There are times in life where it can seem that nothing would be sweeter than revenge. In Genesis 42 Joseph had the perfect opportunity to exact revenge on his brothers who he runs into when they came to Egypt to purchase food. Joseph, who is not recognized by his brothers, has supreme authority under Egypt’s Pharaoh and could easily have taken revenge on his brothers for selling him into slavery twenty years earlier. In an act of forgiveness however, Joseph forgoes the opportunity for revenge.Although Joseph forgives his brothers, he chooses to not make himself known for the purpose of testing them to determine if they had changed. Joseph understood an important precept that although forgiveness is an obligation, trust should always be earned.
Passages like Ephesians 4:32 clearly teach that forgiveness is to be given freely even to those that are undeserving. Much like God forgave us while we were His enemies. This however does not mean that one should be just as quick to extend the hand of trust. People often take trust and forgiveness to be synonymous. They believe that forgiving someone also means fully restoring trust. Trust must be earned.
Remember the next time you are hurt to quickly offer forgiveness in an effort to demonstrate God’s own forgiveness in your life while allowing your trust to be earned over time.
