3 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?”
But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at
his presence. 4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.”
When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold
into Egypt! 5 And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves
for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of
you. 6 For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the
next five years there will not be plowing and reaping. 7 But God sent
me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives
by a great deliverance. 8 “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but
God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler
of all Egypt.
15 And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward
his brothers talked with him.
- Genesis 45:3-8,15, The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan
Publishing House) 1984.
Dear Friends in Christ,
One of the things we often hear lamented is that our young people are growing up with few real heroes or role models to pattern themselves after; or that the ones that are being looked up to really shouldn’t be.
That may be an issue, but it’s not going to be our issue today – or at least for the next several minutes. Because in our text we have someone who exhibited God-pleasing values and virtues to such a degree that we can – and, with God’s help, should – pattern ourselves after. Today, on the basis of his story and life, let us consider
JOSEPH AS A ROLE MODEL
1. For the practice of forgiveness,
2. For the practice of forgetfulness, and
3. For understanding and accepting God’s ways
We’ll begin by briefly reviewing the life of Joseph up until the time of our text. It’s the ultimate rags to riches story; a story of emotion and intrigue; a story which spans from Genesis chapter 37 to Genesis chapter 50, almost one-fourth of the entire first book of the Bible.
Joseph was one of twelve sons of Jacob. He was also his father’s favorite (you might recall that Jacob gave Joseph alone a "coat of many colors"), a fact that did not escape his brothers. One day, when Joseph had come to check on them while they were grazing their flocks in distant pastures, their jealousy toward him came to a head. They roughed him up, threw him down a well, would have killed him had a saner head not prevailed, and eventually sold him as a slave to a merchant caravan heading south. They then deceived their father Jacob by telling him his beloved Joseph had tragically been killed by a wild animal.
While Jacob grieved, Joseph ended up in Egypt, where he became a top and trusted slave in the household of a man named Potiphar. On one occasion, while his master was gone, Joseph refused to get involved in an illicit relationship with Potiphar’s wife despite her persistence. Spurned by Joseph’s rejection, she concocted a false story with the result that Joseph was thrown into prison.
While in jail God gave Joseph the ability to interpret the dream of the king’s cupbearer, who had temporarily fallen out of favor. After being restored to his position, the cupbearer remembered Joseph’s abilities when Pharaoh (the king of Egypt) was looking for someone to interpret a couple of dreams that were troubling him. Joseph did this successfully, correctly predicting their meaning: seven years of agricultural plenty followed by seven years of famine.
In recognition of his work, Joseph was given the responsibility of preparing the country for what was about to take place, and at the ripe old age of 30 is made second in command of all Egypt. The famine happened as predicted, eventually bringing Joseph’s brothers down to Egypt looking for food. Joseph recognized them and subjected them to a series of tests through which he determined that they had changed. Through all of this Joseph’s brothers don’t have a clue who it is that has been talking with them. But that’s about to change. We pick up our text at this point in the story.
Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph! Is my father still living?" But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence. This is the moment of truth as Joseph reveals himself to his brothers. Their reaction? They were terrified at his presence. Why? Either they thought they were talking to a ghost or – worse yet – they weren’t, in which case they were afraid of what might be foremost on Joseph’s mind. Revenge. No doubt the next statement they expected from Joseph was something along the lines of "I’ve been waiting a long time for this moment," accompanied by a wickedly delicious laugh. But that’s not what happened.
Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Come close to me." When they had done so, he said, "I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt." Note that Joseph refers to himself as your brother. In other words, he emphasizes his relationship to them rather than his power over them. We can surmise that there is a genuine excitement and emotion in his voice indicating something he once thought was irretrievably lost has just been found. Noticeable by its absence is any sign of ill-will or hatred toward them.
"And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it is to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. For two years now there has been a famine in the land, and the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and save your lives by a great deliverance. So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God." Do you see what’s happening here? Joseph is actually comforting his brothers. He also shows a profound understanding of God’s working and purpose in his life. The genuineness of this all is seen in the final verse of our text: And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers talked with him.
What we have at this point is nothing less than an act of authentic, bonafide, concretely demonstrated forgiveness. Its authenticity must have come across, because the terrified silence came to an end and afterward his brothers talked with him.
So far the text. Let’s talk about Joseph’s example and the model he is for us in some very practical areas of our Christian walk. After that we’ll talk about the motivation behind it all.
First, Joseph is a MODEL OF PRACTICING FORGIVENESS. Put yourself in Joseph’s shoes. How would you have reacted in the same situation? Although in the eyes of the world as well as in the eyes of our sinful nature Joseph had every right to be mad, or at the very least, to let his brothers twist in the wind for a little while, the fact of the matter is that Joseph presents us with a fine display of complete and immediate Christian forgiveness.
Let’s talk about the topic of forgiveness. Wouldn’t you agree that forgiving others is easy to speak about in theoretical terms ("a Christian is forgiving"), but much more difficult when it comes to putting it into personal practice? Then it’s not quite so easy. When someone has done us wrong or hurt us, we would often like to be exceptions to the rule of practicing forgiveness. Or at the very least, we’d like an extension during which we can hold a grudge for a while and stew in our own vitriolic juices.
But that’s not how it works. Jesus repeatedly tells us to forgive as we have been forgiven. Forgiveness received from Christ on the cross and forgiveness dispensed toward others as Christ’s followers is a basic and essential component of the Christian life. In fact, every time we say the Lord’s prayer, we are making a promise to God Himself that we will forgive others as we have been forgiven ourselves. And if we are not making conscious efforts to be forgiving, or if we are purposely and maliciously harboring grudges against others for whatever reasons, are we not lying to God whenever we say this prayer?
Let’s not misunderstand. Practicing forgiveness can be hard. In fact, it is so hard that we can’t do it ourselves. We need God’s help. But with God’s help it can be done. There is a big difference between wanting to forgive but finding it difficult and consciously choosing not to forgive. The first God will help us with. The other is premeditated sin. Joseph obviously accessed God’s help in this area. As such, he is a role model for us of one who forgave.
. As well as a role MODEL OF ONE WHO FORGOT. Joseph did not forget about the past in the sense that God wondrously struck him with amnesia (we’ll recall that when he identified himself to his brothers as Joseph, he also added "the one you sold into Egypt"), but in the sense that he did not dwell on it. Yes, he mentioned it; but not in a way to make them feel bad.
We often hear it said, "Forgive and forget." Well, the truth is that forgetting may not be possible. But what is possible is acting as if all is forgotten by not bringing up the past. Let me give you an example. I believe it was Florence Nightingale, the Christian woman who was a pioneer in nursing and hospital reform in the 19th Century England, who was once reminded by a colleague of something unkind that someone had done to her. Her colleague asked if she remembered the incident, to which Florence supposedly replied, "No, I don’t. In fact I distinctly remember forgetting it." That’s forgiving and forgetting.
On the other hand, one sure indication that our forgiveness is not complete is if we keep dragging up the past. A (somewhat) amusing story tells of a couple who went to a marriage counselor. Each was asked what they thought was the root cause of the trouble in their relationship. When it was the husband’s turn he said that his wife doesn’t get hysterical; rather she gets historical. I think we understand very well what he meant.
Joseph did not get historical. He didn’t use their past sin as a weapon against his brothers. In fact, we see him actually encouraging them to not be distressed over it, because that was then and now is now. So, Joseph is a model of one who forgave and forgot, as well as.
. A MODEL OF ONE WHO UNDERSTOOD THE OUT-WORKING OF GOD IN HIS LIFE. It’s hard to imagine that somewhere along the line – perhaps on that long unplanned caravan ride or perhaps while languishing in an Egyptian prison – Joseph didn’t ask the question, "Why me, Lord?" If he did, with God’s help he was able to come to grips with his situation and at this point in his life certainly understood that everything happened to him for a purpose. He exhibited a deep spiritual maturity and a profound sense of understanding that "what God ordains is always good." Here again he is a model for us – a model of trusting God. A model of confidence in the providence and wisdom of God, even in the face of circumstances we would not choose for ourselves.
Therefore, as it applies to us, what we can learn from Joseph is how to handle ourselves in difficult times. What we learn from Joseph is to not dwell on the "why me" questions of self-pity, but rather to go forward in His strength, knowing that God leaves nothing to chance and always has our highest good in mind. Later in his life Joseph had the benefit of seeing how everything that at one time didn’t make sense eventually came together for a high and noble purpose. And perhaps God will allow the same for us. But it may also be that we won’t know the answer to our "why" questions until we get to heaven. However, regardless of when God’s reasons may be revealed to us, of this we can be sure: God is at the helm of our ship.
Final consideration: What is it that motivated Joseph to be all these things, and what is our motivation to follow his example? I believe a key verse to understanding Joseph is found in Genesis 39:9. Confronted by temptation from Potiphar’s wife, Joseph replied: "How could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?"
Joseph loved God. As a child of God he had grown up with the promise of the Savior and had heard his father Jacob talk of the wonderful things God had done in his life. Joseph’s love for God translated in living for God, as we have seen today.
Why should we be forgiving, forgetting, and trusting? Same reason. Same loving God. We can be forgiving, forgetting and trusting because we understand the Gospel message. We know that not only have our sins been forgiven through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, but they have also been forgotten. Consequently the only response open to us is the fervent desire to love our loving God in return and walk in a way worthy of the name Christian, just as Joseph did.
Who, today serves as a role model for us in Christian virtue. Empowered and moved by love for Christ, may God grant us the characteristics of Joseph we have just examined. And may it be that, with God’s help, everyday we become increasingly more forgiving of others, forgetting the things we have forgiven, and always trusting that "what God ordains is always good." Amen.