The Genuine Forgiveness of God

So far in our study of Joseph we have learned about family, favoritism, hate, arrogance, sin, guilt, repentance, God’s presence, betrayal, mercy, prayer, bitterness, and most of all providence. This is why I do not spend much time in topical preaching, because the Scriptures themselves speak directly to the topics that we need to hear.

Today the topic that barrels to the forefront in Genesis 45, in addition to the overarching theme of providence, is forgiveness. There are a couple of things that is worth consideration first, Joseph’s forgiveness of his brothers was a part of God’s providential plan. Second, I believe that most people have unbiblical ideas about what forgiveness actually is and how to implement it.

Joseph’s Revelation

Composure Lost (v. 1, 2)

Joseph’s emotions could no longer be restrained. They boiled over.

He orders all the Egyptians out of the room so that he might have a private moment with his brothers.

For everyone save Joseph and his steward this is a very confusing outburst.

Joseph wept so loudly that even the Egyptians who left the room could hear him.

Remember that this is over 20 years of heart ache being released in a single moment.

Key Question (v. 3a)

There was something that Joseph wanted to know most of all in this moment.

“Is my father still alive?”

Benjamin’s wellbeing had been proven to him, but he has yet to lay eyes on his father.

Perhaps he thought that his father would come with Benjamin.

Dumbstruck Brothers (v. 3b, 4)

“His brothers could not answer him for they were dismayed in his presence.”

The word dismayed here translates a word that can mean paralyzing fear like experience in war.

It was like they were frozen.

Joseph has to speak calmly and clearly to break them of their dismay. “I am Joseph your brother.”

And to prove he is who he says he is he adds, “whom you sold into Egypt.” He knew the secret that they told no one. Now they must really be frozen in fear. Truth is stranger than fiction.

God’s Providence

Forgiveness Extended (v. 5a)

Notice the important way in which Joseph first extends forgiveness to his brothers. He implores them to no be grieved or angry with themselves.

For many of us the hardest person in the world to forgive is ourselves.

Forgiving yourself ultimately comes from understanding God’s forgiveness. The Bible is clear that every human has sinned against God, and that all our wrongdoing is against God.

Consider Psalm 51:4 “Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight...”

David wrote that Psalm, the same David who committed adultery and murder. The same David who is described as a man after God’s own heart.”

Thus, the essential thing we need is God’s forgiveness, which is available to us through the person and work of Jesus Christ. All who put their faith in Jesus are fully forgiven of their sins. They are counted as righteous before God, eternally justified (Romans 5:1–11; Ephesians 1:13–14; 2:1–10).

You might be saying I believe that God has forgiven me, but I just can’t get over what I did. What you are experiencing is regret. We all have regrets, but just like we are called to model the forgiveness of God to others we should view our own sins of the past the way that God views them.

Isaiah 43:25 ““I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins.”

God’s “not remembering” is not what we usually think of as forgetfulness. God is omniscient. He knows everything, and He forgets nothing. However, He can choose not to remember something. In other words God chooses to not base His relationship with you on past sins.

When you live in a world of regret and remorse you are no viewing your past sins in the same way that God is. Psalm 103:12 “As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.”

Romans 8:1 tells us there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. Romans 8:31–39 is a beautiful discourse on our security in Christ. Sin has no say in our standing with God. We are fully accepted and declared righteous in Him. God does not remember our sins in the way He treats us. Instead, He treats us as righteous. Second Corinthians 5:21 says, “God made him who had no sin [Jesus] to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” In this way, God “forgets” our sins.

There is no biblical reason for you to live in regret of your sins if you are a child of God. Even as Christians, we sin, but we know that God is faithful to forgive (1 John 1:9). God cleanses, and then He moves on. He does not hold our sins over us. Instead, He frees us from the slavery of sin and sets us free to experience a new life. Knowing the complete forgiveness of God in Christ, we can join King Hezekiah in praising our Redeemer: “You have put all my sins behind your back” (Isaiah 38:17). Like Paul, we can forget what is behind and “press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called [us] heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13).

Joseph understood by observing his brothers that they had lived in a perpetual state of guild for the last 22 years. He wanted to free them of that so he implores them do not be grieved or angry with yourselves.

Providential Forgiveness (v. 5b-8)

It is easy to see that Joseph has a proper perspective based on how he views his suffering. He knew that in God’s providence his pain always had a purpose.

It is important to see the connection between God’s providence and Joseph’s ability to forgive his brothers.

One thing that the narrative makes clear is that it was God’s plan and will for Joseph to forgive his brothers, because it was God’s plan for the people of Israel to be propagated through persecution in Egypt.

God in His providence used the spiritual maturity of Joseph to enact His plan for the covenant people.

What if Joseph chose not to forgive his brothers and sent them back to Canaan to starve? Now, that could never have happened because it was not God’s will, but the hypothetical thought exercise helps us to see how Joseph’s forgiveness of his brothers was not just about the interpersonal relationships of Joseph and his brothers nor was it simply about Joseph’s or his brother’s inner turmoil.

Joseph’s focus on God’s providence is at least partially what enabled him to forgive his brothers.

v. 5 “God sent me before you to preserve life.”

v. 7 God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

v. 8 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.

v.9 God has made me lord of all Egypt

Pride is the great enemy of forgiveness

How could you do this to me?!

I have never been so disrespected!

Holding a grudge is all about pride

Joseph saw the wrongs that were done to him not as a personal slight but as painful events that nevertheless further the plans and promises of God.

How would your life change if you could view the wrongs done to you in that same light? How different would your relationships be?

Forgiveness Received (v. 9-15)

It takes a while but eventually after all of Joseph’s convincing his brothers are shaken from their stunned silence.

Benjamin is the first to come around probably because he didn’t have anything to do with the wrongs done to Joseph.

Joseph obviously and rightly has a special love for Benjamin.

v. 15 brings it all to a conclusion. They weep and talk.

Forgiveness is a transaction between two people the offender and the offended.

This is where many people misunderstand what forgiveness is.

Often times the world wants us to understand forgiveness as something we do internally that brings us personal peace. It is seen as something that can be done with or without the offending party’s participation.

This is not a biblical concept of forgiveness. This type of forgiveness is inherently self oriented.

Whose example of forgiveness should we follow? - God (2 Considerations)

Key question: Does God forgive the sins of those who do not ask for it? No, the forgiveness God extends to us is conditional upon our confession of sin and repentance.

Confession involves agreeing with God about our sin, and repentance requires a change of mind concerning the wrong attitude or action and a change in behavior that evinces a genuine willingness to forsake the sin. Sin remains unforgiven unless it is confessed and repented.

1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Is it even possible to forgive someone if they do not ask for it? No, I don’t believe it is. This does not mean that we are free to live in an active state of hostility and anger toward that person.

Based also on God’s example of forgiveness we should always be ready and eager to forgive. Did God ever withhold forgiveness from someone who asked for it? God went to extreme lengths to provide the means of forgiveness.

Scripture tells that God has set the pattern of forgiveness.

Ephesians 4:32 “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”

Forgiveness requires a conversation.

What forgiveness is not:

Forgiveness is not the same as forbearance. To forbear is to patiently endure a provocation, overlook a slight, or maintain self-control in the face of frustration. Forbearance causes us to weigh someone’s sinful action or attitude with love, wisdom, and discernment and choose not to respond. Scripture uses various words for this quality: patience, longsuffering, endurance, and, of course, forbearance (see Proverbs 12:16; 19:11; 1 Peter 4:8).

Forgiveness is also not forgetting. God does not suffer from amnesia about our sin. He remembers very clearly; however, it is not a remembering to condemn us (Romans 8:1). King David’s adultery and Abraham’s lying—these sins are recorded for all time in Scripture. God obviously did not “forget” about them.

Forgiveness is not an elimination of all consequences. Even when we are forgiven by Christ, we may still suffer the natural consequences of our sin (Proverbs 6:27) or face the discipline of a loving Heavenly Father (Hebrews 12:5–6).

Forgiveness is not a feeling. It is a commitment to pardon the offender. Feelings may or may not accompany forgiveness. Feelings of bitterness against a person may fade with time without any forgiveness being extended.

Forgiveness is not the private, solitary act of an individual heart. In other words, forgiveness involves at least two people. This is where confession and repentance come in. Forgiveness is not only about what happens within the offended person’s heart; it is a transaction between two people.

Forgiveness is not selfish; it is not motivated by self-interest. We do not seek to forgive for our own sakes or to relieve ourselves from stress. We forgive out of love of God, love of neighbors, and gratefulness for our own forgiveness.

Forgiveness is not the automatic restoration of trust. It is wrong to think that forgiving an abusive spouse today means the separation should end tomorrow. Scripture gives us many reasons to distrust those who have proved themselves untrustworthy (see Luke 16:10–12). Rebuilding trust can only begin after a process of reconciliation involving true forgiveness—which, of course, involves confession and repentance.

Forgiveness offered and available is not the same as forgiveness given, received, and transacted. This is where the word forgiveness on its own with no qualifier is often used differently from, and beyond, how God’s Word uses it. We tend to call the attitude of forgiveness—being willing to forgive—“forgiveness,” just the same as the actual transaction of true forgiveness. That is, in popular thinking, as long as a person is open to granting forgiveness, he has already forgiven. But this broad definition of forgiveness short-circuits the process of confession and repentance. Forgiveness offered and forgiveness received are entirely different, and we don’t help ourselves by using a catch-all word for both.

Forgiveness is about reconciliation.

Last thought on forgiveness

Make sure that you are actually the offended party.

Very rarely does a situation occur when there is only one true victim.

Most of the time forgiveness needs to be extended and recieved by both parties involved.

Pharaoh’s Hospitality

News Spreads (v. 16)

Royal Welcome (v. 17-20)

Pharaoh sets them up with everything they need to flourish as a people.

These are the events that lead to God’s fulfillment of His promise to Abraham that his descendants will be a great nation.

Patriarch Arrives (v. 21-28)

Remember to occasionally act like you are reading this for the first time.

Why are they in Egypt?! That is not the promised land.