Bible story: Joseph forgives his brothers. (Genesis 42:6-45:15)Bible verse: "But you are a God of forgiveness, gracious and merciful, slow to become angry, and rich in unfailing love." (Nehemiah 9:17)
What a crazy story Joseph had to tell tonight! He told about what happened when certain men showed up in Egypt to get grain to take back home to Canaan. When these men came to him because they desperately needed grain, Joseph recognized them immediately as his brothers. These are the same brothers who had sold him into slavery years before. You might expect Joseph to be really angry at his brothers, right? After all, after being a slave, Joseph went to prison before his God-given ability to interpret dreams had put him in service to the Pharoah.We don't know if Joseph was angry or if he just needed time to figure out what to do, but he had his brothers arrested as spies. Later, he tried to frame his brothers by hiding a cup in Benjamin's bag of grain. The brothers' compassion for their youngest brother convinced Joseph that they had changed since the old days, and that's when he chose to reveal his identity to his family. Joseph forgave his brothers.
Today's story tells us about forgiveness between people, but how much greater is God's forgiveness? It's God's greatest gift!
Speaking of gifts, Joseph also shared some of the fruit his brothers had brought him: raisins!
