Joseph, the favored one, the smart one, the handsome one. Joseph, the accused one, the imprisoned one, then, the raised up one.
The story of Joseph has long been one of the most miraculous stories of forgiveness for many centuries.
The idea that you could forgive someone who threw you into a hole, forced you to stay in a cold, dark, probably critter ridden place. Then sold you away from your home and loved ones to cruel men who bound you, beat you, and left you to sleep in the cold. And after that life got to be okay when you were overseer of someone's house, but then because you were kind and good lookin' you got in more trouble.
Finally after a couple of years in prison, you got out, got popular, got married, had some kids, and life was hunkie dorie.
Until.... THEY SHOWED UP ASKING FOR FOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If this were some sick American TV show Joseph would have been absolutely terrible to them all! He would have beat them, forced them to go through everything that he had gone through, and then sold them to be slaves.
But he didn't! Instead God gave him the grace to love and forgive, thus saving the entire line of Israel!
Then at their reunion, Joseph says these healing and wise words.
"I am Jospeh your brother whom you sold into Egypt. But now do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt."
Genesis 45:4-8
You know, many people use this as a story of forgiveness, and it is. But, I also see it as a story about God's plan for our lives. He had it planned out ahead for Joseph to be in Egypt at the exact time when he was most needed. And because of that, Joseph saved the whole line of the Jews, and ultimately Jesus! What a great testimony!
I have always woundered about this story, because he is all like "I forgive you" but I always think that he needs to be asken for a little forgiveness himself because I have a feeling that he was not all sweet about being the favored one. I think he probly rubbed it in their face a little, or maby I Just always try to look on both sides of the storys, and sometimes I feel like the "Bad Guys" always get a little wronged, true they did some bad stuff but I can just imagine him walking up to them as this like king thing and saying "I forgive you for selling me I turned out as one of the top dogs but I for give you" Tell me if I am wrong about that.
ReplyDeleteWell, on the Prince of Egypt movie he apologizes. I honestly don't know CC. On one hand I think that he was really speaking the truth about his dreams, yet he could have been excited because he was the top tamale in them. Human nature desires to be the hero and be in the spot light. But when your father favors you above others, it would be difficult to not act that way, I think that Jacob was a lot in the wrong. And a good chunk of all of this wouldn't have happened if Laban hadn't tricked Jacob into marrying Leah and Rachel. I don't know. The other brothers took the jealously to extremes so cruel it is terrible.
ReplyDeleteIt's a knotty question. Though truthfully, some of the other brother's actions, such as Levi and Simeon killing all of those men because their leader violated their sister displayed what was really in their hearts. And Judah being unjust to his daughter-in-law. Whereas Joseph as far as I can see seems to have held onto the faith the most, especially considering his circumstances.
Basically what I am saying is yes, Joseph may have been in the wrong some. Only God knows what was really in his heart. But he did truly have a gift for dreams, and he really was raised above his brothers. I think that God used this situation to provide, to teach a lesson, and to show once more that He is the Sovereign.
The amazing thing when you think about it all is, in light of the other people you talked about Grace and the fact that Joseph DID sin, God is much bigger than the mistakes we make! Even though pharaoh made the mistake of not listening to Joseph and his brothers sinned against him, God brought it all together! Obviously, Joseph was not perfect and even if he did do somethings wrong, or did at some points not have faith in God (because we all doubt) God did his will.
ReplyDeleteRighto, that makes it so much simpler for us frail humans. When you can't twist your brain around it anymore you can just say,
ReplyDelete"Oh well, God's in control, He has his plan and I will just follow. End of discussion!"