forgiveness — Faves of Dave - Bible Study

Gen. 50:15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him.” 16 So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this command before he died: 17 ‘Say to Joseph, “Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.’” And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18 His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” 19 But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? 20 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. 21 So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

Gen. 50:22 So Joseph remained in Egypt, he and his father’s house. Joseph lived 110 years. 23 And Joseph saw Ephraim’s children of the third generation. The children also of Machir the son of Manasseh were counted as Joseph’s own. 24 And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will visit you and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” 25 Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.” 26 So Joseph died, being 110 years old. They embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.

There are certain stories throughout the Scriptures that move me every time I read them. The stories of Ruth, Mary, and the unnamed Samaritan woman at the well are such examples. These are each people of faith and courage. In this passage, we witness the compassion, humility, mercy, faithfulness, and love of Joseph toward his brothers.

Keep in mind that many years have passed since his brothers committed their treachery against him and sold him as a slave. It has been 18 years since the family was reunited and he demonstrated compassion and forgiveness toward them and showed great wisdom in his understanding of God’s sovereign work.

Nevertheless, when their father died, the thought and fear was that Joseph had only shown them compassion out of respect to his father. Now that Jacob was dead, they surmised that he might finally exact revenge for their actions against him. So, they first send a message to him begging for forgiveness, and then approach him offering to be his slaves. Joseph’s immediate response was to weep. Why?

I believe that the grief shown by Joseph is a reflection of God’s compassion, mercy, and love toward people. What this story reveals is that, even though Joseph had forgiven his brothers long ago and explained that their actions were motivated by evil, God used them to preserve all of them. Joseph had not pretended as though they were guiltless. He acknowledged that their actions were evil. Yet, he was not going to hold it against them and told them “not to be angry or distressed with yourselves” (Gen 45:5). In other words, Joseph had forgiven them. What has become evident after Jacob’s death is that his brothers have never really accepted that forgiveness. How tragic!

This is the kind of challenge many believers face today. Perhaps someone comes to the understanding that they are “sinners” and need forgiveness from the LORD. Perhaps they hear the gospel, come to faith in Christ, and understand that their sins are forgiven. Others may have come to that decision earlier in their life. But past struggles still tempt us, and we are faced with memories of our thoughts, words, or actions, living with the shame of them and confessing them again. This may even be a repetitive cycle. Is it not possible that our refusal to truly accept God’s forgiveness for our sins might grieve our loving and compassionate God?

I think the LORD understands our weaknesses. He also will not diminish the reality and seriousness of our sin. God’s grace is not to deceive us into thinking that our actions were really not all that bad. No. We must call evil what it is. Yet, in the awareness of that reality, we should not continue living in fear that God is just waiting for the opportune moment to smack us down. He is truly gracious and compassionate.

So, with that understanding, how should we respond to such compassion, mercy, and love? The answer is with gratitude, thanksgiving, and praise. God wants us to enjoy the fullness of the peaceful and encouraging relationship he wants with us. We cannot do that if we’re always living in the shadow of fear that retribution is about to come.

This first book concludes with Joseph’s death at age 110. The end of Joseph’s life is marked in the same way that characterized most of his life. He spoke God’s promises to his family. He reassured them that the LORD would someday deliver them from Egypt, according to the promise he had made to Abraham. Like Jacob before him, his family was made to swear not to leave his bones in Egypt, but to take them back to Canaan. Joseph not only provided evident examples of God’s compassion and mercy to his brothers, but he also testified to the certain, future fulfillment of God’s promise to deliver them out of Egypt.

These Israelites, whose parents had been delivered out of Egypt, were about to enter the land promised to them. Unlike their parents, however, they needed to trust that the LORD was good and able to do everything he had promised. Our need to learn the same lesson is no less true.

Well, this brings us to the end of Genesis, but not the end of the story of Israel and his descendants' presence in Egypt. The next book, entitled Exodus, reveals what happens after Joseph died. For that matter, the four books that follow Genesis tell us more about the LORD’s dealings with the Israelites leading up to their re-entry into the Promised Land. I am not going to blog on any of these books just yet. But I would encourage you to read Exodus at least and see how the relationship between a later Pharaoh and the Israelites changes. Does the promised Seed appear? Who might it appear to be? Why or why not would that person be the Seed?