1. Albrecht – Trinity 4 – July 13^th, 2025 – Genesis 50:15-21 – Forgiveness is the Best Policy

May the Peace of our Heavenly Father’s Full Forgiveness be with you all, Amen.

When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him.” ¹⁶ So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this command before he died: ¹⁷ ‘Say to Joseph, “Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.”‘ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. ¹⁸ His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” ¹⁹ But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? ²⁰ As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. ²¹ So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

“To err is human – to forgive is not our policy.”  So read the sign above the door to the lending institution.  In times past as well as times present, forgiveness is not the policy.  The policy is to hold a grudge, to break off relations, to seek revenge.

A woman writes to the advice column in the newspaper Ann Landers, “I haven’t spoken with my brother’s wife in seven years.  It would take the entire newspaper to tell my story — so let’s just say that she did me such unbelievable dirt, that I will never be able to forgive her.”  To forgive is not our policy, because to forgive is a most difficult thing to do.

Does it always seem that way to you? I think, in many cases, the world actually encourages forgiveness. Not because it is what God calls us to do, of course, but because of what it can do for you and for your own life. You throwing off your anger and resentment is good for you, it is meant for you. While those things are true, Biblical forgiveness means so much more, and in fact, the intent is more directed at the forgivee rather than the forgiver.

The account of Joseph forgiving his brothers gives us a deep insight into why Forgiveness is the Best Policy.

The tragedy of Joseph is one of the most memorable accounts in all of Scripture. Joseph grew up without a mother, but was viewed as the golden apple in his father’s eye. Everything he wanted, he had. He even had the cushier job, as opposed to his brothers who had to toil under the hot sun. It was enough to drive anyone to jealousy and resentment. But what made matters worse was the dreams. Joseph dreamt that one day his father and his brothers would bow down before him.

No wonder anger settled into the hearts of Joseph’s brothers. But this anger didn’t just settle, did it? No, it festered, it grew, it became the heart of a plot against the young 17 year old’s very life. His brothers threw him into a dried up well – ready to leave him to die of starvation. But even that didn’t satisfy their anger. Believe it or not, his death wasn’t enough, so they sold him to slave traders who carried him away to Egypt. Egypt didn’t bring him good things. He was a slave and then thrown into prison for doing the right thing. There he languishes a forgotten man, destitute of family and friends, suffering because his brothers had done him dirt.

Yet, God was watching and God was working. Though the brothers got their justice on Joseph and tossed him away like a dirty rag, they would come to owe their lives to the same brother. While in prison, Joseph had been given the ability to interpret dreams. He interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh and as a result, was promoted to the second most powerful position in all of Egypt – only behind the Pharaoh himself. Joseph was the one in charge of grain distribution during the 7 year famine that stretched across the lands. To Joseph, those same brothers had to come for food, though they never knew it. After many trips and many “tests” by Joseph, he finally revealed himself to his brothers.

Now pause for a moment. Think about what this means for Joseph. He had the upper hand. He had his brothers at his mercy as the most powerful man in Egypt, able to do whatever he desired to get retribution. But it doesn’t even come to that, at least not right away.

One might think that after 17 years of living peaceably in Egypt with Joseph, their sins would have been forgiven. But that isn’t how sin, especially a sin like theirs goes away. Sin keeps coming back – haunting one’s conscience even after many years. It is like when you lay awake at night, unable to sleep, and your mind happens to find that one memory, one mistake you made so long ago, and the guilt comes seeping back in like a deadly virus. That is what unresolved sins do. The brothers never confessed their sin to Joseph, or asked for his forgiveness. And he never held it against them, but they knew and they could not forget until they had confessed and relieved their hearts of the burden of guilt.

So they make confession: ¹⁶ So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this command before he died: ¹⁷ ‘Say to Joseph, “Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.”‘ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. ¹⁸ His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.”

It was a risky proposition.  Would Joseph honestly be willing to put the past behind him?  Or, would he seize the moment for revenge? The opportunity was perfect. Joseph’s opportunity for vengeance was there for the taking.  He could have stared his brothers in the eye and gloated over how the tables were suddenly turned.  He might have said, “If they want my forgiveness, let them come and ask. I don’t know if I can forgive them or not.”

But he didn’t. Listen carefully to his response. ²⁰ As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good. Not because the sin was small, did Joseph forgive, but that he was small too and God great. “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? Joseph knew his place through many lessons in humility. He knew what Paul wrote in Romans 12:19, “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” We are not God – only He has the right to execute judgment and do it correctly. You and I are meant to be god-like and that is to be merciful and gracious, abounding in steadfast love and truth. Merciful in truth, that was the heart of Joseph’s forgiveness.

Joseph didn’t just offer kind words, his forgiveness was active and followed up by the fruits of faith. ²¹ So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them. So complete was Joseph’s forgiveness, that it was his promise to care for their children and grandchildren. He lived out what a Christian is supposed to do, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. He traded evil for mercy.

And that is real forgiveness. We know because that is the way God forgives us. He not only withholds the punishment that we so richly deserve, but then He goes and trades our debauchery for mercy. He treats us like He owes us food and drink. He does not deal with us after our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquity, instead richly provides for all that we need for body and life – spiritual and physical.

Why can He do those things? On the dusty streets of Palestine Jesus exercised His great love toward us.  He carried it to the ultimate extreme and suffered torture, death and hell itself, in order to forgive us.  Isaiah explains, “He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities, the punishment of our peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.”

Because of Him, God’s forgiveness is not exhausted. Though we come crawling back to Him a billion times — He rushes to greet us the billionth time to announcement that our sins have been completely forgiven.  With God, Forgiveness is always the policy.

Paul told the Christians in Ephesus, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.  Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”  Forgiveness does not flow from arrogant, pride-filled hearts, but from hearts smitten by the tragedy of their sins, and melted by the beauty of the Gospel.  To be a genuine forgiver, you must have tasted its sweetness firsthand.  You and I know what it is to be forgiven — may God grant us the grace to forgive also those who sin against us.

There is one more point to consider – and this might be the hardest to overcome…Can we afford to forgive? Looking at Joseph’s story, one might think that he couldn’t always forgive his brothers. He lost 20 years of his life, away from his family, because of them!

But Joseph didn’t lose anything. As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good. Joseph believed God when He promises, “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” God took the sin of his brothers and worked it for His good purpose. It did not excuse their sin, but by it brought a blessing. No other way could Joseph rise so quickly from a prison cell to a position in which he saved countless lives.

Joseph could afford to forgive his brothers – even if he didn’t see God’s plan all the time, he trusted God would take care of him. Keep it close to your heart: God’s promise is to you too. He has promised to work all things out for your good, yes, even the sins of those who sin against us. As hard as it might be to see at times, we can have the same faith Joseph did and know, we can well afford to forgive because God is watching and God is working, despite sinful actions, for our good.

Historians say the Louis XIV placed a cross beside the names of people who had plotted against him. He did that, not to mark them for revenge, but to remind himself of the redeeming cross of Christ.  When he looked at their names, he wanted the reminder of God’s great forgiveness to him – and that way, he would be merciful with them.  That’s our secret, too. In just a few moments, we will pray the words, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” That prayer is for power, for God’s strength to do what by nature we cannot. When you find strength in the forgiveness Jesus offers and given the help of the Holy Spirit, forgiveness can, and will indeed be your policy.  Amen.