Joseph, Forgiveness, and Guilt -- 8/16/09

Sunday, August 9, 2009

JOSEPH, GUILT, AND FORGIVENESS
Gen. 50:15-22

This morning we are going to wrap up the story of Joseph. You may be wondering how we are going to cover the last twelve chapters of Genesis in one sitting. Well, the day’s young. No, I’ll try to be brief. The truth is that we have been dealing with the story of Joseph for the past month. Four weeks ago on Sunday morning we had a little visit from Joseph, which covered Genesis 37. That morning I encouraged you to read the rest of Genesis by taking one chapter a day for two weeks. Then after you read the story, we focused on Joseph during our Bible School. So we got a good dose of Joseph. By the way, if you weren’t here for Bible School and would like to watch the play that set the story of Joseph among the cowboys and Indians of the old west, the skit crew took the time and effort last Sunday to record those and we will make them available.

This morning we are going to deal with the part of the story that we didn’t get to in Bible School. It’s a very important aspect of the story, but after all you can only get to so much in five days. A few of you may have heard this mentioned in your class, but we are going to deal with it more fully this morning. On the surface, it would seem that after Joseph revealed himself to his brothers and expressed his forgiveness to them, Joseph brought his family down to Egypt and everyone lived happily ever after. While that may have largely been true for Joseph, his father Jacob, and little Benjamin, it wasn’t true of Joseph’s older brothers.

Please allow me to begin by talking to you a little bit about guilt. Is there anyone here who has ever felt guilty? And why did you feel guilty? For the most part, it was because you were guilty. You stole a watermelon out of someone’s garden and you knew it was wrong. You told a lie to your mom or dad. You felt guilty, and you were guilty. Perhaps some of you deal with a much greater guilt. Maybe you hurt someone very deeply. Though you regret it, there is no way to go back and undo it. If you go visit a prison, it will amaze you how many people there are very young. Let’s suppose a 23-year-old man shot and killed someone. Suppose he lives to be 75. It is very likely that he will carry that guilt for those 52 years. Though there may be times when he is able to push it back in his mind, given the right circumstances, it will begin to weigh on him again. It’s always there.

I. Reviewing the Story

Now let’s come back to Joseph and his brothers. You remember the story. Joseph’s ten older brothers hated him because they were jealous. Their father Jacob favored Joseph and made no secret of it, even giving him a bright coat that had “this is my favorite son” written all over it. As you know, the brothers seized their opportunity when Joseph came out to check on them, and ended up selling him to a trade caravan that was headed to Egypt. When they arrived in Egypt, they sold him to a man named Potiphar, who was the captain of the guard for the Pharaoh. But the Lord was with Joseph and he earned the trust of Potiphar, managing all of household affairs. After some time (we don’t know how long), Potiphar’s wife falsely accused him and Potiphar had him thrown into prison. Again, God was with him and he rose to prominence in that prison. We are told that the warden had it easy because he entrusted all his business to Joseph. Through a series of events, he was called before the Pharaoh himself, who had two very troubling dreams. Joesph made it clear that he couldn’t interpret dreams but that his God was able. Trusting God, Joseph rightly interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams to mean that there would be seven years of plenty, followed by seven years of famine. Joseph went on to boldly suggest to Pharaoh what needed to be done. Pharaoh was so impressed that he put Joseph in charge of storing up food in Egypt. As a matter of fact, Joseph became the prime minister, second only to Pharaoh in the whole country.

Things happened exactly like Joseph said they would. He wisely stored up food to take them through the famine. That famine was not limited to Joseph, but spread over the whole earth. When Jacob and his family ran out of food, he sent his ten oldest sons down to Egypt, as he had heard that one could buy grain down there. When the brothers came before Joseph to buy food, Joseph recognized them. However, he disguised his own identity and made sure his brothers didn’t recognize him. As he conversed with them, he found out that Benjamin was back home and that his father was still alive. He then accused them of being spies. Joseph sold them food, but he then assured them there would be no more food unless they brought their little brother Benjamin down to prove their story. To insure they would come back, he kept Simeon there in Egypt.

As expected, the time soon came when Jacob and his family ran short on food again. He told his nine sons (Simeon was still in Egypt) to go back and buy more food. They reminded him that there was no use going unless Benjamin was with them. After much persuasion, Jacob finally agreed to let Benjamin go. When they arrived and Joseph saw that Benjamin was with them, he arranged for them to eat with them. After that meal, he then sold them food and sent them away, instructing his servant to hide his special silver cup in Benjamin’s pack. When the servant pursued them and searched their sacks, the brothers were torn to pieces when the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. They said they would all go back and become the servants of Joseph. But Joseph said they were all free to go except for Benjamin. Judah pleaded with Joseph, finally asking if he could stay in Benjamin’s place.

Finally, Joseph could not restrain himself any longer. Now let’s read from Gen. 45:1-15…
Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. 2. And he wept aloud: and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard. 3. And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence. 4. And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. 5. Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. 6. For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. 7. And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. 8. So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. 9. Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not: 10. And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children's children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast: 11. And there will I nourish thee; for yet there are five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty. 12. And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you. 13. And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen; and ye shall haste and bring down my father hither. 14. And he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck. 15. Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that his brethren talked with him.

I want you to notice in verse 14 that Benjamin returned the affection of Joseph. Do you see it? “Benjamin wept upon his neck.” But even thought Joseph kissed the other brothers and wept upon them, we read only that “his brothers talked with him.” The guilt they experienced prevented them from entering into a full relationship with Joseph. They were polite and they were grateful, but they were still distant. Joseph had clearly told them not to be grieved or angry with themselves. Nevertheless, though they were greatly relieved, things were not what they should have been. Their guilt was a barrier between them and Joseph.

Now if you question this and wonder if I am reading too much into the text, let me assure you that the context will confirm this truth. You see, this is not the end of the story. This is chapter 45, and there are still five more chapters in Genesis. Chapter 45 ends with the brothers’ return to their father and the incredible news that Joseph was still alive and ruling in Egypt. Chapter 46 gives the name of Jacob’s family members who moved to Egypt, ending with that glorious reunion between Joseph and his father. In chapter 47 Joseph presents his family to Pharaoh and closing with him settling his family in the land of Goshen. Chapter 48 tells of Jacob blessing Joseph’s sons Ephraim and Manasseh, and chapter 49 is the record of Jacob blessing his twelve sons. Chapter 49 ends with the death of Jacob, after he had charged his sons to bury him in the family cemetery plot back in the land of Canaan. The first half of chapter 50 tells us that they mourned for Jacob and buried him according to his wishes.

Now let’s set the timing of Jacob’s death. How old was he when he died? Gen. 47:28, "And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years: so the whole age of Jacob was an hundred forty and seven years." This agrees with 47:9, which tells us that Jacob was 130 when they moved to Egypt. So for 17 years Jacob and all twelve sons lived together in Egypt. What could possibly be better? Jacob didn’t think he would ever see Joseph again. At one point he feared that he would never see Simeon again and that he would possibly lose his son Benjamin. Benjamin had no hopes of ever seeing his full brother Joseph. The ten older brothers never dreamed that they would see Joseph, that he would be second in command in Egypt, and that he would not take revenge upon them. This should have been the best “live happily ever after” story in the whole Bible.

But now let’s read what the text says in Gen. 50:15-22…
And when Joseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him. 16. And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying, 17. So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him. 18. And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants. 19. And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? 20. But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. 21. Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them. 22. And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he, and his father's house: and Joseph lived an hundred and ten years.

II. Ten Forgiven Brothers Living with Guilt

When Jacob died, there was a brand new crisis for Joseph’s older brothers. But why? Because they believed Joseph was only delaying his revenge upon them until after their father died. They believed that Joseph was being nice to them only for their dad’s sake. If he would have killed them, it would have been really hard on his father, and Joseph loved his father. But now that Jacob was dead, they saw no reason that Joseph should not pour out his hatred in full measure and give them what they deserved.

They were so afraid that they cooked up a deceptive scheme. They sent a messenger to Joseph to tell him basically this: “Before your dad died, he wanted to give you this urgent message: Please forgive your brothers for the evil they did to you.” And then they added their own pitiful plea for his forgiveness. Some believe that Jacob actually said this, but I see no indication of that in the text before us. It seems more likely that the brothers just made it up, believing that Joseph was more likely to listen to a message from their father than from them.

Now don’t forget the timing of all this. Before they ever moved down to Egypt, Joseph told them that he had forgiven them. Jacob had arrived in Egypt 17 years before his death. Allowing some time for the move, it was going on 18 years since they had heard Joseph’s expression of forgiveness. For over 17 years, they had been worrying about Joseph getting even with them. During that time, such a thought never crossed the mind of Joseph. He had truly forgiven those brothers. That is why Joseph started crying on this occasion, when his brothers begged his forgiveness. Not only did they beg for forgiveness, but they fell down on their faces and said, “We will be your servants.” Joseph didn’t want more servants; he had plenty. He wanted brothers, but they were not able to be real brothers to Joseph because of the guilt that continued to plague them.

Here in verses 19-21 we come to the climax of this whole story. Joseph’s brothers intended evil when they sold him, but God meant it all for good, in order that he might “save much people alive.” Had Joseph not gone to Egypt and been in that prison when Pharaoh dreamed, there would have been no one to interpret the dreams and thousands of people would have perished during the famine, including Joseph’s family. The fact that God worked His plan through the actions of the ten brothers does not excuse their sin in the least, but it does show what a mighty God we serve.

I can never think of the story of Joseph without coming back to Rom 8:28-29, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 29. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren." As we love God and are the called according to His purpose, we can have absolute confidence that all things work together for good? And what is the good? It is that we might be conformed to the image of His Son.

Praise God that here in chapter 50 we have a picture through Joseph of what God did in His Son Jesus Christ. Through God’s work in and through Joseph, many people were saved. That was a physical salvation; they didn’t die at that time. Through God’s work in and through His Son Jesus, many are saved – not from physical death, but from eternal death. God has rescued millions from eternal death through the work of His Son Jesus Christ. Praise His name!

III. Was There a Reason for Their Guilt?

Now come back to the relationship between Joseph and his brothers. Notice 50:21, “Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.” Joseph continued to reassure them. How did they respond? We don’t know. Joseph lived to be 110. That is, he lived another 53 years after his father Jacob died. Did his brothers ever get over their guilt? Were they ever able to truly be brothers to Joseph? We don’t know, because we are not told. We would like to think that now that Jacob has died and Joseph continues to love them and comfort them, they would realize that they had truly been forgiven. On the other hand, the brothers may have come up with some other reason to believe that Joseph was delaying his revenge.

So why did it have to be this way? Why were these ten men plagued with guilt for at least 40 years? More to the point, why were they so guilt-ridden for 17 years after they heard Joseph tell them that they were fully forgiven? What a way to live?

I want to suggest a possible answer to those questions. Could their continued guilt be attributed to the fact that there was no way to wipe out what they had done? Joseph was willing to overlook the evil they had done to him. It is clear that God had taken all of it and used it for His glory and their good. We also see in the story that the brothers had changed through the years. While they had sold the favorite son Joseph, they had grieved deeply when they thought that the favorite son Benjamin would have to be left behind in Egypt. Judah had even begged to take his place. Nevertheless, what they had done to Joseph was still fresh in their memory. They knew that Joseph still had just cause to take revenge upon them at any time.

IV. What about God’s Forgiveness in Christ?

Now let’s move from that day to the present. What about guilt today? We live in a guilt-ridden society. In general, the most highly educated voices in our culture try to deal with guilt by denying it. Psychiatrists, psychologists, and sociologists try to tell people they don’t need to feel guilty, and they have many strategies to reinforce what they say. The problem is that it doesn’t work. And why doesn’t it work? It doesn’t work because you can’t get people to not feel guilty, if they are guilty. The fundamental problem is that we are all guilty before God. And even if a person is able to fool himself into thinking he is not guilty, then he has an even bigger problem than feeling guilty. While he may feel good the rest of his life, he will have to face the consequences of his guilt for all eternity.

So is the forgiveness Joseph offered his brothers a picture of the forgiveness that Jesus offers to us? Yes, and no. Just as Joseph forgave his brothers, so Jesus forgives people who have mistreated Him and who do not deserve His forgiveness. The parallel reaches that far, but that is not the whole story. There is a way in which the forgiveness that comes through Jesus Christ is very different than the forgiveness that Joseph offered his brothers.

Think about it with me. Take all of your sins and wrap them up in a bundle. I lied to my parents more than once. I once said under my breath to my mother, “I hate you.” I have entertained evil thoughts. I have been eaten up with pride, which God hates. I have tried to paint a picture of myself that is better than I really am. I have mistreated my wife and kids. I could go on and on, but that makes a pretty good bundle. When I put that pack on my shoulders, it is enough to weigh me down. I would have to say that God would be right to take vengeance upon me. He has done me nothing but good, and I have repaid Him with evil. He would be justified in sending me to hell forever and ever. I have plenty of reason to feel guilty, because I am guilty. I’m not alone; I am just one of the billions of people who have lived on this earth and been guilty before God.

Now suppose Jesus comes along and says, “You are forgiven. I am not going to hold your sins against you. I will overlook all your sins. Come and have fellowship with me.” That’s wonderful! I rejoice with joy unspeakable. What could be better than that? But then there comes the day when I do something particularly bad. I am having a bad day and I yell at my wife. Then when everything gets still and I am lying there in the bed, I begin to wonder if I am really forgiven. Jesus says I am forgiven, but am I really? There are still all those things that I have done through the years. What if He decides that I haven’t been good enough? Surely my sins are bad enough to send me to hell.

This is where God’s forgiveness through Christ differs from what the brothers received from Joseph. When we are forgiven through Jesus, our sins are dealt with completely. They do not linger to haunt us in the future. Even in the Old Testament we have strong hints of this truth. Ps. 103:12, “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” We read in Is. 38:17 that God has cast our sins behind his back. According to Micah 7:19, they have been cast into the depths of the sea.

But how does that happen? How can a person’s sins be removed as far as the east is from the west? While you are thinking on those questions, let me ask you another? What is the meaning of “forgiveness”? Ps. 103:12 does indeed capture its meaning, because “to forgive” means “to send away.” When a person’s sin is truly forgiven, it is sent away. It isn’t overlooked; it isn’t covered up; it is sent away completely.

Jesus died and rose in order to forgive us our sins. Let’s read Eph. 1:3-7… (see also Col. 1:14; 2:13)
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4. According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5. Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6. To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 7. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

In Jesus we have not only redemption through His blood, but also the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace. Though we don’t deserve forgiveness, we can have it through Jesus, because He has the power to forgive. Jesus demonstrated that power, when He spoke these words to the scribes in Matt. 9:6, "But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house." And the man got up and went home. Just as surely as Jesus had raised him up, He had sent his sins away.

Let’s go back to that question that I ask again and again: “How can God forgive you of your sins?” If you just ask Him, will He forgive you? If you are sincere enough and sorry enough, will He forgive you? Absolutely not. God’s forgiveness of sins is not based first upon our asking, but upon what Jesus did at the cross. In order for sins to be sent away completely, those sins have to be dealt with. They must get what they deserve. God poured out His punishment on Jesus, who took our sins upon Himself. God does not overlook our sins. Yes, there is the sense in which He overlooked the sins of Old Testament saints until Jesus came and died for those sins, but we are on the other side of the cross. And even with those Old Testament saints, their sins were overlooked only until the coming of Christ. Their forgiveness was still based on the death and resurrection of Jesus.

You may say, “But what about I John 1:9, which says, ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness’”? Notice that John says God is both faithful and JUST to forgive us our sins. The only reason He is able to send our sins away is because Jesus took the punishment for those sins on the cross. Justice was done at the cross. My sins were taken care of completely. They got what they deserved, the just punishment of God. There is no reason for them to exist any longer. God has removed them from me as far as the east is from the west.

Conclusion: Wrapping It Up

Now what does this have to do with Joseph and his brothers? This good news connects with the Joseph story at the point of forgiveness and guilt. The brothers continued to feel guilty, because there was no sense that their sins were gone. While they were gone in the mind of Joseph, they were still in the minds of the brothers. There is a sense in which the brothers were justified in feeling guilty, because they had no way of knowing that their sins would not at some point receive a just punishment. They had only the word of Joseph. Of course, we know Joseph was trustworthy. They wanted to believe that, but in their minds their sins were just too big.

If you are in Christ and have the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace, then you don’t have to be like Joseph’s brothers. If you live like them, then you are not living up to your birthright. You are not grasping your privilege as a child of God. Think of the worst sin you have ever committed in your entire life time. I’ll give you a minute. I’m not going to ask you to share it, but I am asking you to think of it. Do you have it in mind? Think for a moment just how bad that sin was. So what has become of that terrible sin? If you have been redeemed through the blood of Christ, it has been sent away. Jesus bore the punishment for that sin, allowing God to cancel it completely.

There is a sense in which that sin no longer exists. You say, “But I can still remember it.” Can God remember it? Yes, He can, but He doesn’t. Some people say that God can’t remember our sins. He can remember because He is God. Just as He never had to learn anything, He doesn’t forget anything. The good news is that He chooses not to remember. An imperfect but appropriate illustration is our forgiveness of others. Just because you forgive someone for something, that does not mean you forget it. Some would say, “If you don’t forget it, then you haven’t forgiven,” but that isn’t true. That would make forgiveness a matter of the mind rather than the heart. It isn’t that you can’t remember that sin against you, but you choose not to remember it. So it is with God. He chooses not to remember the sins for which Jesus died. The last words of the new covenant promise of Jer. 31 are these: “For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” Those words are quoted twice in Hebrews (8:12; 10:17) in relation to the mighty work of Jesus our Lord.

That’s why the child of God does not have to feel guilty for the sins he has committed in the past. They are done. Consider an illustration. You owe $100 on your electric bill and you are not able to pay it. It bothers you because you have never had a delinquent bill in your life. Even though you paid thousands of dollars on your father’s hospital bill and other emergencies came up, it still bothers you. But then one day you get a note saying that it has been paid in full. A good friend who loves you knew your circumstances and paid that bill. Will you keep on worrying about it not being paid? Will you call the electric company and ask them to give you a little more time to pay? Of course, not. It’s paid.

So it is with the sins of the true believer. They have been buried in the deepest sea, removed from us as far as the east is from the west, blotted out by the blood of Christ, done away with completely. Go back to that worst sin that I asked you to consider. You’ve considered it, but consider it no more. Even that sin has been sent away by your Savior. Jesus is the propitiation for your sins. That is, God’s wrath upon you was removed because Jesus took it upon Himself. The wages of sin is death, and Jesus suffered that death in your place. The Lord chooses not to remember that sin any more, and you can make that same choice.

We have been singing that song, “In Christ Alone.” The last verse begins, “No guilt in life, no fear in death; this is the power of Christ in me.” Those words are only true for the person who is in Christ, whose conscience is clear as a result of Christ’s work on the cross. No Christian has any just reason to feel guilty, unless he sins and refuses to confess it to the Lord. The fact is that Christians still commit sins. So what do we do? “If we confess our sins, he is faithful (He will do what He promised) and just (on the basis of Jesus’ death on the cross) to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9).

If you are a Christian and have been carrying guilt, there are two basic reasons. Either you have sinned against God and have not confessed your sin, or you have refused to count His forgiveness as a fact. Many would say to you, “God has forgiven you; now you need to forgive yourself.” I may be simplistic, but that isn’t biblical. I find nothing in the Bible about forgiving yourself. Against God and God only have we sinned. We confess our sins to Him, and then we believe that He has done what He promised. He has sent our sins away and made us clean again. Let’s leave our guilt at the cross, that we might effectively live for our Lord.

On the other hand, if you are not a true believer, a child of God, the possessor of new life in Christ, then you have every reason to feel guilty because you are guilty. Your sin separates you from your Creator. You are dead in your trespasses and sins, having no hope and without God (Eph. 2:1,12). All your denials will not change the truth. No amount of counseling can lessen your guilt one bit. Even if you can get to the point where you don’t feel guilty, you will still be guilty before God, as a child of His wrath. The only hope for you is the blood of Jesus Christ. But praise God there is hope for you. Jesus said, “Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavyladen, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). There is no burden so heavy as guilt that is the result of sin. I urge you to come to Jesus in repentance and faith. Understand that you can’t make it without Him. You may have thought that you are able to bear your sin, but you are not. Your sin will follow you to an eternity in hell. Repent. Change your mind. Throw yourself on the Christ who endured God’s wrath on the cross.