NOTES for Gen 45:1-28
Joseph's meeting and reconciliation with his brothers is the central moment of this whole story. But within this episode an even deeper meaning of what is happening is revealed. Having passed through all the trials, the brothers become able to see God's action behind their adventures: it was He who brought Joseph to Egypt and thereby saved his family from famine. If before their life had been full of fear, uncertainty, and despair, then after the despair of losing Benjamin and the joy of meeting Joseph, they can hear his words: "It was not you who stood behind these events. It was God!"
Scripture reveals to its reader the most important mystery of human destiny: a person can see the meaning of his path, the meaning that stands behind trials, suffering, joy, fear, and hope. But not before he has walked that path, not before he has recognized his wrongness and taken a desperate step toward the One who leads him along this difficult road.