Happy Sabbath friends! Satan has really been testing my patience this week, especially when it comes to my anger. I always try to be vulnerable and honest on here because my whole mission for this blog is to portray the same comfort that the Lord gives me through experiences I have gone through, to whoever reads this message. My hopes is that you feel the same comfort that I have experienced when giving my problems, life, etc. to the Lord.
“who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”
2 Corinthians 1:4 NIV
Since I am still studying the book of Genesis in my alone times with the Lord, and the story of Joseph has really impacted me spiritually, we are going to delve into his life and how it can relate to us in the present-day world.
“Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan. This is the account of Jacob’s family line. Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them. Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate robe for him. When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him. Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.” His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said. Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?” His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind. Now his brothers had gone to graze their father’s flocks near Shechem, and Israel said to Joseph, “As you know, your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem. Come, I am going to send you to them.” “Very well,” he replied. So he said to him, “Go and see if all is well with your brothers and with the flocks, and bring word back to me.” Then he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron. When Joseph arrived at Shechem, a man found him wandering around in the fields and asked him, “What are you looking for?” He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks?” “They have moved on from here,” the man answered. “I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’ ” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him. “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to each other. “Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.” When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. “Let’s not take his life,” he said. “Don’t shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father. So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe he was wearing— and they took him and threw him into the cistern. The cistern was empty; there was no water in it. As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt. Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.” His brothers agreed. So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt. When Reuben returned to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes. He went back to his brothers and said, “The boy isn’t there! Where can I turn now?” Then they got Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. They took the ornate robe back to their father and said, “We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son’s robe.” He recognized it and said, “It is my son’s robe! Some ferocious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces.” Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days. All his sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said, “I will continue to mourn until I join my son in the grave.” So his father wept for him. Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard.”
Genesis 37:1-36 NIV
Joseph’s story starts off with the biggest betrayal, and it is from his very own family. I am sorry, but if I was in Joseph’s shoes, and if this happened to me, I would be absolutely furious. I would be so confused as to why my family was treating me this way, when I was trying to do the will that God put upon my heart. I love the story of Joseph because it is a constant reminder that even when we are faced with trials, or uncertain times, God is bigger and has so much in store for us. Even when we are faced with people hurting us, betraying us, etc., God fills us with His comfort, and makes us stronger from it. We just need to put our complete trust in Him, just like Joseph did, and because of this, he was filled with the strength of the Lord.
“The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him,”
Nahum 1:7 NIV
The reason I bring up the story of Joseph and his brother’s betraying him is because I am sure we have faced times in our lives where we have been betrayed and/or hurt by the people in our lives who we had so much love for. Joseph loved his brother’s so very much, and yet they betrayed and abandoned him, all out of pure jealousy. Speaking from times where I have been betrayed, hurt, abandoned, etc., it can be hard to immediately forgive, or not want to seek revenge towards that person(s). Anger is a normal human response, but we need to be careful about letting Satan take control of it, and letting it consume us. God should be our example, and role model in our lives. If we are to have the same character as our Lord Jesus, we need to display what is written in the word of God.
“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.”
James 1:19-21 NIV
“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.”
Ephesians 4:31 NIV
Our Heavenly Father calls us to be forgiving towards one another. Even those who may have persecuted us in some way. It is okay to feel hurt because of a betrayal, and/or hurt that was brought upon us by someone in our lives, but we need to be cautious with allowing those negative emotions to consume us, and fill our hearts with hate.
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
Ephesians 4:32 NIV
“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”
Matthew 5:44 NIV
How does Joseph’s story with his brother’s betraying him relate to this message of anger and revenge? Well, remember, there was a famine in Egypt, and at this point of the story, Joseph was promoted as leader over all the famine taking place. During this time, he encountered his brother’s who betrayed him. If Joseph allowed his emotions of anger and hurt to consume him, he could’ve easily taken revenge on his brother’s for what they did to him by letting them starve in the famine, but that was not the case…
“Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, “Have everyone leave my presence!” So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard about it. Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?” But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence. Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, Lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt. Now hurry back to my father and say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me Lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; don’t delay. You shall live in the region of Goshen and be near me—you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have. I will provide for you there, because five years of famine are still to come. Otherwise you and your household and all who belong to you will become destitute.’ “You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, that it is really I who am speaking to you. Tell my father about all the honor accorded me in Egypt and about everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly.” Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced him, weeping. And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers talked with him. When the news reached Pharaoh’s palace that Joseph’s brothers had come, Pharaoh and all his officials were pleased. Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers, ‘Do this: Load your animals and return to the land of Canaan, and bring your father and your families back to me. I will give you the best of the land of Egypt and you can enjoy the fat of the land.’ “You are also directed to tell them, ‘Do this: Take some carts from Egypt for your children and your wives, and get your father and come. Never mind about your belongings, because the best of all Egypt will be yours.’ ” So the sons of Israel did this. Joseph gave them carts, as Pharaoh had commanded, and he also gave them provisions for their journey. To each of them he gave new clothing, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver and five sets of clothes. And this is what he sent to his father: ten donkeys loaded with the best things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and other provisions for his journey. Then he sent his brothers away, and as they were leaving he said to them, “Don’t quarrel on the way!” So they went up out of Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. They told him, “Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt.” Jacob was stunned; he did not believe them. But when they told him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts Joseph had sent to carry him back, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. And Israel said, “I’m convinced! My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.””
Genesis 45:1-28 NIV
When Joseph revealed himself to his brother’s, and announced that he was still alive, he didn’t seek revenge upon them…instead, he showered his brother’s with love and compassion. This is exactly how Jesus calls us to react when we are faced with hurt and/or betrayal of some kind. What I love is this story shows Joseph’s vulnerable, and that it is okay to feel hurt when you face persecution by the people in your life. Joseph expressed emotions of sadness over what had happened, but he did not allow the negative emotions to consume him. Instead, he allowed the love of our Heavenly Father to fill his heart, so he could resemble the character of Jesus and find forgiveness within so he could shower them with unconditional love and overwhelming compassion. Isn’t this how we should react when we are faced with betrayal, hurt, and/or persecution in any way from the people in our lives?
Instead of seeking revenge, we should seek the Lord’s kindness and compassion in which He calls all of us to uphold.
“Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.”
Romans 12:19 NIV
““ ‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.”
Leviticus 19:18 NIV
I pray over all who are reading this message that if they are filled with any anger and/or hurt of any kind, that You replace those feelings with Your unconditional love and overwhelming compassion, Lord Jesus. We are sinners, who are in need of You, and Your love. Help transform our hearts so we can uphold a character that fully resembles Yours. Help us to seek You and Your everlasting love, instead of the revenge and hatred that Satan tries to creep into our minds and hearts. May the message of You, Lord Jesus, bless all who are reading this post.
Amen.
Saved By His Grace 
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