Latest Devotion
Restoration -vs- Retaliation
By: Kathie Welch
Saturday, November 22, 2025
As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them. Genesis 42:7
Joseph's brothers threw him in a pit, and they only removed him to sell him into slavery (Genesis 37:18-38). It would have been easy for Joseph to become bitter... Instead, he made the most of his unfortunate circumstances, both as a slave and a prisoner. Instead of giving up, Joseph worked heartily for the Lord, and God honored his hard work.
The Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man. Genesis 39:2 (ESV)
Years later, Joseph’s brothers appeared before him to ask him for food during a famine. The ten brothers who sold him into slavery bowed down before him just like in his dream. If Joseph had ever thought about revenge, this was his moment! Instead of taking revenge, Joseph used that moment as an opportunity for restoration, and he started working on his family's relocation! Consider the grace Joseph showed to his brothers in this verse:
When portions were served to them from Joseph’s table, Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as anyone else’s. So they feasted and drank freely with him. Genesis 43:34
When it came time to deal with his brothers, Joseph chose restoration over retaliation. He knew reconciliation would please his Heavenly Father, and it ended up reuniting him with his earthly father. Joseph's love for his family canceled out the bitterness of unforgiveness and it removed any desire to get even (I Peter 4:8). Joseph's willingness to extend God's grace to his brothers didn't just restore his family; it saved their entire nation.
If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Romans 12:18
How about you? Is God prompting you to extend forgiveness to anyone? Pray earnestly, and ask God to reveal His will for your relationships. Get ready, He may nudge you to make the first move! Or He may ask you to forgive someone you really don't want to. Repairing a broken relationship can be a long, painstaking process, and depending on what happened, the restoration Joseph experienced may never happen. Either way, forgiveness will bring us freedom as we let those hurts from our past go.
When people wrong us, we may feel like they don't deserve our forgiveness. Some of them may refuse any attempt of peace. But remember, Jesus didn't just suggest that we forgive, He commanded it (Matthew 6:14-15). To us, forgiveness can seem impossible... but God says with His help, all things are possible.
Forgiveness honors God, so let's obey His command and trust Him with the results!