Genesis 50 Verses 15 to 20 Forgiving Each Other and Bloom Where You Are Planted July 30, 2023

Genesis 50 Verses 15 to 20 Forgiving Each Other and Bloom Where You Are Planted July 30, 2023

Class Presentation Notes AAAAA

Background Scriptures:

James 1:2-3 (NASB) 2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

Romans 8:28 (NASB) 28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Main Idea: We can experience God’s best if we always try to be a blessing to those who do not know God.

Study Aim: To understand that we can experience God’s best when we react positively to negative experiences.

The Life Question this lesson seeks to address is: Why should I care about giving and receiving forgiveness?

Create Interest:

· In a secular worldview, maintaining right relationships with others, including family members, may not be viewed as a priority. Holding grudges and retaliating are common practices. Neither forgiving others nor accepting forgiveness is often perceived as a personal need.

· In the biblical worldview, all people are sinners who need divine forgiveness. Those whom God has forgiven are expected to forgive others. Because we sin against one another, we need to forgive one another, to be reconciled, and to maintain right relationships with God and others.

· The basic meaning of the Hebrew word nasaʾ is “to lift.” Hence it is used in the sense of “to lift up” in Genesis 13:14; 21:18; and Numbers 6:26. When the word is used to refer to lifting the burden of sin, it means forgive. The word is used twice this way in Genesis 50:17 in our Focal Passage and in Exodus 34:7 and Psalm 32:5.[1]

· In his book The Peacemaker, Ken Sande listed some biblical steps for overcoming unforgiveness.

o Step 1is to confirm repentance.

§ Evaluate your own claim to have forgiven others and evaluate the claims of those who say they have forgiven you.

o Step 2 is to renounce sinful attitudes and expectations.

§ When someone confesses sin and repents, give the person the benefit of the doubt.

o Step 3 is to assess your contributions to the conflict situation.

§ To what degree are you guilty?

o Step 4 is to recognize that God is working for good.

§ He is merciful, forgiving, and good.

o Step 5 is to remember God’s forgiveness.

§ We are to forgive as the Lord has forgiven us. (Luke 11:4)

o Step 6 is to draw on God’s strength.

§ If you try to forgive on your own, you will be frustrated.

📷 If you draw on God’s grace, He will help you to forgive completely😊.

Lesson In Historical Context:

· After Jacob’s death, Joseph’s older brothers feared that Joseph would exact revenge on them for what they had done to him earlier. They sent a message to Joseph claiming that Jacob had asked them to deliver it. The message asked Joseph to forgive his brothers. The message also contained their plea for forgiveness.

· When the brothers appeared before Joseph, they fell down and said they were his slaves. Joseph declined to judge them, pointing out that God had overridden their actions for good. Speaking kind and reassuring words to them, he promised to care for them and their families.

· Jesus instructed His disciples to seek reconciliation with people who had something against them. When a believer comes to worship and remembers that a brother has something against him or her, the would-be worshipper should go right away to the one with the grudge, be reconciled to him/her, and then return and worship.

· Paul urged his readers to practice distinctly Christian qualities.

o Above all, they should live in love.

o They were to politely or patiently restrainand to forgive one another as God in Christ had forgiven them.

o They were to live in the peace that Christ gives, and they were to be thankful.[2]

Bible Study:

Genesis 50:14-15 (NASB) 14 After he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brothers, and all who had gone up with him to bury his father. 15 When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, "What if Joseph bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong which we did to him!"

· The text says that the brothers saw that Jacob was dead. This cannot mean that they learned for the first time that their father was not alive, unless we accept a flagrant disagreement between vv. 1–11, 14 (J)—the brothers went with Joseph to Canaan to bury their father—and vv. 15–21 (E). saw means something like, “when the full reality of their father’s passing dawned on them.”

· Their suspicion is that Joseph will hate them. The Joseph narrative started with the brothers hating him (śānēʾ, 37:4, 5, 8). At the end of the narrative the tables are turned, and they think Joseph will hate them (śāṭam). Their hatred for Joseph is real, but Joseph’s hatred of them is only imaginary.

· If, in fact, Joseph did hate his brothers, such hate would not have been triggered by Jacob’s death. It would have a longer history than that, extending as far back as the incident of Ch. 37.

o Maybe we should read the brothers’ feelings not as two coordinate statements, but as a cause-and-effect statement:

§ “Joseph will demonstrate his contempt for us by returning on us all the evil we heaped on him.”

§ Joseph has given them no premonition or reason to think that his spirit is retaliatory, that he has been laying low and waiting for the most propitious moment for vengeance.

§ This, incidentally, is the first time the brothers acknowledge their guilt for what they did to Joseph—all the harm[hārāʿá] we did to him. Joseph himself had discouraged remorse in his brothers by his reconciling words of 45:5(“do not worry or reproach yourselves.)[3]

Thoughts to Soak On

· Had Joseph really forgiven them?

o How could a person forgive so terrible a wrong? Joseph was only human after all.

o How deeply was Joseph committed to God? Enough to forgive the worst evil imaginable?

o Was Joseph really committed to the family of Israel? Committed to the promised seed and people of God? Was he committed enough so that he would not harm them but help them survive and return to the promised land?

§ All kinds of questions began to flood the minds of the brothers, and eventually a spirit of fear and apprehension gripped their souls.

§ They began to fear that Joseph might seek vengeance against them.

§ Eventually the fear and pressure got the best of them, and when they could bear it no longer, they acted. (see Vs. 16-18)

Genesis 50:16-17 (NASB) 16 So they sent a messageto Joseph, saying, "Your father charged before he died, saying, 17 'Thus you shall say to Joseph, "Please forgive, I beg you, the transgression of your brothers and their sin, for they did you wrong."' And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father." And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.

18 Then his brothers also came and fell down before him and said, "Behold, we are your servants."

· The brothers sent a messenger to Joseph, and they claimed that the instructions were from their father before he died (vv. 16–17). The messenger was most likely Benjamin or Judah. Note what the message was.

o Their father wanted the sons to confess their sin to Joseph and to ask his forgiveness (v. 17).

o The brothers asked Joseph to forgive them (v. 17b).

When Joseph heard the message, he broke and wept (v. 17c).

· Now, why did Joseph weep? What was it that touched his heart so deeply that he would break out in tears? Probably three things.

o First: The brothers were showing a true repentance, that they were genuinely converted. They had no trouble whatsoever in asking forgiveness when they had wronged a person. This was evident by their coming to Joseph now. Joseph could rest assured, his brothers were genuinely following God, and they wanted the family to be truly reconciled.

o Second: The brothers called themselves the servants of the God of your [Joseph’s] father (v. 17b). They were declaring their testimony, their commitment to God; they were the servants of God, the true and living God of Joseph. By this declaration Joseph knew that his brothers were committed to the call of God.He knew that his brothers would follow God and His great promises. And he knew that God could use them to fulfill His great purposes for the world.

o Third: Joseph was touched and broken because he saw that his own life had been used by God to the fullest. His life had not been lived in vain. God had used him to save his family, the family of believers whom God had chosen to bear the promised seed, the Savior of the world, and to inherit the promised land.[4]

Thoughts to Soak On

· Consider if you can understand and possibly relate on some level to this verse 17.

o On receiving their message, Joseph wept, overcome with emotions as he remembered the pain of sitting in the dark, dismal cistern awaiting death, being sold into slavery, and spending years in Egyptian prisons. He wept at the guilt and anxiety his brothers still felt. He wept for joy that they had been reunited and expressed true remorse for their transgression against him. His weeping demonstrated that his concern for them was genuine.[5]

· Vs. 18: And his brothers also came and fell down before him and said, we are your servants.. Both the attitudes assumed and the words spoken were designed to express the intensity of their contrition and the fervor of their supplication.[6] The appeal broke Joseph’s heart. As the brothers to a man prostrated themselves before him.[7]

More Thoughts to Soak On:

· Joseph must have summoned his brothers to his home, for it’s not likely they would go there on their own. When they arrived, they fell prostrate before him in fear, their last bow in fulfillment of Joseph’s prophetic dreams.

· Like the Prodigal Son, they couldn’t accept free forgiveness. That was expecting too much! The brothers offered to become servants and work their way to the place where Joseph could forgive them and accept them (Luke 15:19). If that’s your approach to forgiveness, read Ephesians 2:8–9and claim it.

· The only people God can forgive are those who know they’re sinners, who admit it and confess that they can’t do anything to merit or earn God’s forgiveness.

o Whether it’s the woman at the well (John 4),

o the tax collector in the tree (Luke 19:1–10),

o or the thief on the cross (23:39–43), all sinners have to admit their guilt, abandon their proud efforts to earn salvation, and throw themselves on the mercy of the Lord.

· How does God assure His children that He has indeed forgiven them and forgotten their sins? The same way Joseph assured his frightened brothers:

o He speaks to us from His Word. Twice Joseph said, “Don’t be afraid!” He comforted them and spoke kindly to them. This is what God does for His own if they will read His Word, receive it into their hearts, and trust it completely. “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid” (Isa. 12:2, kjv).[8]

Genesis 50:19(NASB) Bloom Where You Are Planted 19 But Joseph said to them, "Do not be afraid, for am I in God's place?

· Joseph told his brothers not to be afraid. His words show his first and primary reason why he would not seek revenge. He was not in the place of God.God said later, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay (Rom. 12:19; cf. Deut. 32:35).

o When we try to repay or “get even,” we do not leave room for God to deal with the situation.

§ He can make enemies into friends.

§ Joseph’s experiences were hard, but they taught him about God’s love and grace.

§ It was a future glimpse of the love that Christ would later show, that is literally “thrown beyond” knowledge. (See Eph. 3:16–19).[9]

· Am I in the place of God?Joseph first understood he was not in the place of God. It wasn’t his job to bring retribution upon his brothers. If the Lord chose to punish them, He would have to find an instrument other than Joseph.

o From a human perspective, Joseph had the right and the ability to bring retribution upon his brothers, but he knew God was God and he was not. Such retribution was God’s place, not Joseph’s.[10]

· Joseph’s response crystallizes the theology of the Joseph narrative as a whole (cf. Prov 19:21).

o Proverbs 19:21 (NASB) 21 Many plans are in a man's heart, But the counsel of the LORDwill stand.

· F. W. Faber remarked, “God’s will does not come to us in the whole, but in fragments, and generally in small fragments.”

o Joseph acknowledged that he was not in control of history’s measures (v. 19). “Don’t be afraid” (vv. 19, 21) echoes the comfort sounded by Joseph’s chief servant, who recognized God’s intervention in events (43:23; cf. 15:1; 21:17; 26:24; 35:17; 46:3).

o “Am I in the place of God?” is the same exclamation a frustrated Jacob answered to Rachel’s complaint (30:2).

o Divine purpose prohibits Joseph from exacting personal vengeance, even if he wanted to (cf. Lev 19:18; Deut. 32:35; Ps 94:1; Rom 12:19).

§ This is the role of God; Joseph cannot usurp deity’s designs (cf. Num 23:19–20; 24:13).[11]

Thoughts to Soak On

· Joseph encouraged them again to not be afraid and pointed them to the Lord as Joseph usually did. He again reminded them that the Lord worked through their jealousy and bitterness to bring about their rescue. Where sin abounded, grace much more abounded. Joseph reassured them of his love, comforted them, and spoke kindly to them.

· Many Christians make the same mistake with the Lord and doubt the Lord’s forgiveness of their sin. They live in confusion, doubt, fear, frustration, and failure in their spiritual growth. All of this shackles their service for Christ and robs them of their joy. God wants us to take Him at His word and trust His promises. If we trust Christ, He will forgive us and save us from our sins. Have you done this? If you have, then serve the Lord with joy.[12]

Genesis 50:20 (NASB) 20 "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.

· In Genesis 50:20, Joseph was specifically reminding his brothers that, though they “meant evil against” him when they sold him into slavery, “God meant it for good in order to … preserve many people alive” through the seven years of famine.

· Scripture does not imply God planned for the brothers to do what they did. Maybe God did, but he does not say that, and it would be an odd thing for God to do (God would surely be able to plan something that involved less suffering).

o What the story more likely illustrates is that God can take a negative human intention and turn it into something that can have a positive effect.

o When people talk about God’s doing that in their lives, they often refer to God’s bringing good in a person’s life out of a wrong done to one person or out of something regrettable that happens.

o Joseph’s point is a bolder one. Through something wrong done to him God did something good for other people.

o The supreme example is the story of the wrong done to Jesus. In Joseph’s story and Jesus’ story, at least, it is on the large scale, in events that have universal implications, that God coolly takes the most wicked of human acts and turns them into acts that can achieve something. It does not happen all the time, but God can make it happen.[13]

· The question arises whether it is possible to attain to Joseph’s generosity of heart without his theology, for it is clear that he found the motivation and the power to forgive through God’s dealings with him.

o How else could the strength of human vindictiveness be tamed and transformed?

o Too often people nurse grievances which they keep secret, but the poison festers and eventually causes a crisis; such grievances have been repressed but not forgiven.

o Only a deep sense of gratitude for the wonder of our own experience of forgiveness in Christ, and for the provision he has made for others to be forgiven, can break down the barriers we put up between ourselves and others, both those we have wronged and those who have wronged us.[14]

· Think through the chain of events that Joseph was encapsulating in that verse, and think how they worked out for good:

o Had Joseph not been sold into slavery, he would never have ended up in Egypt.

o Had Joseph not ended up in Egypt, he would never have gained distinction in Potiphar’s house.

o Had he not gained distinction in Potiphar’s house, he would never have been falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife.

o Had he not been falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife; he would never have ended up in jail.

· So far, things do not seem to be working out for good! But think on…

o Had Joseph not ended up in jail, he would never have interpreted the cupbearer’s dream.

o Had he not interpreted the cupbearer’s dream, he would never have been called upon to interpret Pharaoh’s dream.

o Had he not interpreted Pharaoh’s dream, Egypt would never have been prepared for the coming famine.

o Had Egypt not been prepared for the coming famine, many in Egypt would have died—and so would Joseph and his brothers!

o And had Joseph and his brothers died, there would have been no Israel and, therefore, no Messiah!

· Joseph’s whole life is one long trail of evidence that demonstrates how God uses the worst of circumstances to turn our lives into something useful and profitable! And the profit of Joseph’s suffering continues down to this very day!

o As believers in Jesus, we benefit from the fact that Joseph’s suffering kept the family tree of the Savior alive!

o “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28)!

· The practical applications of this discovery are many.

o We learn that, even when others are harming us, they are, unwittingly, doing us good—and therefore we can forgive, as Joseph did!

o We learn that God is in control and can be trusted even in the darkest hours.

o We learn not to judge our circumstances too quickly! If Joseph had measured God’s love simply by what he could see in the here and now, he would have lost his faith long before he ever got to chapter 50!

· How much more spiritually healthy we would be if we could get Joseph’s epitaph, “God meant it for good,” engraved onto our hearts!

o So much of the Christian life is wrapped up in believing these lessons from Genesis 50:20.The following relate to this verse:

📷 The ability to forgive.

📷 The ability to cope with hardship.

📷 The question of why God permits evil.

v This is an inestimably important verse and lesson.[15]

A closing thought submitted by J. Vernon McGee

· Friend, God has a far–off purpose that you and I do not see. I must confess how human I am about this because I can’t see any further than my nose when trouble comes to me, and I ask, “Why does God permit this to happen?”

· We need to remember that He has a good purpose in view.

o He is not going to let anything happen to you unless it will accomplish a good purpose in your life.[16]

THE ABC’S OF SALVATION

How To Become a Christian

· Some people think a personal relationship with God is something only theologians can comprehend. God’s plan of salvation is simple enough for everyone to understand. Here are the ABC’s of salvation.

· Admit

o Admit to God that you are a sinner. Everyone needs salvation. Each of us has a problem the Bible calls sin. Sin is a refusal to acknowledge God’s authority over our lives. Everyone who does not live a life of perfect obedience to the Lord is guilty of sin. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Since none of us is perfect, all of us are sinners (Romans 3:10–18).

o The result of sin is spiritual death (Romans 6:23). Spiritual death means eternal separation from God. By God’s perfect standard we are guilty of sin and therefore subject to the punishment for sin, which is separation from God. Admitting that you are a sinner and separated from God is the first step of repentance, which is turning from sin and self and turning toward God.

· Believe

o Believe in Jesus Christ as God’s Son and receive Jesus’ gift of forgiveness from sin. God loves each of us. God offers us salvation. Although we have done nothing to deserve His love and salvation, God wants to save us. In the death of Jesus on the cross and His resurrection from death, God provided salvation and eternal life for all who would repent of their sins and believe in Jesus. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

· Confess

o Confess your faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord to others.

§ After you have received Jesus Christ into your life, share your decision with another person.

§ Tell your pastor or a Christian friend about your decision.

§ Following Christ’s example, ask for baptism by immersion in your local church as a public expression of your faith. “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9–10).[17]

[1]Robert J. Dean, Family Bible Study, Summer 2003, Herschel Hobbs Commentary (LifeWay Christian Resources, 2003), 129. [2]Robert J. Dean, Bible Studies for Life, Spring 2007, Herschel Hobbs Commentary (LifeWay Christian Resources, n.d.), 128. [3]Victor P. Hamilton, The Book of Genesis, Chapters 18–50, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1995), 701–702. [4]Leadership Ministries Worldwide, Genesis (Chapters 12–50), vol. II, The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible (Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide, 1996), 407. [5]John E. Hartley, Genesis, ed. W. Ward Gasque, Robert L. Hubbard Jr., and Robert K. Johnston, Understanding the Bible Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2012), 366–367. [6]H. D. M. Spence-Jones, ed., Genesis, The Pulpit Commentary (London; New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1909), 539. [7]John Phillips, Exploring Genesis: An Expository Commentary, The John Phillips Commentary Series (Kregel Publications; WORDsearch Corp., 2009), Ge 50:15–21. [8]Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Authentic, “Be” Commentary Series (Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor Pub., 1997), 164–165. [9]Gregory A. Lint, ed., Genesis, The Complete Biblical Library: Study Bible (World Library Press, 1994), Ge 50:19. [10]David Guzik, Genesis, David Guzik’s Commentaries on the Bible (Santa Barbara, CA: David Guzik, 2013), Ge 50:19–21. [11]K. A. Mathews, Genesis 11:27–50:26, vol. 1B, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2005), 927–928. [12]Rod Mattoon, Treasures from Genesis, Treasures from Scripture Series (Springfield, IL: Rod Mattoon, 1999), 480–481. [13]John Goldingay, Genesis for Everyone, Part 2: Chapters 17–50, First edition., Old Testament for Everyone (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010), 179–180. [14]Joyce G. Baldwin, The Message of Genesis 12–50: From Abraham to Joseph, ed. J. A. Motyer and Derek Tidball, The Bible Speaks Today (England: Inter-Varsity Press, 1986), 219. [15]Kurt Strassner, Opening up Genesis, Opening Up Commentary (Leominster: Day One Publications, 2009), 174–176. [16]J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible Commentary: The Law (Genesis 34-50), electronic ed., vol. 3 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1991), 177. [17]Robert J. Dean, Bible Studies for Life, Summer 2007, Herschel Hobbs Commentary (LifeWay Christian Resources, n.d.), 3.