Beresheet (Genesis) 44:18-47:27

Our lives are all a matter of perspective! Do we look at everything that happens in our lives from a self-centered perspective, or from a godly perspective? The answer my dear brothers and sisters is found in the way we live our lives, in the way we walk with God.

In this week’s parasha, we see a man who had every right to be angry and bitter, who had every right not to forgive, who had an opportunity to punish those who harmed him and mistreated him; yet, because of his godly perspective, he chose instead to forgive, to love, and to honor God with his life.

Perhaps the greatest example of Joseph choosing God’s way was when he revealed to his brothers his true identity:

“Then Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried, “Have everyone go out from me.” So there was no man with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard of it. Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence. Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come closer to me.” And they came closer. And he said, “I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. “And now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. “For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. “And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. “Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt.” Genesis 45:1-8

Joseph understood that everything which had happened to him – past and present – was from God and it was with a purpose. Because he viewed life from a godly perspective, he was able to understand that God allowed everything to happen for a very specific purpose for Joseph’s life, which was to preserve a remnant before Him and to keep them alive through God’s miraculous provision.

Looking back on my life, I had to learn to be at peace with many of the difficult things that happened to me, which the Lord used to make me who I am today. I made the decision to forgive and release all the bitterness I held inside, and not to focus on others but rather on my own personal relationship with the Lord, since I knew that one day I will give an account of myself before Almighty God. That decision to “let go and let God” gave me such an amazing peace not just with God, but also with those who wronged me.

Are you holding any bitterness or un-forgiveness in your heart? Maybe toward God? Could it be that by simply changing your perspective from self-centered to God-centered, you will have the amazing peace of the Lord that surpasses all understanding?

In closing, I want to remind us of the amazing parallel between Joseph – the way he was mistreated and rejected by his own brothers, betrayed and sold only to become a ruler who sat at the right hand of the king, and ultimately, revealing himself to his own brothers who did not recognize him – to that of Yeshua our Messiah. I cannot wait for the day when my fellow Jewish brothers and sisters will also recognize Him for who He really is:

““And I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him, like the bitter weeping over a first-born.” Zechariah 12:10

Until that glorious day, let us continue to walk with Him and remember that it is all about Him, and all for Him.

Shabbat Shalom,

Moran