HELEN SANDERS

9-22-2024

GENUINE FORGIVENESS

Jacob had twelve sons, and the next to the youngest was Joseph. He was born to Rachel in his old age. Rachel died giving birth to Joseph’s brother, Benjamin. Joseph was treated better than his half-brothers that were born to Rachel’s sister, Leah, and Jacob’s concubines. His father loved him the most and made him a very colorful coat. He wore it often, and his older half brothers were very jealous of him.

Joseph was gifted by God to have dreams and interpret them. One dream he was given showed that his brothers would bow down to him. They hated him for this. One day Joseph was sent to check on his brothers minding their herds, and they decided to kill him. Instead, they sold him into slavery, and he was carried from Canaan to Egypt. They lied to their father and said he had been killed.

While in Egypt he was falsely accused and thrown into prison. While in prison he interpreted dreams of two powerful men and was promised that he would be remembered. Sadly, like so many situations in life, Joseph was forgotten.

Years went by and Pharaoh had a disturbing dream. Joseph was then remembered by one of the men that had promised to remember him and told Pharaoh. He was called in to interpret Pharaoh’s dream and God gave him the interpretation. It involved a famine that was coming and how they should prepare for it. Pharaoh elevated Joseph to second in command under him to oversee preparation for what was to come.

The famine came upon all the world, including Joseph’s family in Canaan. Joseph’s brothers came to Egypt to get food that had been stored up. They did not recognize Joseph, but he knew who they were. He sent them home with more than what they paid for. Later, they came again, and he revealed himself to his brothers. They thought he was dead, but there he was, alive and second in command of Egypt. They were frightened, and rightly so, that he might have them put to death for what they had done. 

Joseph had developed a different spirit after being gone so long, and in Genesis 45:7-8 he said, “And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.”

Joseph had truly forgiven his brothers for what they did. That was an extraordinary act of forgiveness because God gave Joseph a different spirit. Genuine forgiveness does not seek revenge. Genuine forgiveness lets go of offenses against them and blesses those that offended them. This is the kind of spirit that each of us must strive to have. Remember, Jesus forgave each of us that were guilty of sin, and we should do likewise to others.

Thank you for being with us today.

Russell and Helen Sanders

SPIRIT OF LIFE MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL, INC.

www.spiritoflifeintl.org