“Bitterness”
Baggage—Part 3
Genesis 37-50
August 25, 2013

Bitterness: Angry And Resentful. Expressing Intense Hostility.

1. JOSEPH HAD A CAUSE TO RELAY BITTERNESS.

His Brothers Hated Him. 37:4, 23-24, 28

His Brothers Talked Mean To Him. 37:4

His Brothers Wanted To Kill Him. 37:18

His Brothers Took His Robe. 37:23

His Brothers Threw Him Down A Cistern. 37:24

His Brothers Sold Him Into Slavery. 37:28

The Midianites Sold Him…Again. 37:36

Mrs. Potiphar Framed Him For Rape. 39:16-17

Mr. Potiphar Threw Him In Prison. 39:20

The Cupbearer Forgot Him. 40:23

2. JOSEPH HAD A CHANCE TO RELIVE BITTERNESS.
   “I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even
    here I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon.”40:15

   “When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they
     said, ‘What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back
      for all the wrongs we did to him?’” 50:15

3. JOSEPH HAD A CHOICE TO RELEASE BITTERNESS.
    “Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of
     Pharaoh king of Egypt.” 41:46

    • Reminder of God’s Presence. 39:2, 21
    • Reminder Of God’s Peace. 41:51
    • Reminder Of God’s Provision. 41:52
    • Reminder Of God’s Providence. 42:9
    • Reminder Of God’s Power. 42:21-22
    • Reminder Of God’s Purpose. 45:7-8