Holly Bible - KJV with Concise Commentaries by Z Selam - HTML preview
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16 And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did
command before he died, saying,
17 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.
Joseph, with a great deal of compassion, confirms his reconciliation and affection to them; his compassion appears, Ge 50:17. He wept when they spoke to him. These were tears of sorrow for their suspicion of him, and tears of tenderness upon their submission. In his reply, he directs them to look up to God in their repentance (Ge 50:19): Am I in the place of God? He, in his great humility, thought they showed him too much respect, as if all their happiness were bound up in his favour, and said to them, in effect, as Peter to Cornelius, "Stand up, I myself also am a man. Make your peace with God, and then you will find it an easy matter to make your peace with me." Note, When we ask forgiveness of those whom we have offended we must take heed of putting them in the place of God, by dreading their wrath and soliciting their favour more than God's. "Am I in the place of God, to whom alone vengeance belongs? No, I will leave you to his mercy." Those that avenge themselves step into the place of God, Ro 12:19.
18 And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they
said, Behold, we be thy servants.
19 And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? 20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto
good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.
He extenuates their fault, from the consideration of the great good which God wonderfully brought out of it, which, though it should not make them the less sorry for their sin, yet might make him the more willing to forgive it (Ge 50:20): You thought evil (to disappoint the dreams), but God meant it unto good, in order to the fulfilling of the dreams, and the making of Joseph a greater blessing to his family than otherwise he could have been.