Today’s Reading: Genesis 44:18 – 50:26; Psalm 4

Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. — Colossians 3:12-14

It took Joseph some time of battling between hurt and healing before he decided to let go of the past and expose his heart to those who had wounded him so deeply. I believe God did an amazing thing in the soul of this young leader when he let go of his right for restitution and clung instead to the hope of restoration.

“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. – Genesis 45:3-4a

MAKE ALLOWANCE FOR EACH OTHER’S FAULTS, AND FORGIVE ANYONE WHO OFFENDS YOU.

Joseph longed to close the distance between him and his siblings. It was time to let go of the pain of yesterday in order to experience the brotherly intimacy his brothers clearly had with each other. Judah was even unselfishly volunteering to go to prison in exchange for the freedom of his brother, Benjamin. His brothers had changed and it was time to let go of the need for revenge.

When Joseph, overcome with emotion, chose to reveal his identity to his brothers, his focus was not on the pain of their betrayal. Instead of focusing on how his brothers had wounded him, Joseph was concerned about how they were dealing with the guilt of their sin. He went out of his way to help his brothers see the good that God had brought out of the bad they had done.

“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…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 advisor to Pharoah…” – Genesis 45:4b-8

Joseph told his brothers to go and get their father, and he promised to provide land on which to raise their families. He desired to take care of them during the next five years of famine. It was time to put the past behind them; it was time to close the gap.

ABOVE ALL, CLOTHE YOURSELVES WITH LOVE, WHICH BINDS US ALL TOGETHER IN PERFECT HARMONY.

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. – Genesis 45:12-15

Can you hear the volume in the room increasing? Can you sense the strength of this brotherhood as they began to talk freely? I imagine they were asking questions while also filling Joseph in on how his father was doing. The weight of their betrayal was being lifted off of their shoulders and they were allowing themselves to feel the joy of relational restoration.

Because he was able to let go of his own need for justice, Joseph was soon reunited with his father and at peace with his brothers. He was able to enjoy 17 years with his father, and his sons were able to receive the blessing of their grandfather. After the death of Jacob, Joseph’s brothers threw themselves down before Joseph in repentance once more. He had to remind them that he had no intention of going back to how things used to be; they were forgiven.

But Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you? You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. No, don’t be afraid. I will continue to take care of you and your children.” So he reassured them by speaking kindly to them. – Genesis 50:19-21

I love how The Message parallels the NLT here: Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid. Do I act for God? Don’t you see, you planned evil against me but God used those same plans for my good, as you see all around you right now – life for many people. – Genesis 50:19 (The Message)

DO I ACT FOR GOD?

When I am sinned against or suffer the consequences of someone else’s sin, is it for me to refuse to forgive them? Do I act for God? Would any good come from revenge or retaliation? Do I act for God? Is it my right to question God or to be angry that He did not intervene and prevent the hurt? Do I act for God? This I know with confidence — God never leaves us nor abandons us; He is never uninvolved. We can trust in the God of this promise:

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

God takes all of our experiences in life and He executes a beautiful plan for how to use them for our good and for the good of others. God can take the deepest pain and the most tragic of stories and redeem it for the building of His kingdom. But first we need to stop acting for God and fully surrender our pain to Him. We need to stop seeing through the lens of our victimhood and allow the Lord to fully restore our hearts, bringing joy to the space we were reserving for self-pity, anger and hatred.

Lord, show me today when I am manipulating my circumstances or attempting to act for you. Get my attention when I begin to question your justice and your timing. Teach each of us to trust that you are the God who works for the good of those who love Him, and help us to see you clearly through our current circumstances and the wound of our past. Amen.

Don’t sin by letting anger control you.
Think about it overnight and remain silent.
Offer sacrifices in the right spirit,
and trust the Lord. – Psalm 4:4-5