Homespun Devotion

Then they got Joseph’s beautiful robe. They killed a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. They took the robe back to their father. They said, “We found this. Take a look at it. See if it’s your son’s robe.” Jacob recognized it. He said, “It’s my son’s robe! A wild animal has eaten him up. Joseph must have been torn to pieces.” Jacob tore his clothes. He put on the rough clothing people wear when they’re sad. Then he mourned for his son many days. All Jacob’s other sons and daughters came to comfort him. But they weren’t able to. He said, “I will continue to mourn until I go down into the grave to be with my son.” So Joseph’s father mourned for him.

—Genesis 37:31–35 (New International Reader’s Version)

That is, the Lord passed in front of Moses and said, “Yahweh, the Lord, is a kind and merciful God. He is slow to become angry. He is full of great love. He can be trusted. He shows his faithful love to thousands of people. He forgives people for the wrong things they do, but he does not forget to punish guilty people. Not only will he punish the guilty people, but their children, their grandchildren, and their great-grandchildren will also suffer for the bad things these people do.”

—Exodus 34:6–7 (ERV)

Joseph’s family was messy, like a soup sandwich. His brothers were jealous to the extent most were willing to kill their younger brother, and all were willing to lie and deceive. Yet it is a beautiful story of forgiveness and redemption, one from which we can learn much.

Imagine how they must have felt when their father needed sympathy and empathy, reassurance from his family. Did they stuff their feelings in denial? Did they feel regret? Did they ever consider ’fessing up? Because we know how the story ends. We see a story of redemption, but consider the weight they carried in their hearts for all those years. Did that make the family even messier? Probably. Their children likely had families just as messy, and then those children passed it on to the next generation, just as God told Moses would happen to families in Exodus 34:6–7.

God is a forgiving God. He loves us. Yet he is just, and he will punish if we don’t turn from our severely dysfunctional ways that cause harm to our families. He calls that sin. The wonderful thing is, like Joseph, he willingly forgives and helps us and our families become healthier. What a God!

Families are still messy today. How can we deal with our messes? Read the story of Joseph in Genesis 45–48 and consider what Joseph did to help his family begin the healing process. We each can contribute to healing of our families, often by simply forgiving, as Joseph did. Pray that someday your family will be a real meat sandwich instead of that soupy mess, and give thanks if you already have a healthy family.

Prayer: God who has forgiven me of much, thank You. Guide me to forgive, as Joseph did, and help my family move beyond the mess we have.