Joseph Powerfully Shows Us How to Respond to Betrayal

It’s surprising that there is not more teaching in the body of Christ on the subject, especially when you consider the fact that the Bible itself is full of the accounts of betrayal.

As a matter of fact, the record of God’s creation begins with a vicious betrayal by one of God’s most beautiful and powerful angels. Ezekiel describes the account:

“You were in Eden, the garden of God. Your clothing was adorned with every precious stone — red carnelian, pale-green peridot, white moonstone, blue-green beryl, onyx, green jasper, blue lapis lazuli, turquoise, and emerald — all beautifully crafted for you and set in the finest gold. They were given to you on the day you were created. I ordained and anointed you as the mighty angelic guardian. You had access to the holy mountain of God and walked among the stones of fire. You were blameless in all you did from the day you were created until the day evil was found in you. Your rich commerce led you to violence, and you sinned. So I banished you in disgrace from the mountain of God. I expelled you, O mighty guardian, from your place among the stones of fire. Your heart was filled with pride because of all your beauty. Your wisdom was corrupted by your love of splendor. So I threw you to the ground and exposed you to the curious gaze of kings” (Ezekiel 28:13-17 ).

Isaiah further notes:

“How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation. On the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit. Those who see you will gaze at you, And consider you, saying: ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, Who shook kingdoms, Who made the world as a wilderness And destroyed its cities, Who did not open the house of his prisoners?’” (Isaiah 14:12-17).

Did you ever wonder how Satan got into the garden of Eden? It seems that he appeared suddenly on the scene after the creation of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3. The prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel reveal that he had betrayed God and was cast out of heaven to the earth. He betrayed the very One who made him everything he was, and then tempted Adam and Eve to commit betrayal as well. But from this tragedy began whole story of mankind’s redemption.

The bible contains many other accounts of betrayal:

- Abraham was betrayed by his nephew Lot.

- Lot was betrayed by his wife.

- Samuel was betrayed by Saul.

- David was betrayed by Saul, and betrayed his best friend, Uriah.

- David was betrayed by his son, Absolom.

- Job was betrayed by his friends.

- Esther was betrayed by Haman.

- Paul was betrayed by Demas, Hermogones, Philites, Alexander, and Hymanias.

- John was betrayed by Diophetres.

And of course, Jesus was betrayed by his own family, his disciples, his best friend Peter, and the most famous one of all – Judas, who became known as The Betrayer.

Betrayal is something that happens to all of us, and it can leave us confused, discouraged and wondering how to begin again.

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“This is the history of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. And the lad was with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to his father. Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colors. But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him” (Genesis 37:1-4).

Thus begins a story of betrayal.  Notice a couple of things:

The Roots of Betrayal

Joseph’s betrayal at the hands of his brothers had begun years earlier as a wound of rejection from their father; the extravagant gift of a multicolored coat was an open declaration that Jacob preferred Joseph over the other boys.

The old maxim is true: Hurt people, hurt people! It means that unhealed emotional wounds can cause people to lash out at others. Sometimes we are simply the closest target.

Envy Fuels Betrayal

Joseph’s brothers hated Joseph because their father clearly loved him more than the rest of them. In other words, they struggled with jealousy.

It’s easy for us to isolate in our minds the people who have betrayed us, but it’s hard to come to grips with the fact that we too, have betrayed people.

Who hasn’t betrayed a confidence, either intentionally or accidentally, at one time or another. Or perhaps, in a moment of weakness or panic, thrown a co-worker under the bus to make ourselves look good? Or hung someone out to dry because we didn’t want to look guilty?

And even if none of that rings true for you, every one of us has betrayed our loving God because of our behavior. It’s called sin.

The good news is that we can defeat betrayal by embracing God’s grace.

But Joseph’s brothers did not get that; they felt as though their father’s love for Joseph meant less love for them.

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“One night Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him more than ever” (Genesis 37:5).

At this point in his life, Joseph had not developed in wisdom.  He told his family the things God had revealed to him regarding his future destiny of achieving power and authority, even ruling over the others. This bit of indiscretion was an emotional wound the brothers could not tolerate.

One day when their father sent Joseph to check on the brothers out in the fields with the flock, they lashed out at him:

“As he approached, they made plans to kill him. ‘Here comes the dreamer!’ they said. ‘Come on, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns. We can tell our father, ‘A wild animal has eaten him.’ Then we’ll see what becomes of his dreams!’ So when Joseph arrived, his brothers ripped off the beautiful robe he was wearing. Then they grabbed him and threw him into the cistern. Now the cistern was empty; there was no water in it” (Genesis 37:18-24).

There’s the betrayal. His own brothers ripped his expensive robe from him, threw him into a pit, and as we know, eventually sold him to slave traders on their way to Egypt. Our enemies can attack us, but they can’t betray us; only those who are close to us can cause such deep emotional pain.

But God gave Joseph a big vision for his life. And the bigger the purpose God has for you, the bigger the betrayals you will ultimately face.

Why? The enemy does not want the plans of God come to pass in our lives, especially if that means influencing and impacting multitudes for His glory.

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Fast forward to the end of Joseph’s story. God divinely led Joseph from that pit to Potiphar’s house, to prison, and eventually to the palace, to become administrator over all Egypt.

Now that’s a journey! And it demonstrates that we can begin again after betrayal.

There are three things we see in the life of Joseph that empowered him to begin again after betrayal. And they are all found in the one statement Joseph makes when his brothers come to Egypt to buy food from him.

“But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt” (Genesis 45:5-8).

1. Release Your Betrayer

Did you notice what Joseph did when his brothers appeared before him, at his mercy? He could have gotten revenge, but instead he pulled back and released them of their offense. 

It may have benefited the brothers, but there were bigger benefits to Joseph. The moment Joseph forgave his brothers, his heart was healed. The bruise of betrayal dissipated and Joseph was free.

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“And the fame thereof was heard in Pharaoh's house…” (Genesis 45:16, KJV).

In other words, people throughout the palace began to share and repeat all that God had brought Joseph through. And all the people stood in awe of Joseph, the one who had saved the whole nation from famine and demonstrated the power and mercy of his God.

We too must remember when we face the foe of betrayal, that people are watching.

3. Rest in God’s Power

“And we know that God works all things together for the good, for those who love him and are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

Very simply, if we trust God, no matter what pain or persecution, scars or stars, best friends or betrayals, God will turn it around. Joseph said:

“But now, do not therefore be grieved … God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance…” (Genesis 45:5-8).

Joseph recognized God’s hand had turned every betrayal around for his good, because he remained faithful in all circumstances. He was able to defeat the bitter root of betrayal by embracing God’s overflowing grace; His free and unmerited favor showered on us because of Christ.

For us too, there is no shortage of the favor and goodness of God to defeat the wounds of betrayal. That means, if you’re blessed, it doesn’t detract from God’s ability to bless me as well. If you win, that doesn’t mean my odds of winning go down. Grace means we can all experience the blessings and goodness of God without measure.

And when I embrace grace like that, then why would I be envious of you? God’s grace makes me celebrate and cheer on your success. It makes us become allies, instead of enemies, and the root of betrayal is snuffed out before it even begins.

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