Cross-cultural lessons from the life of Joseph: #5 – FQ (The ‘Forgiveness’ quotient).
Joseph forgave his brothers in spite of the fact that they had sold him as a slave into Egypt. He looked to the sovereignty of God and not at the sin of his brothers.
Genesis 45:3-8
Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph; does my father still live?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed in his presence. And Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near to me.” So they came near. Then he said: “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither ploughing nor harvesting. And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.”
Genesis 50:15-21
When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “Perhaps Joseph will hate us, and may actually repay us for all the evil which we did to him.” So they sent messengers to Joseph, saying, “Before your father died he commanded, saying, ‘Thus you shall say to Joseph: “I beg you, please forgive the trespass of your brothers and their sin; for they did evil to you.” ’ Now, please, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of your father.”
And Joseph wept when they spoke to him. Then his brothers also went and fell down before his face, and they said, “Behold, we are your servants.”
Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.
Matt 6:12 (NLT)
Forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
Cross-cultural lessons from the life of Joseph: #6 – WQ (The “With Us” quotient).
Gen 39:1-4. Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there.
The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.
And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand. So Joseph found favour in his sight and served him.
Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority.
Acts 7:9-10: And the patriarchs, becoming envious, sold Joseph into Egypt.
But God was with him and delivered him out of all his troubles and gave him favour and wisdom in the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.
The same was true of Moses
Exod 3:10-12 Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” So the Lord said, “I will certainly be with you.”
The children of Israel in the wilderness were in trouble when they questioned whether God was with them or not.
Exod 17:7 So he called the name of the place Massah (contention) and Meribah (tested), because of the contention of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”
