THEMES FROM THE LIFE OF JOSEPH

 A Portrait of FAITH & FORGIVENESS

Key Verse:  Genesis 50:20

But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.

Both faith and forgiveness are huge themes throughout Joseph’s life.  We could learn much about both from his entire journey from being a lad tending Jacob’s sheep to becoming second in command to the  Pharaoh.  Faith is an appropriate theme because Joseph’s trust in God and the visions He gave him as a boy never wavered in spite of all of the twists, turns, and detours. Joseph was 30 years old when he finally reached the palace.  In the natural, it  probably looked as if each bump in the road  was moving him further away from his destiny when in fact, because of his faith, each one brought him closer.  God positioned him to be in the right place at the right time to be able to  save his father, brothers, and their families when the famine happened.  It is reminiscent of the way God positioned Esther to be able to intercede on behalf of her people to save their lives.  (See Esther 4:14)  

Forgiveness is the second theme. Here are some workable definitions/explanations of forgiveness compiled from various dictionaries and online sources.  ‘To not give in to or take advantage of the power to punish someone;’ ‘To make a conscious decision to not be angry with someone who has hurt, harmed, or offended you in some way.’  The simplest and my favorite of all is, ‘Giving up my right to hurt you for hurting me.’

       This is exactly what Joseph did.  His treatment at the mouths and hands of his brothers was certainly wrong, yet although he had the right to be bitter, he refused that emotion and the desire for revenge.   Instead of being bitter, he was humbled to be used by God as an instrument of healing and restoration of his family.  Being reunited with his father and his only “full” brother, Benjamin, was an added bonus.  Not only did he forgive and embrace his brothers who had treated him so badly, he even saw God’s hand in the entire journey.  (Revisit our key verse.) 

        What are some lessons that we might glean from Joseph’s journey?  (1)  To be successful on the road to your God ordained destiny, we need  faith, focus, humility, consistency, and dependence on God’s Word, plan, and wisdom instead of reliance on our own. (Proverbs 3:5,6)  (2)  If we take our eyes and attention away from the Lord and get distracted by our circumstances, then we will have the same experience had by Peter when he allowed himself to be distracted by the circumstance of the wind and waves when he was walking on the Sea of Galilee to meet Jesus. (Matthew 14: 28-31)

     TThink of a time when the Lord may have wanted to use you to be an instrument of forgiveness, restoration, and healing, but the circumstance, the hurt, the anger, the betrayal all that got the better of you leading you to resist being willing to forgive?  In retrospect, what could you have done differently?  Is it too late for that to happen?  

        In the future, should you find yourself with the “opportunity” to forgive someone who has offended or hurt you (or someone you love) and your emotions will not allow you to do so, understand that that decision is defiant of what God expects of His children. That defiance is actually rebelliion. The Word of God says it this way in I Samuel 15:23 a,b (NKJV).  “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.”  

         Food For Thought:  Forgiveness is NOT a suggestion.

         Blessings.

          ~CWP~