#DailyDevotion Make Amends & Forgive Others Quickly As God Has Forgiven You.

Gen. 50:15-19 ¹⁵When Joseph’s brothers realized their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph bears a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrong we did him?” ¹⁶So they sent a messenger to Joseph to say, “Before your father died, he ordered: ¹⁷‘Tell Joseph, Please forgive the crime and sin of your brothers: they did wrong to you.” And so please forgive the wrong done by the servants of the God of your father.’” Joseph wept when they talked to him. ¹⁸Then the brothers also came and bowed down before him. “Look,” they said, “we are ready to be your slaves.” ¹⁹“Don’t be afraid!” Joseph told them. “Am I in God’s place?

In Matt. 5 Jesus says well, ²³“So if you’re bringing your gift to the altar and remember there that your brother has something against you, ²⁴leave your gift there before the altar and go. First make up with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. ²⁵If someone wants to sue you be quick to make up with him while you are still on the way with him, or your accuser will hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you will be put into prison.” Joseph’s brothers apparently had not done that. They apparently did not make amends with Joseph after they came to live with him in Egypt. At least it seems that way to me. Otherwise why would they be living in fear that now their father was dead, Joseph would exact retribution on them?

It is good advice for us as well. When we find out we’ve wronged someone it is best admit your fault humbly, focusing just on what you had done and not the aggrieved and work out some plan with them to made amends for whatever we had done. It is not enough to say we are sorry. If we are truly sorry we will try to repair whatever damage we had done. It doesn’t appear to me Joseph’s brothers ever did anything other than admit their fault when they thought Joseph was an Egyptian who couldn’t understand them. So they lived in fear. If you don’t want to live in fear of retribution by others, admit your fault and make amends.

Now the other thing is even if they had made amends, they thought very little of their brother. They thought he was a vengeful person who would now take this opportunity to kill them because their father was dead. We know Joseph had treated them and their families very well during their time in Egypt. But they thought he was petty. We think of other people generally what we think of ourselves. They were the type who seek revenge if given the chance.

I’ll take it a step further, what we think of God that is what we ourselves do. If we are unforgiving, unmerciful, ruthless and cruel, it is because we think God is unforgiving, unmerciful, ruthless and cruel. We cannot comprehend God would forgive us freely and totally. So we also think others are also that way. Joseph however is not that way. He knows the mercy and kindness of God. He exclaims, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in God’s place?” Despite what we think, God is loving, kind, merciful and forgiving. He demonstrated that for us by sending his Son Jesus Christ to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins so we could receive the forgiveness of God. If God so forgives us, who are we not to forgive? If we believe God forgives us in this manner, let us too forgive freely those who sin against us, even as Joseph forgave his brothers who wanted to kill him, sold him into slavery and lied to their father telling him Joseph was killed by wild beasts.

Merciful God and Father, you demonstrated your great kindness to us by sacrificing Jesus as our atonement. Give us your Spirit so we may believe this and forgive all those who sin against us and we make amends to all we have harmed. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.