FORGIVENESS IN THE STORY OF JOSEPH
Genesis 45
Jerry Mongello mentioned last week, chapter 44 was a picture and the act of repentance and chapter 45 is a picture and the act of forgiveness. The entire account of Jacob, Joseph and the brothers is a picture, an example and demonstration of God’s sovereignty. How God works His will and His plan of redemption through His creation, through humanity and free will.
- Judah is a prime example, in Genesis 37:26 he suggests selling Joseph as a slave.
- In Genesis 44:33 Judah offers himself as a slave in replace of Benjamin. A picture of what Jesus did for us.
- God’s promise to Abraham [Genesis 15:13-14 NKJV] 13 Then He said to Abram: “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land [that is] not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. 14 “And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions.
Let’s back up into chapter 44:32 for context.
[Genesis 44:32-34 NKJV] 32 “For your servant became surety for the lad to my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him [back] to you, then I shall bear the blame before my father forever.’ 33 “Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the lad as a slave to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brothers. 34 “For how shall I go up to my father if the lad [is] not with me, lest perhaps I see the evil that would come upon my father?”
This is what the act of repentance looks like!!!
In chapter 45 we look at what forgiveness looks like!!!
[Genesis 45:1 NKJV] 1 Then Joseph could not restrain himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, “Make everyone go out from me!” So no one stood with him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers.
- Joseph sends all the Egyptians away, because he is going to be emotional.
[Genesis 45:2 NKJV] 2 And he wept aloud, and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard [it].
- The house of Pharaoh heard the weeping of Joseph, I imagine it sobbing loudly and continuously. When you think about all the pain Joseph suffered by the hands of his brothers both physical and emotional, to now see that his brothers changed. According to Josephus, Joseph tells his brothers that he tested their love for Benjamin, and if they would treat him the same as they did to Joseph. Also, Josephus contends that this is when Joseph realizes that all that took place was under God’s hand to Save a nation. Save Israel, and I would add Save the tribe of Judah, and the Lion of the tribe of Judah the Messianic line.
[Genesis 45:3-4 NKJV] 3 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I [am] Joseph; does my father still live?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed in his presence. 4 And Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near to me.” So they came near. Then he said: “I [am] Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt.
- Put yourselves in the place of the brothers. The brother you sold into slavery is now the second most powerful man of the world!!!
- We will see God’s sovereignty at work, God creating a picture and foreshadowing of a future event to come. Although this event is still in the future, the word of God gives us a glimpse of Israel.
[Act 7:51-55 NKJV] 51 “[You] stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers [did], so [do] you. 52 “Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, 53 “who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept [it].” 54 When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with [their] teeth. 55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,
[Zechariah 13:7-9 NKJV] 7 “Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, Against the Man who is My Companion,” Says the LORD of hosts. “Strike the Shepherd, And the sheep will be scattered; Then I will turn My hand against the little ones. 8 And it shall come to pass in all the land,” Says the LORD, “[That] two-thirds in it shall be cut off [and] die, But [one]-third shall be left in it: 9 I will bring the [one]-third through the fire, Will refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them. I will say, ‘This [is] My people’; And each one will say, ‘The LORD [is] my God.’ “
[Malachi 4:5-6 NKJV] 5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. 6 And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”
[Revelation 19:11-16 NKJV] 11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him [was] called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 His eyes [were] like a flame of fire, and on His head [were] many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. 13 He [was] clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. 15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And He has on [His] robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
Forgiveness;
[Genesis 45:5-8 NKJV] 5 “But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6 “For these two years the famine [has been] in the land, and [there are] still five years in which [there will be] neither plowing nor harvesting. 7 “And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. 8 “So now [it was] not you [who] sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.
- In these verses above we see Joseph forgiving his brothers and extorting them to forgive themselves.
[Gen 45:9-28 NKJV] 9 “Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph: “God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not tarry. 10 “You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near to me, you and your children, your children’s children, your flocks and your herds, and all that you have. 11 “There I will provide for you, lest you and your household, and all that you have, come to poverty; for [there are] still five years of famine.” ‘ 12 “And behold, your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that [it is] my mouth that speaks to you. 13 “So you shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that you have seen; and you shall hurry and bring my father down here.” 14 Then he fell on his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck. 15 Moreover he kissed all his brothers and wept over them, and after that his brothers talked with him. 16 Now the report of it was heard in Pharaoh’s house, saying, “Joseph’s brothers have come.” So it pleased Pharaoh and his servants well. 17 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Say to your brothers, ‘Do this: Load your animals and depart; go to the land of Canaan. 18 ‘Bring your father and your households and come to me; I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you will eat the fat of the land. 19 ‘Now you are commanded–do this: Take carts out of the land of Egypt for your little ones and your wives; bring your father and come. 20 ‘Also do not be concerned about your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt [is] yours.’ ” 21 Then the sons of Israel did so; and Joseph gave them carts, according to the command of Pharaoh, and he gave them provisions for the journey. 22 He gave to all of them, to each man, changes of garments; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred [pieces] of silver and five changes of garments. 23 And he sent to his father these [things]: ten donkeys loaded with the good things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, bread, and food for his father for the journey. 24 So he sent his brothers away, and they departed; and he said to them, “See that you do not become troubled along the way.” 25 Then they went up out of Egypt, and came to the land of Canaan to Jacob their father. 26 And they told him, saying, “Joseph [is] still alive, and he [is] governor over all the land of Egypt.” And Jacob’s heart stood still, because he did not believe them. 27 But when they told him all the words which Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived. 28 Then Israel said, “[It is] enough. Joseph my son [is] still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”
This gives us an opportunity to talk about FORGIVENESS AND UNFORGIVENESS. We are going to look at what the Bible and science said about forgiveness and unforgiveness.
First let’s look at what science says about what unforgiveness does to us, whether we are not forgiving ourselves or someone else. Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.
Unforgiveness is classified in medical books as a disease. According to Dr. Steven Standiford, chief of surgery at the Cancer Treatment Centers of America, refusing to forgive makes people sick and keeps them that way.
“It’s important to treat emotional wounds or disorders because they really can hinder someone’s reactions to the treatments, even someone’s willingness to pursue treatment,” Standiford explained.
Of all cancer patients, 61 percent have forgiveness issues, and of those, more than half are severe, according to research by Dr. Michael Barry.
“Harboring these negative emotions, this anger and hatred, creates a state of chronic anxiety,” he said.
“Chronic anxiety very predictably produces excess adrenaline and cortisol, which deplete the production of natural killer cells, which is your body’s foot soldier in the fight against cancer,” he explained.
Barry said the first step in learning to forgive is to realize how much we have been forgiven by God. Most people don’t realize what a burden of anger and hatred were until they let them go.
MAJOR UNIVERSITIES FINDINGS REGARDING UNFORGIVENESS AND DISEASE
“Chronic unforgiveness causes stress. Every time people think of their transgressor, their body responds. By decreasing your unforgiveness it will cut down your health risk. Now, if you can forgive, that can actually strengthen your immune system“. [Virginia Commonwealth University]
“Forgiveness could boost the immune system by reducing the production of the stress hormone cortisol” [Rockefeller University – New York]
“When you hold onto the bitterness for years, it stops you from living your life fully. As it turns out, it wears out your immune system and hurts your heart” [Stanford University Center for Research in Disease Prevention]
A new study from Duke University Medical Center demonstrates that those who forgive others experience lower levels of chronic pain and less associated psychological problems like anger and depression than those who have not forgiven.
Studies at Ohio State University found that the highly stressed women had lower levels of natural killer cells than women who reported less stress. “Natural killer cells have an extremely important function with regard to cancer because they are capable of detecting and killing cancer cells. Psychological interventions, such as forgiveness, have important roles in reducing stress and improving quality of life, but also in extending survival.” [Barbara Andersen, Professor of Psychology, Ohio State University]
“The program’s preliminary work suggests that forgiveness lowered the stress hormone cortisol that in turn affects the immune system, but only when the patients forgave the ones they blamed”. [University of Maryland – Institute of Human Virology]
Of course we need to look at the cause of unforgiveness, usually it comes from physical pain, emotional pain, and sin that causes pain to ourselves or someone else.
I believe behind unforgiveness is pride and anger. Pride in the Bible is typically an over-absorption with ourselves, considering ourselves superior to God and others. It’s an exaggerated sense of our own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority. If we believe our sin or sin against us is so bad that we can’t forgive ourselves or forgive those who sinned against us we are putting ourselves above God and we are going against God and His word!!!
[Proverbs 16:18] 18 Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.
[1 John 2:16 NKJV] 16 For all that [is] in the world–the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life–is not of the Father but is of the world.
[Ephesians 4:26-27 NKJV] 26 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil.
What does God say about forgiving, forgiveness and unforgiveness
[Ephesians 4:30-32 NKJV] 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
[Hebrews 12:12-15 NKJV] 12 Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed. 14 Pursue peace with all [people], and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: 15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;
Romans 8:1 & 1 John 1:9
The pride, sin, and root of bitterness causes health problems and forgiveness of sin adds to a healthy well-being.
DON’T FORGET WE ARE COMMANDED TO FORGIVE!!!
[Matthew 6:9-15 NKJV] 9 “In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as [it is] in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. 13 And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. 14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 “But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
[Matthew 18:21-22, 35 NKJV] 21 Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. … 35 “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”
[Luke 23:34-38 NKJV] 34 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” And they divided His garments and cast lots. 35 And the people stood looking on. But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God.” 36 The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine, 37 and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself.” 38 And an inscription also was written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
[Romans 5:1-11 NKJV] 1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only [that], but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. 6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only [that], but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
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