Today’s weather report from heaven: Sunny and bright with an abundance of light, and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Scripture: “When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?” So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Your father left these instructions before he died: ‘This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.’ Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father.” When their message came to him, Joseph wept. His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. “We are your slaves,” they said. But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.“- Genesis 50:15-21
Insight: As we’ve been discussing the practical life lessons we can learn and apply to our own lives through the stories of the real life Bible Heroes, today we will continue our look at Joseph. We can learn many lessons from Joseph but the one I want to focus on today is the power of forgiveness. Joseph had many reasons to be bitter and resentful in his life, especially against his brothers who had left him for dead, only then to sell him into slavery to a caravan heading to Egypt. Besides his own family’s betrayal, he also had been falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife of sexual advances, and then while in jail forgotten by the Cupbearer who’s dream Joseph had deciphered which had led him into being reinstated into Pharaoh’s palace.
If anyone had a right to be angry and bitter about how his life was seemingly turning out, it was Joseph. But Joseph never lost hope in God and he never allowed himself to drown in the poisonous brew of his bitterness and anger. He knew that bitterness, anger and resentment would do him no good but rather a heart of forgiveness was the only thing that could bring him peace. To say that his brothers were probably shocked in how he responded to them would be a huge understatement. They had known in their own hearts the evilness of their plan with regards to Joseph, born of jealousy, and they had most likely felt that after their father Jacob had died that Joseph would finally enact his revenge. Their minds were probably full of imagination of how Joseph was going to exact his revenge. But in one of the most shocking exchanges in all the Bible that reflects the grace and forgiveness that truly changes lives and the world, Joseph says this to his brothers: “But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.” – Genesis 50:19-21
So, of course we need to be very real and introspective and ask ourselves the obvious question of “would we have reacted in the same way as Joseph?” Or the more appropriate question is probably is there anyone in our lives currently that has hurt us badly that we need to forgive? Forgiveness can be hard, because in many cases we have justification for the anger, bitterness or resentment we are feeling. But the lesson of the Bible that God is always trying to teach us through people like Joseph, and certainly even Jesus himself, is that forgiveness is always the better and healthier choice for us to make in the long run. Anger and bitterness actually sit inside of us and do terrible damage to us emotionally and physically. It is like we are drinking poison and hoping the other person gets sick. Forgiveness is never the easy choice, but it is always the best choice. It is hard, and we have all had periods in our lives where we have at least temporarily failed in forgiving someone that has hurt us. I know I certainly have. But like Joseph teaches us, forgiveness is the best way, the healthy way that honors God and allows him to write the end of the story in a way that leads to changed lives and a changed world.
Prayer: Father God, thank You that in Your Son Jesus we see firsthand the benefits that come through forgiveness above bitterness, anger, and revenge that lead to better outcomes for all involved. Joseph taught us how to practically apply this in our lives and the results can still be meaningful to us today as they were thousands of years ago. Amen!
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