Genesis 50:15–21
The Bible4Jesus.com Podcast
About this episode
Jacob is dead, the period of mourning has concluded, and an old fear begins to creep back into the hearts of the ten. It is a fear born of guilt, a ghost summoned by a guilty conscience. While their father was alive, they felt a certain measure of security. Joseph, they reasoned, was likely restraining his vengeance out of respect for Jacob. But now that Jacob is gone, what is to stop Joseph from settling the score? Their sin, though decades old, is still crouching at the door of their hearts. This is the nature of unforgiven sin, or sin that we refuse to believe is truly forgiven. The brothers are not afraid of God nearly so much as they are afraid of Joseph. They invent a story, a posthumous command from Jacob, in a clumsy attempt to manage Joseph and mitigate the wrath they are certain they deserve.