Bitterness

This message today is about bitterness but I think we are going to find that it’s more about forgiveness. Let's talk about bitterness in our life today. As kids, we could look at certain foods and be convinced it would taste bad. And some foods can surprise us. Take, for example, an apple. Nothing tastes better then biting into a pretty red apple. And nothing tastes worse than discovering that apple is quite bitter or sour. You don't want someone snapping your picture at that moment because such bitterness causes us to make a sour face.

That face of bitterness is not very attractive, yet many people wear that face today. Their bitter expressions aren’t because of unpleasant food either. They are because of painful moments in their past. We can wash away the bitter taste of food, but the bitterness that comes from the betrayal of others or our own bad decisions can rob us of our joy and prevent us from moving forward with God and others. PRAYER

Now back to our story of Joseph in Genesis 45. Joseph displayed a different face. Joseph provided a compelling pattern for us to follow as he refused to be bitter. He chose to forgive and let his brothers off the hook for what they did to him. We, too, can choose to be bitter or we can choose to be better.

Last time we talked about the 7 years of plenty that occurred, just as Joseph predicted. Now the 7 years of famine had begun. The famine forced Jacob to send Joseph's brothers to Egypt so they could buy food for the family. Jacob was Joseph's father. We read of their first trip to Egypt in Genesis 42, and now the brothers find themselves once again in Joseph's presence.

I think we have all been in situations when our emotions overwhelmed us. It can happen at the most unexpected times. Joseph experienced such a wave of emotion. He had been toying with his brothers since their first visit to Egypt, but the culmination of the events finally caused him to lose his composure.

As Judah, Joseph's brother, pleaded for Benjamin, Joseph's youngest brother, his brother’s love and compassion for both Benjamin and their father touched Joseph deeply. The Bible tells us in:

Genesis 45: 1 – “Joseph could no longer keep his composure in front of all his attendants, so he called out, “Send everyone away from me!” No one was with him when he revealed his identity to his brothers.”

It was time to come clean. Joseph ordered his staff to leave the room as he revealed himself to his brothers.

Genesis 45:2-3 – “But he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and also Pharaoh’s household heard it. 3 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?” But they could not answer him because they were terrified in his presence.”

Joseph had recognized his brothers on their previous trip to buy grain. Now, standing before them again, Joseph couldn’t hold out any longer. He had to tell them who he was. His brothers were speechless and terrified in his presence. It was a shocking moment. The man before them was Joseph!

There is no doubt that the brothers were now afraid of being punished. Joseph had always displayed his power and authority in their presence, now that they knew he was also their brother, they surely were afraid that he would use that power to get revenge for all they had done to him. The fact that Joseph's brothers were trembling in fear reveals that their hearts were not right with God. They had been lugging their guilt around for years, like heavy weights chained to their ankles.

It wasn't yet clear to the brothers that Joseph's tears were reflecting his joy and not bitterness. As we continue with Joseph's story, we clearly see his love, concern, and forgiveness toward his brothers, but at that moment the brothers were likely too shocked to sense Joseph's love. Joseph didn't hide the past or act like it never happened but neither did he hold the past over his brothers’ heads. He chose to move on from the past.

These verses that we look at today are a vivid illustration of forgiveness in action. Pay close attention to the conversations in the passage and notice when and how forgiveness is given.

Joseph certainly had faith in God, but up to this point, he still may have struggled with bitterness at the injustice of all that happened to him. His brother's disloyalty and cruelty surely must have come to mind many times over the past 13 years, but seeing and hearing their changed behavior was overwhelming for Joseph. He was overcome with emotion so that he wept loudly, and with those tears, he was moved to respond.