JOSEPH: Forgiveness and Reconcilation

Genesis 42-47

“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today” (Genesis 50:20).

The story of Joseph, as we have been learning, opens with brothers who are jealous and allowed that jealousy to turn into anger, bitterness, resentment, and then treachery as they sold him into slavery. In doing so, they “killed” their relationship with their brother and deceived their father.

Joseph’s journey began with favor from his father, treachery from his brothers, enslavement to Potiphar, unjustly imprisoned, forgotten, summoned to Pharaoh and elevated to second in the empire.  His journey from the pit to the palace is a story of persistent faithfulness and choices that honor God.

I am sure Joseph was angry at his brothers, but he did not allow anger to turn to bitterness and resentment. Somewhere along the route through the desert, in servitude or even in prison, Joseph learned to forgive his brothers for their sin against him. He began to see God working in and through all the events that transpired. Although the text doesn’t walk us through his thought process and heart change, we see in his responses to his brothers the result of God working forgiveness in Joseph.

Danger: Anger

Anger is a dangerous emotion and we have to learn how we can surrender it to the Lord. I personally am always suspect of my anger, knowing that "the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God" (James 1:20). When we don't deal with anger in a godly way, it has a way of turning into bitterness and resentment. These produce caustic attitudes and actions that destroy others and ruin our lives. Ultimately, it can lead to murder, not necessarily a literal murder, but the death of a relationship.

This was the course of action that Joseph's brothers took, and Joseph could have walked that same path. But his attitude and actions demonstrated that Joseph has allowed his knowledge of God to shape his life:

"But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing" (James 1:25).

Testing: Forgiveness and Reconciliation

As second to Pharaoh, Joseph was placed in charge of securing food for the famine season. Now the famine has come to Egypt and the surrounding territories. The world is coming to Joseph for food, and this included his brothers. The dreams Joseph had early in his life have now come to fruition.

His brothers come to get food for the rest of their family and they do not realize that it is Joseph whom they are asking for food. They have come to believe their own lie, that their brother is dead. Joseph demonstrated a form of forgiveness without their repentance as he acted kindly toward them.

Forgiving others is commanded by God for all believers. It is to become second nature to the forgiven. God forgave us of much, surely, we can forgive others the wrongs they committed against us (Matthew 18:21-35). Forgiveness is as much for you and your heart as it is for others. It is the act of surrendering it to God, open handedly laying it down at the foot of the cross and not holding it over another person. Just as God doesn’t hold our sins against us, we need to learn to let go of others’ sin and not hold it over them.

Now forgiveness is not the same thing as reconciliation. Forgiveness is needed to start the reconciliation process, but reconciliation needs both parties to participate in order to be successful. Reconciliation is a process of learning to trust and mend the relationship. It’s hard to “forgive and forget,” which I am not convinced we can do. We forgive and we learn, and only when both parties learn do we see them reconcile.

Joseph, though he has forgiven his brothers, doesn’t trust them. So, he puts them unknowingly through a series of tests to see if they are repented for their sins and have learned from their wrongs. The test required risks, but provided opportunities for Joseph to learn about his family, provide for his family and bless his family.

Trust is something that is earned. It can take a lifetime to earn it and only a momentary mistake to lose it. As parents trust their children, the give them more freedoms. As teens disobey they break the trust. When you find yourself in a place where you lost the trust of your parents, or someone else, understand that you need to earn that trust back. It can take time and diligence, but it is possible. Don’t just demand freedom and trust, demonstrate the fact that you have learned and have grown through the circumstance.

The testing Joseph gave demonstrated that indeed his brothers have changed and were no longer the jealous and angry mob they were. Now they have grown protective of their younger brother Benjamin and honor their aging father. It is only then that Joseph reveals his true identity to them with tears of compassion and a loving embrace.

Joseph’s forgiveness was not based on his own strength or compassion, but on the promises of God”

“And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life” (Genesis 45:5).

Joseph recognized that God was at work and used his brothers’ sin against him to further His plan for the world. He saw that God was faithful to His promises and gained the strength to overcome the hardships he faced and the sins of his family by trusting in God.

Redemption: Promised and Provided

God’s plan of redemption promised Jacob that his family would be a blessing to the entire world. The story of Joseph shows how God works through an individual’s life, the ups and the downs, and fulfills His promises. Although we can learn much from Joseph the man, we have far more to learn from the God who is orchestrating events for His glory and our greatest good. Joseph’s story shows how faith in God can give an individual power to overcome, but it points us to another Son who encountered injustice, imprisonment and death.

Jesus was unjustly arrested, tried and put to death by sinners whom He came to save. Unlike Joseph, Jesus knew what He was getting into when He came to this world to demonstrate His love for us. He lived a perfect and sinless life in order to provide the perfect sacrifice for sin. He willingly substituted Himself for us when He died on the cross and shed His blood for our sin. When He arose from the dead on the third day, He demonstrated power over death and sin.

It is because He rose again that we know that we can be forgiven and reconciled to God. It is because of His resurrection and forgiveness to us that we can have the power to forgive and be reconciled to others. It’s not an easy task, but persistent faithfulness and choices to honor God will lead to seeing His power overcome the most impossible circumstances. God brought Joseph and his family back together, will you trust Him to do the same in your life?

A Story of Reconcilation