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Joseph Wept

Words of Faith Final

Joseph Wept
Words of Faith 9-1-2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2022
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Genesis 50
[15] When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, "What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?" [16] So they sent word to Joseph, saying, "Your father left these instructions before he died: [17] 'This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.' Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father." When their message came to him, Joseph wept.
[18] His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. "We are your slaves," they said.
[19] But Joseph said to them, "Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? [20] You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. [21] So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your children." And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.

We don't want to leave this text too quickly. Here is another thought before we close this study.
Interestingly, Joseph had forgiven his brothers way back in chapter 45. "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" (Genesis 45:5). But now, nineteen years later, the brothers were still afraid of Joseph because of their sin. They perceived that Jacob's death would release Joseph's vengeance upon them. Perhaps this is what Joseph was weeping over.
Remarkably, the brothers of Joseph had spent 19 years in Goshen dreading the day when Jacob died and assuming the worst because of their guilt. They were just sure that Joseph was still harboring a terrible grudge and was going to kill them as soon Jacob was out of the picture. All because they could not receive the forgiveness offered to them.
The words "We will be your slaves" are very telling. The brothers WERE enslaved because of their guilt and shame. Not that Joseph had enslaved them. But the brothers had endured nineteen years of slavery to fear. No wonder Joseph wept. Life in Goshen could have been so much better than that.
It made me wonder how many people are out there just so enslaved... not because the forgiveness is not available but because they have not availed themselves of it. And I wonder if our Lord does not weep. There is grief for those who do not yet know the Lord and His grace. But there is also grief for many Christians who torture themselves over sin from the past that the Lord no longer remembers.
I wonder if the forgiveness of God offered in Christ is sometimes like a grand inheritance that goes unclaimed and is held by the state in trust. It is always there, but we fail to receive the riches! How many people spend decades in misery and fear over sin that has been paid for? Why? Because, like the brothers of Joseph, they have been afraid to trust. Many simply cannot believe that God's offer is true.
Have you been enslaved to guilt? Held captive by fear? Does something in the past haunt you? You can be free. The Lord Jesus Christ freely offers forgiveness for sin. Not just little sins. Great big ones, too. You need not fear the Day of Judgment. His offer is true. There is no better news.

Lord Jesus, forgive me. Show me the depths of Your mercy that I may be free! I choose to receive Your offer of grace and forgiveness. Save me and make me a new person, the person You always wanted me to be. Show me how to walk in freedom from guilt, shame, and fear. In Jesus' name.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2022 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.