“When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, ‘Perhaps Joseph will hate us, and may actually repay us for all the evil which we did to him.’ So they sent messengers to Joseph, saying, ‘Before your father died he commanded, saying, “Thus you shall say to Joseph: ‘I beg you, please forgive the trespass of your brothers and their sin; for they did evil to you.’” Now, please, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of your father.’ And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.
Then his brothers also went and fell down before his face, and they said, ‘Behold, we are your servants.’
Joseph said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.’” ~ Genesis 50:15-21, NKJV
Jacob's death had an extra dimension of fear for many of his sons. Afraid that Joseph's kindness towards them was only for the sake of their father, they thought that Jacob's departure might unleash their younger brother's vengeance. They had, after all, mocked him, betrayed him, imprisoned him, and mercilessly sold him into slavery (as a more profitable alternative to killing him). The human response to such treatment is to return evil for evil. But Joseph had genuinely forgiven his brothers, and their fear of him broke his heart. His words to them in verses 20 and 21 explain how he could have such an extraordinary attitude towards those who had done him so much harm. His words also form the Biblical basis for forgiveness. “Am I in the place of God?” Am I sinless? Do I have God's perfect righteousness, His omniscience, or His absolute authority? Do I have any right to harbor a grudge against someone else when - one way or another - I am just as guilty as they? In and of myself, do I deserve any better than what I have received? The answer to all those questions is no. No one but God stands in the place of God. He alone has the right to be personally offended when someone sins. Despite all that Joseph's brothers had done to him, the only thing Joseph could rightly do was forgive them. As a man who loved God, he did not dare usurp God's authority and judge his brothers to condemn them. Joseph also understand something else: what man intends for evil, God intends for good. Many, many years after Joseph, the apostle Paul writes the same principle to the Roman believers, reminding them, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28) God's end in Joseph's suffering was life for Joseph and life for many others. God's end is always life. His end is always good. He is so be trusted, so that when we, as His children, suffer wrong during our time on earth, can commit ourselves to “Him who judges righteously.” (1 Peter 2:23) He will never fail to uphold His promises.
by Rebecca...
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