Joseph was a person who denied himself. Whatever he did was based upon the principle of self-denial. I do not know of any other person who was offended to the degree Joseph was, yet who had not the slightest desire for revenge. When he revealed himself to his brothers, they were terrified (45:3, Heb.). Joseph, however, not only forgave them, but received them and comforted them. He said, "Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life" (45:5). Here we see that the offended one comforted the offending ones.

Often when Christians forgive someone, they say, "Yes, I forgive you, but I also want to remind you of the seriousness of what you have done." This kind of forgiveness does not mean anything, for actually it is not forgiveness at all. When Joseph forgave his brothers, he comforted them and told them not to be angry with themselves, but to forget what they had done to him. He said that their selling him into slavery was God's doing to preserve life. Joseph did not blame his brothers for what they had done; rather, he regarded them as God's helpers. They had helped God to get him to Egypt.

In verse 7 Joseph said, "God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance." The Hebrew word rendered "posterity" is better translated "remnant." God's purpose required a remnant. His intention was that the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would build Him a tabernacle so that He might establish His kingdom on earth. If the remnant had been cut off, God's purpose could not have been fulfilled. In that case, the book of Genesis would have been the last book of the Bible. Knowing that the famine would have terminated everyone living in the land of Canaan, God prepared a way for the remnant of the chosen and called race to continue to exist.

Joseph was able to comfort his brothers because he realized that God, not they, had sent him to Egypt. He might have said, "Thank you for selling me. If you had not done that, how could I be here today?" Whether or not we forgive others depends upon our vision and realization. If we know that we are here for the Lord's recovery, we shall not care how much others offend us. We shall realize that the more we are offended, the more good will result. If Joseph's brothers had not sold him into slavery, how could his dreams have been fulfilled? His dreams were fulfilled through the ones who hated him. Joseph had a thorough realization of this and thus he could forgive his brothers for the way they mistreated him.

It should be the same with us today in the church life. If we realize that we are here for the Lord's purpose, for the Lord's recovery, then we shall know that whatever happens to us is for God's purpose. Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to the purpose." Joseph loved God; therefore, whatever happened to him was for good. To be unwilling to forgive those who have offended you indicates that you are shortsighted. But if you see into the depth of what God has done, you will never seek revenge. Instead, you will always be willing to forgive those who have offended you. You will say, "Praise the Lord! Whatever happened to me was for good, not only for me, but for God's people. Whatever happens to me works good for the kingdom of God."