But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result-the survival of many people. Therefore don’t be afraid. I will take care of you and your little ones.” And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them. Genesis 50:19-21 HCSB
The historical narrative of Joseph and his brothers is one of my favorite in Genesis. Joseph shows us what true forgiveness should look like. His brothers had sold him into slavery when he was a teenage boy. They thought he was dead. But God had placed him in a position of high power in Egypt. This was so he could help the Pharaoh prepare for seven years of famine. Many lives were saved.
Being sold into slavery by your brothers is horrible, right? It sounds downright unforgivable. But Joseph trusted God. There are so many lessons to be learned here but I will only focus on two for now. I have often heard it said we sometimes have to let go of past hurt to receive future blessings. If your hands are full of hurt from the past, they will not be able to grab hold of future blessings. If we truly trust God, we trust that all we have been through has been for a reason. It has brought us to where we are. James 1:2 tells us to consider trials a joy because they bring spiritual growth. We must also trust that He holds our future in His hands and He loves us and wants to bless us. But bitterness and unforgiveness show that we are not trusting God to take care of us. Joseph was sold into slavery, but God gave him favor with his master. God took good care of him even after he was falsely accused and thrown into prison. God had big plans for Joseph. He brought him over a few mountains on the way. Joseph never spoke bad about his brothers. He never set out to hurt them even though he was in a position to do so. He was trusting God not people.
This leads to the second lesson. When we trust in people we get let down. People betray us and do things that are intended to cause us harm. But when we trust in God, we can remain steady. We can stand against the evil that others plot against us. Several years ago, someone did something that was just evil. I even told them they were evil. But I trusted God and He worked it out for good. He used their evil deed to accomplish something I never could have done on my own. We must trust in God’s plan. We must truly forgive.
What does it look like to truly forgive? Well, Paul answers this in Romans 12:20. He says, “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he’s thirsty, give him something to drink. For in doing so you will be heaping fiery coals on his head.” Joseph provided food for his brothers during a famine. He brought them to Egypt where they would be able to survive with their livestock. He took good care of them.
The last verse in our passage today says he provided for them, he comforted them and spoke kindly to them. He showed true forgiveness.
My friend if you are holding on to bitterness and unforgiveness you need to know it’s like a cancer that will destroy you not your enemy. The old saying is that refusing to forgive is like drinking poison hoping the other person will die.
Romans 12:19 tells us that vengeance is God’s job. It’s not your job to pass judgment on that person. It’s not your job to slander that person. It’s not your job to cause trouble for them. This is God’s job. Ephesians 4:31 tells us as Christians we must remove all anger, bitterness and slander along with any plans to do them harm.
I shudder to think what would have happened had Joseph chosen not to trust God. Had he been bitter and unforgiving towards his brothers many people would have died in this great famine. I believe that he would not have had the success in everything he did.
My friend if you want a good future, let go of the past. Trust in God to do good things for you. Romans 12:21 says not to be conquered by evil but to conquer evil with good. If we don’t let go of the past, it can destroy us. Is your anger and bitterness really worth all that? Let it go.
Have a great day!