Genesis 50:15-21
Can you imagine a person who has been wronged, given the
power to deal with those who have wronged him? If you find yourself in that situation, and you are the one
who has caused the harm to the other person, you have reason to be alarmed; in
fact, you might want to go quickly to the person and ask forgiveness for your
part in the offence.
In my short life, I’ve been on both sides of that issue, and
it can be a time to see what you are made of, a time to trust God to avenge
you, or a time to get reprisal.
Late in my career I had a boss that had a score to settle with me, in
fact, on our first meeting after he became my boss he let me know that if he
could, he would fire me, that’s not a good way to start an employee to boss
relationship. When he thought the
time was right he sent an e-mail to all of my associates and copied me, asking
when I was going to retire because he was going to put another person in my responsibility,
as of that day. That e-mail was my
first notice of his actions and that e-mail was totally against 3M’
policy. My adversary was in my
hands, that email would cost him.
I had a choice, however, God made it clear that He would avenge me and
that I was to take no action.
Joseph’s brothers had good reason to fear reprisal, they had
wanted to kill him and settled on selling him into slavery. Now the glue that has kept the peace in
the family is dead and the brother comes up with a story of dad’s last command
before he died. Picking up the
story in verse 17, “Say to Joseph, Please forgive the
transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to
you. And not please forgive the
transgression of the servants of the God of your father. On hearing
this Joseph wept and his brothers came and fell down before him and offer to be
his servants, they had no other option, but Joseph had choices, and look at
what he choose.
Joseph said to them, “Do not
fear, for am I in the place of God?
As for you, you meant evil against me, but Go meant if for good, to
bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you
and your little ones.” Joseph
was such a wise man, though he had the ability to do with them as he wished;
his desire was to not put himself in the place of God. All of us would be wise to act on the
words of the apostle Peter; “Do not repay evil with
evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called
so that you may inherit a blessing.”
From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice
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