Genesis 47:11
And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Ramses, as Pharaoh had commanded.

Joseph had overcome.  He had gone from being sold into slavery to ruling in Egypt.  But this also gives him a place of prominence in his family and the ability and opportunity to be a blessing to his father and his brethren.  He is now in a position to give them the best that he could offer them.  He gives them life, a place to dwell, and he meets all of their needs.  His heart of love for them, despite what they had done to him, is exposed by the blessings he pours out to them.

Isn’t this what Jesus does for us?  He was once a servant, but now He is our King.  He gives to us good things out of His abundant supply, and He invites us to dwell near to Him.  He gives us life, a second chance, and hope in the midst of struggle.  He meets every need.  And indeed we do need Him.  We are dependent on Him for all that He offers to us.

But how humbling was it for Joseph’s brothers to accept this offer?  To bow before him and receive these things from his hands?  To believe that he’d do this for them after what they had done to him?  And isn’t that sometimes our dilemma?  We know deep down our own unworthiness of anything good that God offers to us.  We know how we once treated God, how we rebelled and sinned against Him.  It is a humbling thing to bow before the Lord and to admit what we’ve done and yet receive a blessing from His hands, the best that He can offer to us.

But that’s exactly what we can do, because God is good.  He is merciful.  And He doesn’t hold those past things against us when we repent of them.  His heart of love is to bless His people.  His desire is to give us good things that enrich our lives and help us to grow in our walk with Him.  Of course His blessings are undeserved, but we can freely accept them because He gives them by His grace.