‘And Joseph said to them, “Don't be afraid. For am I in the place of God? And as for me, you intended evil against me, but God meant it for good, to cause to happen as it is this day, to save large numbers of people alive. Now therefore, do not be afraid. I will nourish you and your little ones.” And he comforted them and spoke directly to their hearts.'
Joseph is large minded. He sees things from God's perspective, and he assures them that he has no intention of harming them because he knows that what happened was all part of God's sovereign purpose, so that their evil was used for good and he is ready to leave any consequences, both for him and for them, in the hands of God.
“Am I in the place of God?” He is saying that they have all been experiencing the outworking of the covenant God, and asking whether, when He is so working, man can interfere. The whole pattern was God's. Thus what man would dare to disturb the pattern? So as far as he is concerned all is in the hands of God. If He has seen fit to use their behaviour to save the covenant community alive, and not only them but also vast numbers of other people, then it is He Who must determine the consequences. Meanwhile he will continue to love and nourish his brothers and their families.
And that God's purpose was good, he adds, has been revealed in that so many now live because of it who would otherwise have died. This message is important for it reveals that to him and to the writer Egyptians matter to God as well as the covenant community. This is no narrow message of mercy but one that has reached out to Egypt and all the surrounding countries.
“And he comforted them and spoke directly to their hearts.” And this was no cold theological position, for his heart was warm towards them and he wanted their hearts to be warm towards him.
Conclusion: Joseph, his Fruitfulness and Death (50:22-26)