Bible Study - Pitfalls (6) - The Pitfalls of Guilt and Grudges - Genesis 50:15-21 - February 27, 2022

 

Bible Study – Pitfalls (6) – The Pitfalls of Guilt and Grudges – February 27, 2022

This is our final lesson in our series entitled, “How to Avoid Life’s Pitfalls.”

Our focus scripture is Genesis 50:15-21.

We can move forward only when we embrace GOD’S forgiveness.

Reconciliation is only possible when real or presumed obstacles are dealt with and resolved. Trust is vital in all relationships. Guilt has to be resolved before reconciliation can begin to build upon a solid foundation. Faith in GOD, by all parties establishes a solid foundation upon which we can rebuild trust. Let’s explore!

Let’s read Genesis 49:1-2: (Background – Twelve Tribes of Israel)

Jacob’s Last Words

49 Then Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather around, and I will tell you what will happen to you in the days to come.^[a]

² Come together and listen, sons of Jacob;
listen to your father Israel:

 

Jacob called his twelve sons to gather around him and spoke prophesy regarding the future of each of the twelve tribes of Israel -----

 

Let’s read Genesis 49:29-33:

Jacob’s Burial Instructions

²⁹ Then he commanded them, “I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my ancestors in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hethite. ³⁰ The cave is in the field of Machpelah near Mamre, in the land of Canaan. This is the field Abraham purchased from Ephron the Hethite as burial property. ³¹ Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried there, Isaac and his wife Rebekah are buried there, and I buried Leah there. ³² The field and the cave in it were purchased from the Hethites.” ³³ When Jacob had finished giving charges to his sons, he drew his feet into the bed, took his last breath, and was gathered to his people.

Jacob dies and Joseph reacts to his father’s death, which is the focus of our lesson. When we have done something wrong against another person or persons, how do we feel when get close to that person or them? Are we comfortable or uncomfortable? Let’s explore!

Jacob/Israel dies.

Let’s read Genesis 50:1-15:

50 Then Joseph, leaning over his father’s face, wept and kissed him. ² He commanded his servants who were physicians to embalm his father. So, they embalmed Israel. ³ They took forty days to complete this, for embalming takes that long, and the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days.

Joseph confirmed his dad’s death.

⁴ When the days of mourning were over, Joseph said to Pharaoh’s household, “If I have found favor with you, please tell Pharaoh that ⁵ my father made me take an oath, saying, ‘I am about to die. You must bury me there in the tomb that I made for myself in the land of Canaan.’ Now let me go and bury my father. Then I will return.”

⁶ So Pharaoh said, “Go and bury your father in keeping with your oath.”

⁷ Then Joseph went to bury his father, and all Pharaoh’s servants, the elders of his household, and all the elders of the land of Egypt went with him, ⁸ along with all Joseph’s family, his brothers, and his father’s family. Only their dependents, their flocks, and their herds were left in the land of Goshen. ⁹ Horses and chariots went up with him; it was a very impressive procession. ¹⁰ When they reached the threshing floor of Atad, which is across the Jordan, they lamented and wept loudly, and Joseph mourned seven days for his father. ¹¹ When the Canaanite inhabitants of the land saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a solemn mourning on the part of the Egyptians.” Therefore, the place is named Abel-mizraim.^[a] It is across the Jordan.

¹² So Jacob’s sons did for him what he had commanded them. ¹³ They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave at Machpelah in the field near Mamre, which Abraham had purchased as burial property from Ephron the Hethite. ¹⁴ After Joseph buried his father, he returned to Egypt with his brothers and all who had gone with him to bury his father.

The patriarch Jacob/Israel was dead. The glue that held the family together was gone. Now what? Would Joseph the person with full authority in Egypt finally take out his revenge on his brothers?

Is this a picture of forgiveness. We forgive but do we forget? The Bible reveals to us a unique aspect of GOD’S nature as recorded 1 John 1:9:

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Of course, our sins are cleansed by the shed blood of JESUS. In the Old Testament, we read in Micah 7:19:

He will again have compassion on us; he will vanquish our iniquities. You (GOD) will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.

In the words of Ms. Corrie Ten Boom, “and HE places a No Fishing Sign.”

This is a foreshadow and an assurance, when we stand before the judgement seat, the shed blood of JESUS has paid for our sins in full. JESUS said in John 5:24:

²⁴ “Truly I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not come under judgment but has passed from death to life.

Do you believe these statements from JESUS?

Let’s read Genesis 50:15-18:

Joseph’s Kindness

¹⁵ When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said to one another, “If Joseph is holding a grudge against us, he will certainly repay us for all the suffering we caused him.”

Copied from Advanced Bible Study, Winter 2021-2022, page 167, “Your guilt does not imply another’s grudge.”

When we have done something wrong, it is hard for us to forgive ourselves. Joseph’s brothers thought that Jacob/Israel was the reason Joseph had withheld his wrath from them. He had gotten all of them, including Jacob, to move to Egypt. Now their security blanket was dead. This left Joseph free to do whatever he chose to do to them in retaliation. So, Joseph’s brothers thought long and hard and came up with a plan --- Did they manufacture this message? I think so. It reveals their heart.

¹⁶ So they sent this message to Joseph, “Before he died your father gave a command: ¹⁷ ‘Say this to Joseph: Please forgive your brothers’ transgression and their sin—the suffering they caused you.’ Therefore, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when their message came to him. ¹⁸ His brothers also came to him, bowed down before him, and said, “We are your slaves!”  Do you recall Joseph’s dream as recorded in Genesis 37? His family will bow down to him.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Why did Joseph weep? Did he think that the hearts of his brothers had not changed? Or did they think that Joseph had not been sincere in forgiving them. Joseph’s words in verse 19 reveal his heart. GOD guided Joseph’s life to where GOD wanted Joseph to be. Sometimes the path GOD desires for us to travel is not easy. The question is, “When our faith is in GOD and our walk becomes difficult, do we trust HIM?”

Let’s read Genesis 50:19-20:

¹⁹ But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? ²⁰ You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result—the survival of many people.

It is estimated that two and one-half million persons left Egypt when Moses led them from Egypt. GOD preserved HIS chosen people by protecting them in Egypt. When Moses led them out of Egypt, they left with many goods. Yes, life was harsh. The key is they called out to GOD. The Israelites grew into a nation of GOD’S chosen people. Moses identified GOD as the One True GOD, YAHWEH to the Israelites and over time to all people in the world through GOD’s Word and JESUS.

Let’s read Genesis 50:21:

²¹ Therefore don’t be afraid. I will take care of you and your children.” And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.^[b]

Joseph made his family a promise. You do not have to worry; I will take care of you.

Let’s read Genesis 50:22-26:  Joseph’s Death

²² Joseph and his father’s family remained in Egypt. Joseph lived 110 years. ²³ He saw Ephraim’s sons to the third generation; the sons of Manasseh’s son Machir were recognized by^[c][d] Joseph (The sons of Machir were accepted as birth sons of Machir who were possibly adopted.).

Joseph’s two sons are included in the makeup of the twelve tribes of Israel.

²⁴ Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will certainly come to your aid and bring you up from this land to the land he swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” ²⁵ So Joseph made the sons of Israel take an oath: “When God comes to your aid, you are to carry my bones up from here.”

Notice, when GOD comes to your aid. Just as Joseph had forgiven his brothers, so had GOD. Joseph was living according to GOD’S plan for his life to establish a land where GOD’S chosen could grow into GOD’S nation.

We read in Genesis 46:1-7 and 27: (This goes back to when Jacob and family, absent Joseph, left Canaan to go to Egypt. As you recall Joseph had told his brothers that if they remained in Canaan they would starve.)

46 Israel set out with all that he had and came to Beer-sheba, and he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. ² That night God spoke to Israel in a vision: “Jacob, Jacob!” he said.

And Jacob replied, “Here I am.”

³ God said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. ⁴ I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you back. Joseph will close your eyes when you die.”^[a]

⁵ Jacob left Beer-sheba. The sons of Israel took their father Jacob in the wagons Pharaoh had sent to carry him, along with their dependents and their wives. ⁶ They also took their cattle and possessions they had acquired in the land of Canaan. Then Jacob and all his offspring with him came to Egypt. ⁷ His sons and grandsons, his daughters and granddaughters, indeed all his offspring, he brought with him to Egypt.

Jacob/Israel made the decision to go to Egypt and as he started his journey, GOD confirmed his decision to go to Egypt. GOD assured Jacob the HE was leading him to Egypt. When GOD assures our decision, it is always comforting. Jacob had walked with GOD and trusted GOD. This heritage had been passed along to Joseph and Jacob’s family.

Are we passing our Spiritual legacy to our children and family?

²⁷ And Joseph’s sons who were born to him in Egypt: two persons.

All those of Jacob’s household who came to Egypt: seventy^[h] persons.

Seventy including Joseph’s two sons formed the base for the nation of Israel. It took about 430 years for the seventy to grow to over two million and one-half million persons.

²⁶ Joseph died at the age of 110. They embalmed him and placed him in a coffin in Egypt.

What have we learned from the study of Joseph?

When we forgive, does the person have to forgive us? No! Our part is to forgive and go to the person we have wronged and ask that person to forgive us. Suppose they are dead or we do not know where they are. Then write a note asking the person to forgive you and destroy the note and consider the matter settled.

The Apostle Paul had to deal with the guilt of persecuting Christians as we 1 Corinthians 15:9-10:

⁹ For I am the least of the apostles, not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. ¹⁰ But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 

Saul/Paul had Christians killed, thrown into prison, persecuted. His life forever changed when JESUS encountered Saul on the road to Damascus. Yes, Saul’s life was forever changed but he remembered his past life. GOD’S grace was sufficient for him to present CHRIST crucified to all who desire salvation.

It is GOD’S Grace through the shed blood of sinless JESUS that makes all who accept JESUS as his or her Savior righteous before GOD. It is the miracle of Spiritual birth that makes all who accept JESUS as his or her Savior GOD’S Son or Daughter.

Proverbs 3:5-6: Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶ in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.^[a]

Joseph trusted GOD. In the words of Dr. Vance Havner, Practice in the dark what you learn in the light.

Blessings!!!