Taking revenge for perceived or real slights has been a keynote of human history, ever since the first murder of Abel by his brother Cain.  We hear of stories in the Bible of people being killed simply because they accidentally knocked into someone. So down the centuries it goes on. 

The ancestors of Joseph were no saints; they are not chosen by God because of any moral claim they have on him.  Only their faith commends them.

Joseph of the fourth generation is different.  He has great faith, understanding both good and bad in his life is under the control of God, but he is also a man of exemplary character.

Even in conditions of incarceration he seeks the welfare of others, enquiring as to why fellow prisoners are sad.  No word of complaint or bitterness at the total injustice of his imprisonment is recorded, because we must assume, there were none.

As a faithful man of God, Joseph, like Job, accepted both good and bad from the God who allows both to happen to us; trusting good reasons behind all events, and that ultimately as he comes to say to his brothers: ‘God meant it for good’.

Joseph’s concern for his fellow prisoners offers a glimmer into his character.  Here is a man who after being sold into slavery by his brothers, far from holding a grudge, jumps at the opportunity to both help and be reconciled to them as soon as one arises.

The famine foreseen in Pharaoh’s dreams has spread to the whole of what we now know as the Middle East.  Joseph’s family is also on the verge of starvation.  The brothers are sent to request food from Egypt, and Joseph realises a clearly long-held desire to be reconciled to his brothers.  His desire is to hold out the hand of forgiveness for their treatment of him.

On the forgiveness/revenge spectrum Joseph has not a single vengeful bone in his body.

Whether the brothers are repentant is a different question.  There are signs of remorse but to what extent have they changed for the better?

Complex family dynamics are a large part of the story:  Jacob’s preference of Rebecca’s sons rather than Leah’s being part of that dynamic.  Maybe because he was son of the loved wife and because his capabilities shone at a young age Jacob gives Joseph an ornate supervisor’s coat. Promoting Joseph to foreman over his older brothers would not have gone down well!

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Where are we on the spectrum? Ask God to show you. Jesus taught that to hate someone is murdering them in God’s eyes. Owning up to our sinfulness is the first step to receiving God’s forgiveness.