LESSONS FROM THE LIFE OF JACOB #77 : JOSEPH #3

Written by Pastor Christopher Choo

Lesson 3578

LESSONS FROM THE LIFE OF JACOB #77

JACOB'S PROPHECIES ABOUT THE TWELVE TRIBES OF ISRAEL #12

JOSEPH #3

Why was Joseph the most Christ-like of all the father figures of Israel?

He gave us the most enduring lesson on forgiveness.

“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today” (Genesis 50:20).

With these words, Joseph forgave his brothers for selling him as a slave out of envy and jealousy for being their father Jacob's favourite son.

How could Joseph forgive his own blood brothers for such a terrible act?

“Ignorance of our own faults is the only cause that renders us unwilling to forgive our brethren,” says John Calvin.

It’s difficult to withhold forgiveness to others when we ponder how much we’ve been forgiven in Christ.

The more you reflect on the canceling of your sins, the more readily you’ll be able to forgive others for their sins against you. As C.S. Lewis once said, “To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.”

But Joseph put God's purposes first not his. He realised his loss of freedom became the gift of freedom he could bestow his brothers - the freedom of forgiveness.

During a hard season you may ask, “God, why am I going through this?” But later when it passes, you might get to see God’s intention.

Painful providences are often best observed in hindsight.

This is not always the case. For some questions to our sufferings will not be answered in this life. The question 

" Why does a good God allow suffering?" is often beyond our finite comprehension and understanding.

But for Joseph — toward the end of his life — he was able to see that God used his suffering to provide for others. There was a purpose in it. And when you trust that God is using the evil in your life for good even if you don’t presently understand it, you won’t grow bitter toward God and others.

We will be freed of the prison of self - self-pity, rejection, thoughts of revenge, hopelessness - as we forgive others with the love of Christ who forgave us all.