Genesis 44:14  When Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house, he was still there, and they fell down to the ground before him.

We know we probably shouldn’t in most cases, but there are times in all of our lives when we really want to say, “I told you so!” There is a certain satisfaction in knowing that things turned out like we said they would and others having to admit it!

Joseph’s brothers have fallen down before him. He remembers a similar scene from many years before when, angered to the breaking point, his brothers surrounded him and fell on him. They sold him into the slavery having been infuriated when he told them of a dream that seemed to imply that some day they would bow before him. They would have none of that kind of talk. He was dead to them!

If Joseph hadn’t ‘died’ things would have turned out quite differently, not just for them, either. If Joseph hadn’t ‘died’ he wouldn’t have ended up in Egypt. He wouldn’t have been in Potiphar’s house or in the prison. If that hadn’t happened, he wouldn’t have ended up second in command. In a sense, he died and was raised to great power.

Paul wrote to the Philippians about a day in the future regarding Jesus.

Philippians 2:9-11 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

A lot of people encounter Jesus in a way. They hear of Him and reject Him. They want nothing to do with Him. Whether out of anger or not, pushing Him away from themselves, He is dead to them. They feel that that is an end to the matter. It isn’t.

Jesus isn’t someone who lived a long time ago and was misunderstood, crossed the powers that be, and died a horrible death. He is God and He died that death for us. But He also rose again that we might live with Him.

Rejection or acceptance now will not determine our stance on that day to come of which Paul. We, along with everyone else who ever lived, will bow. We will confess that He is Lord. But that won’t be a saving confession. The time for that is now. It won’t bring Paul any satisfaction on that day to say, “I told you so!”

Blessings,

Pastor Russ