Read Genesis 37, 39, 41, 45.1-18
We skip forward a generation to Isaac’s son, Jacob, who has twelve sons and the very poor judgement to choose a favourite. Joseph is the favourite son and is gifted a multicoloured coat, which must have pleased his brothers no end! To add insult to injury, Joseph has dreams of grandeur – literally. He dreams that his brothers will bow down to him, and sparks further jealousy by reporting these dreams to his family. The brothers scheme to bring the dreamer to an end, but are persuaded by the eldest to sell him into slavery instead. And so, Joseph is carted off to work in domestic slavery, far away from home.
It seems almost unbelievable for brothers to treat their own in this way. And yet families everywhere are fractured. Today we might be more prone to not speaking, or stretching out our visits so they hardly exist, but we all know relationships where we don’t wish the other well.
For Joseph, there is a glimmer of light. He’s diligent and liked, and rises in the ranks in the household. Until his refusal to accept the advances of the mistress land him in trouble again. Joseph is carted off to jail and left to rot there. Darkness descends again.
In time, another chink of light appears. The Pharaoh has a disturbing dream, and his sommelier recalls meeting a guy in jail who could interpret dreams. Joseph is summoned, and asks God to interpret the dream. It’s a life or death message – famine will come and a food storage project is urgently needed to prevent mass starvation. Joseph impresses so greatly that he’s put in charge of the nation’s survival.
Enter some hungry brothers stage right. There’s no food left in their homeland, and they’ve been dispatched to Egypt to buy from the nation’s stores. They don’t even recognise the man at whose feet they bow as Joseph – to them, he is long dead – or realise that their lives now sit in the hands of the brother they wronged.
I wonder how you would react if you were in Joseph’s sandals? You have been wronged and retribution is now in your power. Do you take it? God has allowed you to suffer over and over. Do you wash your hands of him? Breaking relationships seems so much easier than maintaining them. And often it is. But does it mean we end up missing out – either of restored relationships (where these are appropriate – and at times safety dictates they are not) or of a clear conscience? Do we miss out on knowing God if we hold him responsible for our suffering?
Joseph chooses to forgive. That doesn’t mean his brothers’ actions were OK, or that substantial harm wasn’t done. It does mean that he chooses to leave retribution in God’s hands rather than taking it himself. He also chooses to see the glimmers of light as God at work for his good, rather than focusing on the darkness. It’s tempting to think of him as superhuman, but he was an ordinary guy. In the hands of an extraordinary God.
Reflect
Looking back, can you see any glimmers of light in times where you’ve been in darkness?
Are you holding on to wrongs committed against you? What might forgiveness and reconciliation (where safe) look like?
Are there times of your life that you hold as grievances against God? What would it look like to express this to him and invite him to respond?
Susie lives in NE Fife and works in ministry. She loves being with friends, feeding people and half finished creative projects.