Thirsty4Truth

Christianity teaches that we have to forgive everyone before they even acknowledge that they have done wrong. The Bible, however, does not teach that. For we are to forgive as God forgives, and He can only forgive us once we repent.

The story of Joseph and his brothers is the perfect story of this type of forgiveness in action. Joseph was a man of God, but when his brothers sinned against him, he was not so quick to forgive. His actions are a clear demonstration of the fact that he had not forgiven his brothers when they came to buy food in Egypt. Instead, Joseph waited until he knew that his brothers had repented.

The story of Joseph and his brothers can be found in Genesis 37 and 42 to 45. Joseph was the second youngest son of Jacob, and Jacob dearly loved him. For that reason, and perhaps many others as well, Joseph's brothers hated him. Therefore, when they had the opportunity to get rid of him they sold him into slavery.

Although Joseph must have been heart-broken by what his brothers did to him, he continued to trust in God, knowing that He would take care of him. He worked hard in his new place, and was soon favored by Pharaoh. Then when Joseph was able to interpret Pharaoh's disturbing dreams, he was put in charge of the preservation of the crops for the 7 year famine.

The Reunion

Joseph was a man of God and did what God instructed him to do. But for some reason, when he was reunited with his brothers, it was clear to see that he had not yet forgiven them. Therefore, God must not have put it on his heart to forgive his brothers, or else Joseph would have forgiven them.

One thing is for certain, and that is, if Joseph had forgiven his brothers, that he would have been glad to see them and made himself known to them right away. Joseph knew who they were, but with Joseph being dressed in Egyptian clothes, and speaking in the Egyptian language, his brothers had no idea who they were dealing with.

It is clear to see that Joseph had not forgiven his brothers, and by reading the story it almost looks as though he was trying to pay them back for what they did to him. But upon careful examination, it is clear to see that he had no evil intentions against his brothers. It pained Joseph to not be able to let his brothers know who he was, and on several occasions he left the presence of his brothers to weep.

What Did Joseph Do?

Joseph spoke to his brothers through a translator in a harsh manner. He accused them of being spies and put them into prison for three days. Then he demanded that one of them remain in prison while the others bring back the food to their father, and bring Benjamin back with them on their next visit. He even threatened them with death if they would not do so.

When Benjamin was brought, Joseph took his silver cup and placed it into Benjamin's sack, only to retrieve it later on their journey home. When Joseph's men caught up with the brothers, it was agreed that in whose sack the cup would be found, that the same individual would become a slave to Joseph.

When it was found in Benjamin's sack, Judah, the one whose idea it was to sell Joseph, came forward and volunteered to become the slave in Benjamin's place. When Joseph saw that Judah had changed, and was now willing to give his own life for the younger brother, he could not contain his sorrow, and made himself known to his brothers. It was at that moment that Joseph was able to forgive his brothers.

Joseph would have made himself known to his brothers a lot sooner, but he could not, because he did not know whether or not they had truly repented. Once he realized that his brothers had repented, and would not sell him into slavery again if they were given the opportunity, then, and only then, was he able to forgive them for the pain that they had caused him and their father.