Session 13

Message Sent (Genesis 50:15-18)

the brothers’ actions and Joseph’s response.

15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said to one another,
“If Joseph is holding a grudge against us, he will certainly repay us for all the suffering we caused him.”
16 So they sent this message to Joseph,
“Before he died your father gave a command:
17 ‘Say this to Joseph:
Please forgive your brothers’ transgression and their sin -
the suffering they caused you.’
Therefore, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.”
Joseph wept when their message came to him.
18 His brothers also came to him, bowed down before him, and said,
“We are your slaves!”

Application Point:

Believers can accept forgiveness from others.

Guide

identify how remembering God’s plans and purposes shaped Joseph’s thoughts and life.

Examine:

read the content for Genesis 50:15-18 on pages 120-122 of the PSG
identify some key points from these verses.

• (v. 15) Holding a grudge:
  feelings of animosity
  living with an unforgiving heart.
• (v. 15) Repay us:
  The brothers feared that Joseph would retaliate for the way they had treated him.
  Interestingly, it is often used of repentance.
  in context it means “to cause to return.”
  the dread of the consequences they knew they deserved.

• (v. 15) Suffering:
  This Hebrew term basically means “evil”
  It also can be translated: misery, distress, injury, or wickedness.
  the word deals primarily with moral qualities from God’s perspective.
  human beings tend to evaluate things as good or evil in terms of the pain they are experiencing.
• (vv. 16-17) Your father:
  This expression draws attention to Joseph’s responsibility as a son rather than as a brother.
• (v. 17) Transgression . . . sin:
  “rebellion.” It expresses deliberate revolt.
  rejection of God’s authority,
  in context: violation of others’ personal and property rights.
  It can also mean “missing the mark.” Accidentally or intentionally hitting the wrong target.
• (v. 18) Bowed down:
  the final fulfillment of the dream

Key Word

Forgive

This Hebrew verb has three basic categories of meaning.
The first category (“lift up”) occurs both literally and figuratively in the Old Testament.
The second category (“carry”) is used especially of bearing the guilt or punishment for sin.
The third category (“take away”) stresses the pardon or forgiveness of sin.
This latter action of taking away sin appears as one of God’s attributes in Exodus 34:6-7 and Micah 7:18.

God’s gracious nature in forgiving sin is graphically pictured in the Day of Atonement.
In that ceremony, Aaron placed his hands on the head of a live goat and confessed all the Israelites’ sins.
This “scapegoat” symbolically carried the people’s sins into the wilderness
(Lev. 16:20-22).
Joseph’s brothers wanted him to demonstrate such grace toward them.

Ask:

• What impact does guilt have on our ability to relate to others? (PSG, p. 122)

Transition:

After sending the message, Joseph’s brothers came to him in person. This gave him the chance to reinforce what he had been telling them all along.