who loved him very much. They began to worry that since their father was dead Joseph would hold a grudge against them and eventually want to pay them back for all the wrongs they had done to him during his life. Their jealousy had caused Joseph great heart ache and great trouble in a foreign country, at first as a slave, then in prison for many years as a forgotten man. They couldn't stop thinking about it and their worry grew. In desperation to keep him from seeking revenge on them they decided to send word to Joseph that their father left instructions before he died for him to forgive his brothers of the sins and wrongs they committed against him.
When the message got to Joseph he wept.
His brothers then came to him and threw themselves down before him and said, "We are your slaves."
Joseph replied, "Do not be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done. Many lives have been saved. So then, do not be afraid! I will provide for you and for your children." Joseph continued to be kind to them to reassure them. He wanted them to understand he trusted God, and he had faith that God could make good things happen out of bad intentions. This enabled him to completely forgive his brothers, leaving all judgment to God.
Joseph stayed in Egypt, along with all his father's family. He lived a hundred and ten years and saw the third generation of Ephraim's children, and also grandsons of Manasseh were placed on his knees at birth.
When the time came Joseph told his brothers, "I am about to die. God will come to your aid and take you up out of this land, he will take you to the land he promised Abraham, Isaac and our father, Israel who was once Jacob. " Joseph then made the sons of Israel all swear an oath that in time when God brings them out of Egypt they were to carry his bones back to the promised land.
At his death Joseph was embalmed and mourned, and then placed in a coffin in Egypt.
...... Exodus ( the exile of the Israelites out of Egypt )begins 350 years later...........
(Life Question: Joseph had it figured out! He knew his brothers had intended to harm to him, but he also knew God intended to make it good. He knew the power of God can over-ride anything bad. Do you forgive easily? Do you let go of the wrongs someone does to you because you know God will change their intention into good? Isn't it amazing how powerful God is? Isn't it exciting to wait for the blessing to come when someone talks bad about you or tries to hurt you in some way? )