Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)

“They didn’t know that Joseph understood them; for there was an interpreter between them. He turned himself away from them, and wept. Then he returned to them, and spoke to them, and took Simeon from among them, and bound him before their eyes. Then Joseph gave a command to fill their bags with grain, and to restore each man’s money into his sack, and to give them food for the way. So it was done to them.“
(Genesis 42:23-25)

“Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Until seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I don’t tell you until seven times, but, until seventy times seven.”
(Matthew 18:21-22)

Joseph never got bitter or angry at his brothers for what they did. He never blamed them. He never held it against them. He was after evidence of a change of heart. His entire motivation in his dealings with his brothers was as an agent of God to bring them to the end of themselves and to see them truly repent and change their hearts. Joseph never did them harm, but gave them opportunity after opportunity to come clean and unburden themselves of their unhealthy bitterness. This is the POINT of forgiveness. Healing through repentance about the actions, words, and emotions that caused the issues in the first place.

Peter knew the scriptures. He had been taught from Amos 2:4 and Job 33:20 that God only forgives three times. The sages taught that since God only forgives three times, that is also sufficient for humanity. But Jesus had spoken about forgiving seven times. Peter, feeling he had a handle on this forgiveness teaching, was perhaps using Jesus’ own words (Luke 17:3-4) to show how he had grown from three times to seven times. But Jesus spoke of a ridiculous number. Jesus spoke of unlimited forgiveness. Generous, and without tallying up marks. Without being doormats, to give unconditional forgiveness and the opportunity for healing repentance.

Summary

God is EVER merciful and forgiving toward the repentant heart (Lamentations 3:22-23). If we will repent, He WILL forgive (1 John 1:8-9). Forgiving others isn’t giving them permission to do it again. It isn’t an invitation to be walked over. It is releasing them from our bitterness. It is releasing them from our retribution. It is giving them the change to be free of the hooks of selfishness as we free ourselves with His power from those same hooks in ourselves. The willingness to forgive, to release ourselves from selfish bitterness, is the mark of a loving heart. It is a fruit that comes from being rooted in God and not in ourselves. It is a blessing that CONTINUALLY blesses – both ourselves and all those around us.