Verse of the day: Genesis
50:19 Joseph said to them, “Do not
be afraid, for am I in the place of God?”
Some
time has passed, and Joseph has been making sure his father and brothers, and
their families, are taken care of (Genesis 46-47). Now Israel is dead, and
Joseph’s brothers are in a panic thinking that this would be the time that
Joseph would take vengeance on them for what they did to him. Sadly, even
though Joseph has done more than tell them that he forgave them, he
demonstrated it by his actions toward them; yet, the guilt of what they did has
lingered in their minds and hearts. Their fear was so great that they sent a
messenger to go ahead of them before they presented themselves before him. I
can only imagine the sadness that must have filled Joseph’s heart in realizing
that his brothers, in spite of his actions toward them, still feared retribution.
Joseph’s response to them was with kindness, and with the intention of
comforting them (v. 21). Note that the way his brothers felt was most likely a
reflection of what was in their own hearts. When Simeon and Levi had the same
opportunity to forgive someone else’s sinful actions toward their sister, they
chose not to forgive, and instead chose to be judge, jury, and executioners of
the offender, and others who did not even have part in the actual crime
(Genesis 34). All too often, what is in our own heart, the intentions that lie
within us, is what we impose on others. In other words, when we encounter a
situation that we consider, within ourselves, impossible to forgive, we assume
that others are not capable of forgiving or overcoming. The evil intentions
that lie within us, we impose on others, becoming suspicious of their
intentions. Yet, as born again believers, we have the Holy Spirit and the power
of Christ that enables us to do what is impossible for us to do. Joseph said
something that is very important for us to remember; when we decide what
someone else’s consequences should be, when we decide that someone does not
deserve forgiveness, when we decide what their ultimate sentence should be, and
actually take steps to carry it out, we put ourselves in place we never belong…in
the place of God. God forbid that we should ever decide that we are judge in
the life of anyone else. John 5:22 tells us, “For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment
to the Son”. Jesus said in Matthew 7:1-5, “Judge not, that you
be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with
the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 And why do you look at
the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?
4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’;
and look, a plank is in your
own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you
will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. This
being said, it does not mean that we gloss over the sinful behavior of our
brothers and sisters in Christ. We can certainly hold each other accountable
without being judgmental. As a matter of fact, we are called to deal with each
other when we stumble with the intent of bringing about restoration (Galatians
6:1-3). Anything short of that puts us in a place we do not belong, in the
place of God. This is why it is of utmost importance that we always be ready to
forgive, giving room for the Lord to determine what the consequences will be
for those who sin against us, especially when it comes to our own brothers and
sisters in Christ (Ephesians 4:31-32; Colossians 3:12-14; Romans 12:9-21). My
brothers and sisters, there is a big difference between being a discerning
Christian and a judgmental Christian. We are called to be discerning, not
everyone else’s judge. We are called to hold one another accountable, but for
the purpose of reconciliation, unity, and exhorting one another for the glory
of God.
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