“Please, come closer,” he said to them. So, they came closer. And he said again, “I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into slavery in Egypt. But don’t be upset, and don’t be angry with yourselves for selling me to this place. It was God who sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives.” Genesis 45:4-5
The other day, my niece Collins accidentally hurt my nephew Owen and hit him in the eye. She immediately said very quickly, “Sorry Owen.” Owen, very upset, said, “No, say it slowly Collins.” He wanted her apology to be sincere. Collins granted his request and apologized very slowly. I had to conceal my laughter as my 2-year-old niece very slowly said, “I’m…sorry…Owen." The truth is, forgiveness is hard. Regardless of how genuine an apology is, it can be hard to accept the apology and move on. Scripture teaches a lot about forgiveness. When studying the Bible, it becomes clear that forgiveness is an important element of faith.
Joseph went through quite a lot. His brothers sold him into slavery in Egypt, he was a prisoner although he had not committed a crime, and displaced from his home and family. Despite all of these challenges, Joseph prospered and ultimately became second in command in Egypt, next to Pharaoh. During a time of famine, he was put in charge of helping Egypt and surrounding countries. This famine became so bad that Joseph’s brothers who were back in Joseph’s homeland in Israel with their father, went to Egypt to get grain from him. A lot of time had passed, so Joseph’s brothers did not recognize him. Joseph however, recognized them. For many verses, Joseph concealed his identity to his brothers. All of this culminated until finally, in chapter 45 of Genesis, Joseph revealed that he was their brother. He said to them, “I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into slavery in Egypt” (verse 4). Can you imagine how their stomachs must have dropped when he said this to them? I am sure they expected him to be angry, and even retaliate for what they had done to him. Instead of retaliation, Joseph chose forgiveness. “Don’t be upset, and don’t be angry with yourselves for selling me to this place. It was God who sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives” (verse 5). He continued by explaining how God had protected and used him for his purposes. Can you imagine the relief and forgiveness his brothers felt?
Joseph made forgiveness look easy in his story found in Genesis, but you and I know that forgiveness is not easy. When people hurt us, we want retaliation, not forgiveness. There is a better way, however. We can forgive. We can look outside of ourselves, and out of the forgiveness that God has forgiven us, forgive others as well.
Whom are you having trouble forgiving? Is that forgiveness rooted in a lack of faith that God will restore what was lost? Take some time to think about how God has forgiven you. Let that forgiveness inspire you to forgive the people in your life who are difficult to offer forgiveness to. Ask God to help you seek to trust Him and forgive.
Read Genesis 45:1-15 (NLT)
Joseph could stand it no longer. There were many people in the room, and he said to his attendants, “Out, all of you!” So he was alone with his brothers when he told them who he was. Then he broke down and wept. He wept so loudly the Egyptians could hear him, and word of it quickly carried to Pharaoh’s palace.
“I am Joseph!” he said to his brothers. “Is my father still alive?” But his brothers were speechless! They were stunned to realize that Joseph was standing there in front of them. “Please, come closer,” he said to them. So they came closer. And he said again, “I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into slavery in Egypt. But don’t be upset, and don’t be angry with yourselves for selling me to this place. It was God who sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives. This famine that has ravaged the land for two years will last five more years, and there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. God has sent me ahead of you to keep you and your families alive and to preserve many survivors. So it was God who sent me here, not you! And he is the one who made me an adviser to Pharaoh—the manager of his entire palace and the governor of all Egypt.
“Now hurry back to my father and tell him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me master over all the land of Egypt. So come down to me immediately! You can live in the region of Goshen, where you can be near me with all your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and everything you own. I will take care of you there, for there are still five years of famine ahead of us. Otherwise you, your household, and all your animals will starve.’ ”
Then Joseph added, “Look! You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, that I really am Joseph! Go tell my father of my honored position here in Egypt. Describe for him everything you have seen, and then bring my father here quickly.” Weeping with joy, he embraced Benjamin, and Benjamin did the same. Then Joseph kissed each of his brothers and wept over them, and after that they began talking freely with him.
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