Why does joseph forgave his brothers

Nonetheless, there is something religiously and emotionally inert about the type of transaction I have outlined. Psalm 51 suggests more. He seeks to restore the violated relationship. And the reflective penitent asks how this can be done. By these stratagems, he induces them to bring Benjamin to him. This forces Judah to confront him, leading Joseph to break down and reveal his identity. The brothers, among themselves, have already expressed remorse for selling Joseph into slavery.

Now it is time for them to do so in front of the brother whom they betrayed. Whether Joseph planned it that way and why is a fascinating question but not the one that concerns me right now. At first, his brothers are incapable of responding to him.

He asks them to approach him and maintains that they should not sorrow over having sold him, for God had destined Joseph to relieve the famine, and this in turn has ensured the survival of his family. Things have worked out well all around, thanks to the hand of Providence.

Years pass. Their father, Jacob, dies. Apparently, the brothers have not felt the light of forgiveness on their faces, for they now fear that Joseph will repay their evil. They send a message Gen. Did Joseph forgive his brothers in the way David petitions God to forgive him? The direct quotations in Genesis do not contain formal words of forgiveness. However, Joseph does not respond directly to their plea. While he is in jail he meets a few people who served pharaoh.

They begin to share their dreams with Joseph and he interprets them. Those dreams go exactly as predicted. Because of his prophetic abilities, Joseph is made second in command of Egypt. Joseph is shown by God that there will be seven good years and famine for seven years. As a result of this, Joseph starts up a governmental food bank. It is then that he encounters his brothers again, now remorseful, along with his father.

After all the things the brothers did, many would expect Joseph to hate them, inflict harm on them or at least cast them aside. He sees their change of heart and shows them forgiveness.

Pretty incredible, right? Here are three powerful lessons from Joseph on forgiveness. This is exactly what happened to Joseph. He was second in command in Egypt and they were in need of food. Study the following questions and the scripture references as you prepare your lesson. Use the questions you feel will best help the children understand the scriptures and apply the principles in their lives.

Reading and discussing the scriptures with the children in class will help them gain personal insights. Why did Jacob send his sons to Egypt to buy corn? Genesis —57 ; —2. Genesis —4. Genesis —8 ; Genesis —8, 23 ; it had been twenty-two years since they had seen Joseph. When they sold him into Egypt he was seventeen, and now he was a mature man. Also, he spoke to them in another language, communicating with them through an interpreter. How did Joseph know that his brothers felt guilty about what they had done to him?

How can we get rid of feelings of guilt? What did Joseph tell his brothers they needed to do before he would sell grain to them? Genesis —16, Why did Jacob not want Benjamin to go to Egypt? Genesis , Why did Jacob finally agree to let Benjamin go with his brothers?

How did Joseph feel when he saw his brother Benjamin? Genesis — Why do you think Joseph felt especially close to Benjamin? Joseph and Benjamin had the same mother. What did Joseph do to prevent his brothers from returning to Canaan? Genesis —5, 11— Why do you think he did that? What did Judah do that showed he had repented and become a kinder, more caring person?

What could you do to be kinder and more caring in your family? What benefits did Joseph realize had come because of his being sold into Egypt? Genesis —8. Point out that each time Joseph faced a difficult situation, he had a good attitude, and he turned a bad experience into a positive experience. What difficult situations do you face that you could turn into positive experiences? How did Joseph show that he had forgiven his brothers?

Genesis —11, 14— How do you think he felt?