Come near to me

Come near to me

And Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near to me.” So they came near (Genesis 45:4).

In Genesis 48 we read, “Then Israel saw Joseph’s sons, and said, ‘Who are these?’ Joseph said to his father, ‘They are my sons, whom God has given me in this place.’ And he said, ‘Please bring them to me, and I will bless them.’ Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. Then Joseph brought them near him, and he kissed them and embraced them” (Genesis 48:8-10).

The story of Jacob and Joseph ends as it had begun. It focuses upon the love between a father and his son. The journey which led to Joseph’s glory in Egypt began because his father sent him to find his brothers. His obedience in travelling alone to find brothers he knew hated him was always going to be a dangerous journey. But was he alone? If I had been Joseph, perhaps I would have left my coat of many colours at home. Maybe I would have put on something ordinary so as not to alienate my siblings further. But not Joseph. He would not take off that which spoke of his father’s love for him. We know what that cost him in the suffering and distance he experienced in the pit, at the hands of the Ishmaelites, in Potiphar’s house and finally in prison.

But we have not read about distance, rather about nearness. Genesis 45:4 allows us to see love, so deep and forgiving, expressed by Joseph’s words, “Please come near to me.” The development of Christendom has erected so many things such as rituals, dress, buildings, altars, icons and endless divisions, which have succeeded in putting distance between God and His children. And also, like Joseph’s brothers, we can hesitate to come near because we remember our failure and unworthiness. Sadly, we can fail to understand and respond to the simplicity and overwhelming desire of the Lord Jesus to embrace us in His perfect love.

When Joseph goes to meet his father Jacob in Genesis 48, he does not go alone. We often think of that glorious day when the Lord Jesus will fulfil His promise to bring His own into the Father’s house. When we meet young children that we know, we often ask with affection, “And who is this?” – not an expression of the need for an introduction, but of delight. Perhaps there will be a moment in heaven when the Father delights in asking the Son, “Whose are these?” And the Lord Jesus will reply, “The children that You gave Me.” In that day, we shall know, and never cease to know, what it is to be fully embraced by the love of God.

Joseph brought Ephraim and Manasseh near to Jacob. In doing so, these children witnessed the love that existed between their father and grandfather. It was the basis of all their blessings. The Lord Jesus has brought us near to Himself and His Father. We see the glory of the love of the Father and the Son. It is the source of all our blessings, and today it appeals to us afresh, in the power of the blessed Holy Spirit, to come near and worship.