Do you live with shame and guilt toward others? Genesis 48-50

Genesis 50:15-17 (NASBStr)

When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “ What if Joseph bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong which we did to him!” So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father charged before he died, saying, ‘Thus you shall say to Joseph, “Please forgive, I beg you, the transgression of your brothers and their sin, for they did you wrong.”’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.

When we have committed sin against others and never made it right by seeking restitution we will always have a sense of guilt and shame.   This is the truth revealed in the above passage.   Joseph's brothers, years and years prior, had tossed him into a pit and then pulled him out just to sell him for moneny to the traveling band of traders.  That began Joseph's torment and turmoil.  He would spend in servitude and prison just because of his brothers selfish acts and covetousness.   Yet, Joseph had mercy on them and, with their father, established their new lives in Egypt during the famine.   Yet, these acts of mercy by Joseph are meet with shame, guilt and more conniving, now that dad was gone.   Once Israel had died, the brothers worried that Joseph's word was not true and not going to keep his earliest promises.   This is because, up to this point, we have no record of them coming to him to ask forgiveness or make restitution.   Their blessing so far were entirely because Joseph was a Godly man.   And, if  you read the rest of the story about, Joseph continues to be the Godly man.   He continues to make things good for them.  They, on the other hand, continue to act in the true character of the past.  They conjure up a story that never happened to cover themselves.   They conjured up a story about Joseph's "death" to their father that Israel lived with for years.  The boys were good at story telling.   But, they were not good at seeking restitution or forgiveness or grace or mercy.   Joseph was but they were not.   Joseph in this story is a picture of Christ who is dealing with our (pictured by the brothers) wrongs.   Jesus is the picture of grace and mercy to us, as we continue to sin, time and time again.   When we don't seek restitution via forgiveness we will continue to have shame.  Or shame is cared for by God's grace and by His mercy.   We simply have to thank Him for this forgiveness.  Our shame is gone because He takes care of it for us.