An awkward moment occurs in this passage: the brothers of Joseph, without their father as a buffer, fear that Joseph will unleash his anger and revenge on his brothers for the evil they did to him in past times. They go to him and beg for forgiveness again, throwing themselves on his mercy. The answer they received was, perhaps, a little unexpected, but nevertheless welcome, as Joseph reassured them of his forgiveness and even prophesies of their family’s eventual return to the land promised to their fathers. His only request is that his bones be returned there when they go. If you read the Exodus story, you will see that they do take him with them when they leave Egypt,
In the middle of the passage, Joseph’s response to his brothers is a classic example of the justification for forgiveness. “20 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.” Two thoughts in particular jump out at me here. First, forgiveness heals tremendous hurt, and, second, perspective can make forgiveness doable. Forgiveness allowed Joseph to rejoice in the fulfillment of his dreams and the reuniting of his family. Unforgiveness would have robbed him of that opportunity. Vengeance is rarely satisfying, and is usually damaging or even damning. How did Joseph achieve such a magnanimous position? He put the whole odyssey in perspective and realized that God was in control of His life. Sold into slavery, sexually harassed, wrongfully accused, imprisoned, and forgotten were the facts of Joseph’s life. His refusal to give up and die, however, led to the fulfillment of dreams!
Whoever you are today, determine to proceed under the assumption that what you have gone through, or what you are going through, is part of the plan that God has in place to get you to where you are going. When you look at life through that type of forward thinking, you can even forgive your enemies and see them as instruments of God to help you get to where God is taking you. Whatever has come your way, know that God can turn it around in your favor!
Devoted To You 