Joseph: What To Do When Life Goes Wrong
Week Five - “The Only Real Option
Genesis 50
When life goes wrong - find the good, maintain your integrity, stay steady, grow thicker skin, and finally…
Find a
Scapegoat
There were two goats and the priest would cast lots to see which one would be sacrificed as a sin offering to the Lord, and which one would be the scapegoat (Hebrew Azazel - ‘ah-zay-zel’ which means “for absolute removal”)
20 “When Aaron has finished making atonement for the Most Holy Place, the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall bring forward the live goat. 21 He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites—all their sins—and put them on the goat’s head. He shall send the goat away into the wilderness in the care of someone appointed for the task. 22 The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a remote place; and the man shall release it in the wilderness. —Leviticus 16:20-22
*Important - before they sent the scapegoat into the wilderness with the overarching “all” of their sins, they would sacrifice the first goat for their own sins.
As time has gone on, we’ve altered the scapegoat practice to skip the first goat. We look
1. At best, we think it absolves us of any responsibility we bear.
2. At worst, it prevents us from forgiving others from the responsibility they bear.
3. Both scenarios perpetuate the problem and leave us stuck in the wrongness.
A Better Way -
,
,
Genesis 50 - *final chapter of Genesis, the beginning of the story of God and God’s people and how they would navigate life together - critical moment
15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?” 16 So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Your father left these instructions before he died: 17 ‘This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.’ Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father.” When their message came to him, Joseph wept.
18 His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. “We are your slaves,” they said.
19 But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. 21 So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them. —Genesis 50:15-21
Truth - You intended to harm me
…but God
Grace - God used it for the saving of many lives
Forgiveness - Provision. Reassurance. Kindness.
“Am I in the place of God?” (v. 19)
Remember who you are and whose you are - but also, remember who you are not.
You are not God. I am not God.We forgive because we’ve been forgiven - it has nothing to do with the person who wronged us.
When life goes wrong, it’s okay to be mad/frustrated/angry - but we can’t stay there. Jesus made it possible to not stay there (He is the GOAT).