Even when we don't Deserve it
When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, "What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?" So they sent word to Joseph, saying, "Your father left these instructions before he died: 'This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.' Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father." When their message came to him, Joseph wept. His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. "We are your slaves," they said. But Joseph said to them, "Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your children." And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them. (Genesis 50:15-21 NIV)
Joseph's brothers were still filled with guilt for what they had done to Joseph. Now that Jacob was dead, they feared that Joseph's kindness toward them had only been a front he had put up because of his feelings for his father. What if Joseph was still angry? What if his forgiveness had only been conditional on their father's being alive? What would this brother they had harmed so greatly do to them now, especially now that he held so much power in his hands?
But Joseph's forgiveness was complete. He reassured them that they had nothing to fear. And he went a step farther, telling them that he would care for them and their families and let them reap the blessings of his position and power.
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Remind you of anyone you know? How about God? Isn't Joseph's forgiveness of his brothers a direct reflection of how God deals with you and me? When we turn repentant hearts toward God, no matter how evil we've been, no matter how greatly we have rejected Him in the past, no matter what we've done - God forgives us totally and completely. And he forgets. That's the most amazing thing to us. He forgets! More than that, He wraps us in His loving arms and loves us, promising to care for us for the rest of eternity!
Remember Joseph the next time someone who has wronged you asks for forgiveness. Remember that forgiveness must be complete, just as Joseph's forgiveness was for his brothers, just as God's forgiveness is for you and me.
From Newsong Ministries
