“Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.”
So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your children. And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them. The practical commitment — I will provide for you and your children — is the forgiveness made concrete. Joseph does not merely declare forgiveness; he provides for those he has forgiven. The speaking kindly is the same phrase used of Shechem speaking to Dinah after violating her (Genesis 34:3) — but here the kindness is genuine and the provision is real. The application: the forgiveness that produces provision for those forgiven is the forgiveness that has become love.
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