Thursday, August 12
Joseph’s family finally arrive in Egypt. There are no more dark secrets in the family. His brothers must have admitted to having sold Joseph when they explained to their father that the son he had thought had been killed was now prime minister of Egypt.
While it may not always be possible or wise to restore relationships, this does not mean that we cannot forgive. We may not be able to hug and weep with our offender, but we may want to voice our forgiveness either vocally or through a letter. And then it is time to let go of pain to the utmost degree we can. Perhaps some pain will always remain, but at least we can be on the path to healing.
Read Genesis 50:15-21. What are Joseph’s brothers worried about, and why would they be worried about it? What does this fear say about themselves?
Joseph’s brothers had been living in Egypt for seventeen years (Genesis 47:28), and yet, when Jacob died, they were afraid that Joseph would take his revenge. They realized again how much they had hurt Joseph. Joseph reassures them of his forgiveness again, now after their father’s death. This refresher was probably good for Joseph, as well as his brothers.
If the wound is deep, we will probably have to forgive many times. When memories of the wrong come to mind, we will need to go to God immediately in prayer and make the choice to forgive again.
Read Genesis 50:20. How does this verse help explain, at least partially, Joseph’s willingness to forgive his brothers’ sin against him?
Joseph firmly believed that his life was part of God’s big plan to help save the then-known world from famine, and then to help his family fulfill God’s promise to become a great nation. Knowing that God had overruled the evil plans of his brothers to bring about good helped Joseph to forgive.
Joseph’s story had a happy ending. How do we respond when the ending to a story isn’t so happy? Or, could one argue that (long term, that is) with the end of sin and the end of the great controversy, when all issues are solved — it will be a happy ending? How might this hope help us deal with less-than-ideal endings?
Friday, August 13
Further Thought: “As Joseph was sold to the heathen by his own brothers, so Christ was sold to His bitterest enemies by one of His disciples. Joseph was falsely accused and thrust into prison because of his virtue; so Christ was despised and rejected because His righteous, self-denying life was a rebuke to sin; and though guilty of no wrong, He was condemned upon the testimony of false witnesses. And Joseph’s patience and meekness under injustice and oppression, his ready forgiveness and noble benevolence toward his unnatural brothers, represent the Saviour’s uncomplaining endurance of the malice and abuse of wicked men, and His forgiveness, not only of His murderers, but of all who have come to Him confessing their sins and seeking pardon.” Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 239, 240
“Nothing can justify an unforgiving spirit. He who is unmerciful toward others shows that he himself is not a partaker of God’s pardoning grace. In God’s forgiveness the heart of the erring one is drawn close to the great heart of Infinite Love. The tide of divine compassion flows into the sinner’s soul, and from him to the souls of others. The tenderness and mercy that Christ has revealed in His own precious life will be seen in those who become sharers of His grace.” Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 251
Discussion Questions:
1. Someone once said, “Not forgiving is like drinking poison while hoping that the other person will die.” What does this statement mean?
2. What was the purpose of all the elaborate plans Joseph went through prior to the disclosure of his identity? What did this do for him and for his brothers?
3. Joseph’s steward must have been in on some of the plots regarding Joseph’s brothers (e.g., Gen. 44:1-12). How does the experience of forgiveness affect those who are just observers?
4. “God never leads His children otherwise than they would choose to be led, if they could see the end from the beginning, and discern the glory of the purpose which they are fulfilling as co-workers with Him.” — Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, pp. 224, 225. Think of your own life as you contemplate this statement. How could understanding this help us work through many of the trials and struggles that we face?
