Genesis 50:20 KJV — But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.
It’s one of the more astounding moments in scripture.
Joseph was born into a dysfunctional family.
His father was married twice, and both wives were jealous of the other, which caused no end of strife.
The first wife was unloved and the second wife was barren, until Joseph was finally born.
He, the son of Rachel, was dearly loved by his father.
By the time Joseph was old enough to be working with the family business, his brothers hated him.
It didn’t help that he turned in a poor report on some of them to his father.
To add fuel to the hatred, Joseph wasn’t as careful with his words as he could have been.
He had dreams of a future where he would lead the entire family.
He told them to his brothers and his father.
His brothers’ hatred grew.
There was no excuse for what they did to him, but it is very obvious how the discord in this family led to incredible evil.
Genesis 37:26-28NKJV — So Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is there if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother and our flesh.” And his brothers listened. Then Midianite traders passed by; so the brothers pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.
They sold their brother as a slave.
Life in Egypt was a rollercoaster for Joseph.
All of the years he was there God worked in his life.
Finally, he was promoted from life imprisonment to second in the kingdom.
God used him to save many people from starvation.
Including, his family, who had no idea that he was still alive.
The scriptures don’t tell us when Joseph forgave his brothers.
But it does show him responding to them with forgiveness and compassion.
Somewhere along the journey of his life, Joseph learned to forgive those who had hurt him and to trust God.
We know this by his words of comfort to his terrified brothers.
Genesis 50:20 KJV — But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.
Joseph wasn’t bitter, he didn’t seek revenge, because he could clearly see God had allowed the difficult, painful things in his life to bring about incredible good.
We can apply this to ourselves.
We must not allow bitterness to take root, we must forgive those who do us evil, trusting God to work through it.
Although we may not see how God uses the painful, difficult circumstances in our lives while walking through them, we can choose to cling to the truth: He will.
Many people throughout scripture walked through unjust, painful circumstances and God uses those things in their lives for good.
He hasn’t changed.
He’s still working.
Let us choose to both forgive others and to trust God.
Romans 8:28 KJV — And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Dear Lord Jesus,
Thank You so much for Your Word. Lord, thank You for Your truth. Thank You for teaching us we must forgive, we must trust You. Please help me to walk in that truth, learning daily what it means in today. Lord, please return our hearts to wholeness, hearts of flesh which have been redeemed by Your sacrifice. Lord, great is Your faithfulness and greatly shall You be praised! Please continue to teach us each day, giving us life and truth through Your Word. Lord, please help us to be on our guard about the lies, discord, and strife of the enemy. Please help us to live trusting in You, loving others, and walking with integrity. Thank You for Your wonderous works! I praise Your holy name Lord Jesus! Amen.
patientlyhopeful 