In order to escape the bitterness trap we need to live in a constant state of awareness of, and appreciation for, the forgiveness granted us by God through Christ. While this alone can empower us to forgive those who have hurt us, our ability to forgive is enhanced when we live with the firm conviction that God, and God alone, determines the destiny of His people. This point is nowhere better illustrated than in the life of a man named Joseph whose life story is recorded in the book of Genesis.
Joseph was the youngest of 11 sons. When we are introduced to Jacob in chapter 37 of Genesis we read that his brothers were bitter and angry with him for a couple of reasons. First, he told on them. Second, they believed their father treated him more favorably. Third, Joseph told his brothers about a dream he had which indicated that they would one day bow down to him and serve him. While Joseph shouldn’t have expected to be nominated for the “little brother of the year” award he certainly didn’t deserve the treatment he received. They came very close to killing him, but chose instead to sell him to a band of slave-traders.
Joseph was taken to Egypt and sold as a slave to Potiphar, the head of the king’s security force. He performed his duties so well that he was promoted by Potiphar and placed in charge of his whole household. But injustice was about to strike Joseph again. Potiphar’s wife attempted to seduce Joseph, and when Joseph repeatedly rebuffed her advances she became angry and falsely accused Joseph of raping her. So Joseph landed in prison, but he was able to rise above his circumstances and gain the trust and respect of the prison guards to such a degree that they placed him in charge of the other prisoners.
While in prison Joseph noticed the gloomy countenance of one of his fellow inmates and he inquired as to the reason. The inmate had been troubled by a dream which Joseph interpreted to mean that the prisoner was soon going to be released and restored to his former position in the king’s palace. Joseph asks one simple favor from the man; that he put in a good word for Joseph when he speaks to the king. So what does Joseph receive in return for reaching out to this fellow? We are told that he forgot all about Joseph for two years. Then the king of Egypt had a dream which no one in his court could interpret. The former prisoner, remembering Joseph’s ability to interpret his dream, tells the King that perhaps Joseph is the man he is looking for. The king sent for Joseph, Joseph interpreted the king’s dream as revealing that Egypt and the surrounding the area was going to experience 7 years of abundant harvest followed by 7 years of severe famine. Joseph also counseled the king as to how he should respond to the news. The king, recognizing Joseph’s giftedness and wisdom, placed him in charge of his administration.
Joseph the slave, and then prisoner, became the second most powerful man in all of Egypt.
Years later, when the area was suffering from the great famine which Joseph predicted, the Egyptians needs were amply supplied, but those outside of Egypt were in dire need. Ironically, Joseph’s brothers were sent to Egypt by their father to purchase food. The climax of Joseph’s story is his reunion with his older brothers who had sold him as a slave more than 20 years earlier and who now find themselves at his mercy. They didn’t have a clue that this man they were standing before, the second most powerful man in Egypt, the man who had the ability to supply them with everything they needed but who also had the power to take their lives, was their brother whom they sold as a slave. When Joseph finally disclosed himself to them he did so weeping. At this point in the story, which I have attempted to summarize, it is imperative that I quote some key statements from Joseph.
Joseph said to his brothers, “…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…So then it was not you who sent me here but God.” Years later, after Joseph’s father had died, his brothers began to wonder if Joseph had shown mercy to them only so as not to cause grief to their father. Consequently, they became afraid that Joseph might now seek vengeance against them. When Joseph became aware of their concerns he was incredulous. He responded, “Don’t be afraid…You intended to harm me but God intended it for good…the saving of many lives. These statements reveal a perspective seldom held among men; a perspective grounded in the notion that God truly determines the destiny of his children. The inability to let go of bitterness and forgive those who have wronged us is evidence that we have more faith in the power of man to hurt us than the power of God to help us. But when we truly believe that God, not those who have wronged us, determines our destiny why be bitter? God’s intentions will always overrule man’s intentions.
As beautiful as Joseph’s words of forgiveness are, they are not the only evidence pointing to Joseph’s trust in God. I am struck by the response of Joseph immediately following the horrific injustice done to him. When sold as a slave he performed his duties in such a diligent and responsible manner that he was promoted to a position of great privilege. Then, after being falsely accused and unjustly imprisoned, he conducts himself in such a commendable manner that the prison guards placed him in charge. In addition, he showed concern for a depressed fellow prisoner. His actions are totally antithetical to those one would expect from a bitter, angry man. Hurting people tend hurt others. They tend to take their anger out on others. Sometimes they withdraw in depression, their thoughts turned in on themselves as they nurse their wounds. Is it not fair to conclude that Joseph would have never ended up in the place of destiny God intended for him had he not avoided the bitterness trap? Joseph’s story is a wonderful reminder that what happens to us is not nearly as important as our response to what happens to us. Bitterness is a far greater threat to us than the experience of injustice. (see my earlier post, The Bitterness Trap).
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28
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