Today’s Verse and Thought
“‘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.”(Genesis 50:17)
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Biblical Heroes
I used to think that all the characters in the Bible were bigger-than-life superheroes. Many of the stories were about people that seemed to have some kind of perfected and righteous status in God’s eyes - like Noah and Moses - who did amazing things and had direct contact with God.
In one of the most detailed Biblical stories we meet one of these heroes: Joseph. He was the most beloved son of Jacob/Israel. We learn that Joseph’s brothers were so jealous of the teen (due to his father’s favoritism), that they plotted to get rid of him.
At just seventeen years old, Joseph’s half-brothers sold him into slavery and concocted a story to tell Jacob that Joseph was killed by wild animals. They betrayed Joseph, and their own father in the process.
“So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.”*Genesis 37:28)
Later in the story, when Joseph was thirty, we find that God preserved him and gave him a high-ranking place in the Egyptian court.
“So Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.’ ”(Genesis 41:41)
Years later, the half-brothers unknowingly faced Joseph when they went to Egypt seeking food during a severe famine. By this time Joseph was in charge of all the Pharaoh’s business dealings, including food distribution.
An amazing thing took place when Joseph revealed who he was to his half-brothers. When they realized they were begging for food from Joseph, they were afraid that he would retaliate (probably because that’s how they would have reacted). But our super-hero, Joseph, didn’t do as they had expected.
“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 50:15-26)
When evil turns to good
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”(Romans 8:28).
Imagine the strength it took to have that attitude. Here Joseph could have legally had all of his half-brothers put to death for what they did to him, but Joseph forgave them instead. And he also showered them with kindness after the fact.
We may think that it’s because Joseph had ended up with such a glorious life that he could easily just dismiss the past. Let bygones be bygones and all.
But while he was in captivity Joseph experienced all kinds of human hardships: False accusations, imprisonment, abandonment, loss of his family, betrayal, potential execution, and more. When his half-brothers came on the scene, it was years after Joseph had already suffered greatly due to their actions.
Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, “It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.”(Genesis 41:51)
Not only did Joseph grant the men mercy, he also recognized that all the trials he had gone through were God’s doing. What was meant for evil, God meant for good.
I’m no superhero, and neither was Joseph, by the way
All the people in the Bible are not only “just people” with lives like any of us, they were also sinful like all of us. My favorite example is King David who was an adulterer, murderer, and liar.
And yet, we all know David was “a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22).” This was recounted by Saul/Paul, another man with a less than stellar record. But God chose him to be an Apostle to the Gentiles (Galatians 2:8).
“We learn much of David’s character in the book of Psalms as he opened up his life for all to examine. David’s life was a portrait of success and failure, and the biblical record highlights the fact that David was far from perfect. But what made David a cut above the rest was that his heart was pointed toward God. He had a deep desire to follow God’s will and do “everything” God wanted him to do. He was a man after God’s own heart. “(source)
A Joseph moment for me
Many years ago, I faced one of the darkest days of my life as I sat with someone who had seriously betrayed me. The person confessed their actions to me, and it became an event - like Joseph’s - that caused a chain reaction of suffering for myself and my family (with residual scars that still remain today). We can’t always undo the consequences of sin, but we can allow God to turn it into good.
In that moment of crushing emotional pain, I took the hand of this person and said, “I forgive you.” It certainly wasn’t because I was a super-Christian; it was simply because in that moment, God gave me the grace I needed to say those words.
The person I forgave was sorry they got caught in their sin, but they weren’t sorry for their actions and how it hurt others, nor did they repent. They never once asked to be forgiven, and have never taken responsibility for the pain and destruction they caused. But God gave me the spirit of His forgiveness to impart to this person who had now become my enemy.
Even though this person is no longer in my life, that day has remained a lifelong lesson for me. As God gave me the ability to forgive that day, He also freed me from a life of bitterness. None of this was my doing; it was all God.
God’s presence was a constant in my life, so that in this most desperate moment, He was there as well. Not because I deserved it. Not because the other person deserved it. It’s because I surrendered it to Him - despite my human feelings.
God’s mercy was given to both of us that day in different ways. All I did was allow Him to take the situation from me. In my own strength - in my flesh - I could never have had the grace it took to do what I did that day. And like Joseph, I had every right to retaliate. No one would have blamed me. And it wasn’t because it made everything all right with a happy ending. It didn’t.
I have had several poignant moments of forgiveness in my life. Now as an old person, I can look back and see the collective and constant benefits of that gift.
“And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”(Mark 11:25).
Your greatest superpower is more powerful than a rock
I forgive you. Forgiveness is such a great force that it can change the course of history. I can already hear someone saying, “but I can’t forgive. What they did wasn’t right. They don’t deserve it.”
“When they kept on questioning him [Jesus], he straightened up and said to them, ‘Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’”(John 8:7)
I can hear others say, “ Well, maybe I can ‘forgive’ but I’ll never forget what they did. They never told me they were sorry. No, I can’t just let that go.”
Joseph didn’t forgive his brothers because they said they were sorry. In fact, the Bible tells us that they were trying to scheme and plot, once again, when they approached Joseph, trying to trick him into not retaliating by lying to him. They seemed only concerned for their own skin; not showing remorse for their actions.
“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.”(Genesis 50:15-17)
Their contrition was due to their own fear of retribution, not because of all the damage they had caused both to their father and their half-brother. I think that may have contributed to Joseph’s tears. But Joseph never retaliated.
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”(James 1:2-4)
Is your superpower… a bag of rocks?
Everyone who has lived for any length of time has not only wracked up a full ledger of sinful behaviors that have caused damage to themselves and others, but have also been on the receiving end of others’ sins. I know people who have been the perpetrators and/or the victims of murder, rape, incest, betrayal, inequity, unfair treatment, anger, physical trauma, adultery, and many more “unforgivable acts.”
Some of them have been able to forgive and some just won’t. One of the greatest evils in this world is unforgiveness. In fact, this is becoming so prevalent that whole families are being destroyed even from small slights, differing opinions, or “micro-aggressions.” They call it “trauma” or “harm.”
So many today want to have what they call “hard conversations” which often translate to, “I’m going to be your judge, jury, and executioner.” The hard conversations seem to be a one-way valve of arrogance and condemnation; not an attempt at healing.
Today people throw a lot of rocks, but they never seem to understand the weight of them. It’s a heavy burden to carry through your life. The damage you cause living a bitter, arrogant life is a little like gaining weight.
Slowly over the years you put on ten pounds here and three there, but after a few decades you can no longer see your toes; your heart is failing; and your veins are clogged with goo. It could have been prevented.
In Christ, you have such an amazing superpower! You can change your life. You can change your kid’s lives. You can restore long-damaged relationships. You can redeem all the hurt with good. You can make life good again by redirecting it. And you can be free from that miserable rock on your back.
In Jesus’ final words, he looked down at the people he came to save (who now watched him die) and said, “forgive them Father. They don’t know what they are doing.”
One of the worst hidden enemies in our life is the weapon of unforgiveness. Satan wins when we don’t forgive. He laughs because it delights him.
Every day you and I get the opportunity to choose which rock we will throw.
“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”(Psalms 18:2)
Today’s Question
Verses to Explore
“But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults.”(Psalms 19:12)
“Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.”(Psalm 32:1)
“Help us, God our Savior, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive our sins for your name’s sake.”(Psalm 79:9)
“And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.”(Matthew 12:31).
Today’s Prayer
Father, thank you for your unconditional love and forgiveness. There truly aren’t enough words of gratitude for the fogiveness you give us. You loved us while we were still sinners.
You have forgiven every sin I have committed and will commit. It is all by your mercy and given to us freely by grace. How can I ever not forgive others? And yet it is so very hard sometimes. You are the rock of our lives. Only through you can we be totally forgiven of the debt we owe. And only through you do we have the strength to forgive even the worst offenders.
Please help us today to look at our enemies and say, “forgive them Father” even if they knew what they were doing. Help us today to be free of the burden of unforgiveness. May all honor and glory be yours.Amen.❤️