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.
Genesis 45: 4 – “Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Please, come near me,” and they came near. “I am Joseph, your brother,” he said, “the one you sold into Egypt.”
***English historian, Thomas Fuller, once said, “He that cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he must pass himself. For every Man has need to be forgiven.”
Every Sunday, Christians celebrate the bridge of forgiveness that was built by Jesus Christ. It's central to our faith. Christ was crucified for our sins. He was slain for our freedom. He laid down his life and built the bridge from condemnation to salvation. Each weekend, thousands of people walk into their churches to sing to God and thank Him for that beautiful bridge that we can now pass over.
Joseph built that bridge to his brothers, and we can do the same with people in our lives who have hurt us in some way. Grace is the only way to live in close relationship with others. Moments later, Joseph expressed that grace to his brothers.
Genesis 45: 14 – 15 – “Then Joseph threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin wept on his shoulder. 15 Joseph kissed each of his brothers as he wept, and afterward his brothers talked with him.”
And there it is. Joseph's outward affection was a sign of his inward decision to forgive. And that is the hard part of forgiving. Inwardly we can say we have forgiven someone. God is teaching us today, through Joseph, to outwardly express our forgiveness to the other person. And honestly, you will be the one that continues to carry the burden on your shoulders until you do this.
Genesis 45: 5 – “And now don’t be grieved or angry with yourselves for selling me here, because God sent me ahead of you to preserve life.”
Even as he forgave, Joseph called on his brothers to forgive themselves. In our humanity, we may want the one who hurt us to feel incredible remorse - to beat themselves up over what they did. Forgiveness doesn't require that. We might wait for years for an apology before deciding to forgive someone who hurt us. This is not biblical and it is unhealthy. We forgive because it is the right thing to do, regardless of the other person's response.
A person often hides a gift behind his back, waiting for the perfect moment to surprise the recipient. God also has something behind his back, but it's quite the opposite of a gift. It's our sin. God hides our sin.
Isaiah 38:17 – “Indeed, it was for my own well-being that I had such intense bitterness; but your love has delivered me from the Pit of destruction, for you have thrown all my sins behind your back.”
Isn't that a powerful picture of forgiveness? God has chosen to put our past behind Him.
That is what Joseph chose to do for his brothers. In doing so, he revealed the heart of our heavenly Father. He chose to forgive his brothers for their cruelty. Notice the affection he showed as he saw them standing in the room. He told them to come near him in verse 4. Any hard feelings we're now being removed by the power of grace. No anger, no fantasies of revenge.
Joseph saw the big picture, which is why he didn't want the brothers to be hard on themselves. Joseph wasn’t excusing their sinful behavior, but he saw that God had been at work and was still working to redeem a bad situation for His glory. Since God can use even the painful things that happened to us, why should we be unforgiving? Even more so, how can we be unforgiving when God has forgiven us of so much more?
Matthew 20:28 – “… just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Do you see it? As God's people, we are blessed to be a blessing. Sharing our lives and our gifts with others is central to who we are as Christians. Following Jesus means we serve God as we serve others. In
Genesis 45:7 – “God sent me ahead of you to establish you as a remnant within the land and to keep you alive by a great deliverance.”
Joseph didn’t view his story as that of a self-made man. He was exalted by God, for the purpose of serving others.
In this social media world we live in, the temptation for self- exaggeration is more present than ever. We promote ourself with enhanced photos and captions causing people to believe we are much better than we truly are. It's kind of like the bumper sticker that read, “if only my life could be as great as yours appears on Facebook.”
God didn’t put us on this Earth to build up ourselves. He has placed us here to build up the kingdom of God, and His kingdom consists of people. Using our talents and gifts and resources to lift others up is the most rewarding use of our time.
Genesis 45: 9-11 - “Return quickly to my father and say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: “God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me without delay.
********10 You can settle in the land of Goshen and be near me—you, your children, and your grandchildren, your flocks, your herds, and all you have. 11 There I will sustain you, for there will be five more years of famine. Otherwise, you, your household, and everything you have will become destitute.”’
Joseph knew what was still ahead. He commanded his brothers to go home and return quickly with their father, their families, and all their belongings. Joseph promised that they would be provided for. So the group headed home with joy and hope. Not only had Joseph forgiven the past, but he was committed to caring for them in the future.
I read that statement and I thought, we can live with that same hopeful expectation of the future because of God's love for us. Joseph's actions reflect the power of the gospel. Think about it. As a person comes to faith in Christ, not only is their record of sin erased, but their eternal future in heaven is secured. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The same one who had our best in mind when He secured our salvation continues to care and provide for our best. The future is bright for all who trust in Him.
Maybe we should stop for a moment and think about how we may have undervalued the future joy of following Jesus. Our tendency is to focus on forgiveness of the past. Guilt is heavy. We all feel it. But the release from the past is only half of the equation.
To live in Christ means to live without fear of the future. He will take care of us as we keep our eyes on Him. A big bank account shouldn’t be the basis of our security, but rather, the inexhaustible love of Christ. As Hebrews 13:5 declares:
Hebrews 13:5 – “Keep your life free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for he himself has said, I will never leave you or abandon you.”
As we close, think about your safety net. What is your safety net? Have you put too much stock in job security, stock markets, or into life savings? God is calling us to beware of shifting our focus from heavenly things to earthly things. That's a losing game. We have nothing to fear in the future when our trust is in Christ.
Do you trust in Christ? I certainly do. Do you have faith in Jesus? Faith is acting like God is telling the truth. And God is telling the truth when He says the only way to get to Him is through His Son Jesus Christ. Why not accept Him if you've never taken that step? The choice is yours.
