because he was overcome
with affection for his brother ...
[Joseph] went into a private room
and wept there.
Genesis 43:30
Ten of eleven of Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery.
God had a different plan, however. It was a reversal of fate. Joseph the slave rose to second in charge of all of Egypt. His brothers, however, faced hardship – famine – and came begging to him.
Since they didn't recognize Joseph, Joseph tested them. He wanted to see if their hearts had changed. He wanted to see if his ten half brothers had killed his one full brother.
When the ten brought brother Benjamin into Joseph's presence, "[Joseph] was overcome with affection." And he wept for joy for two reasons ... First, his full brother was alive and well. Second, his other ten brothers had had a marvelous change of heart.
The question for today is: Who has hurt and betrayed you?
Joseph is a model of human forgiveness. Sometimes we think that forgiving means forgetting. Ultimately it does. But Joseph shows that it's okay to test first before we trust fully again.
- First he showed grace – he could have punished his ten brothers the minute they stepped into his presence.
- Then he gave them the opportunity to prove themselves.
- Once their integrity was reestablished, the sin was forgiven, the division was "forgotten," and the relationship was restored.
Who has hurt and betrayed you? What do you need to do to set them – AND YOU – free.
In Christ's Love,
a recipient of grace
No comments:
Post a Comment