Genesis 50:18-21 “And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants. And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? 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. Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.”
Genesis 45:4-8 “And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye solid into Egypt. Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharoah, and the lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.”
Romans 8:28 “And ye know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to purpose.”
In today’s bombastic society, when we are wronged we are spring loaded to double down and fight back. Even Christians do so, ditching our discipline, tarnishing our testimonies, and forgetting our faith. In our passion for immediate justice, our perspectives are clouded and our characters are muddied. Joseph gives us a grace-filled model that exemplifies wisdom and exudes grace.
Joseph knew that God either allowed for his betrayal and used it for the greater good, or that God had actually orchestrated the entire act of treachery by his brothers to save them and many others.
While I frankly find it difficult to fathom his measured response, I am astounded by it and convicted by it. It provides a template for Christians today and throughout time.
No matter what happens to us, God is in control. Even when we are betrayed, He can use it for the greater good. In fact, He may have orchestrated it all along to save those around us and many others.
PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO RESPOND TO BETRAYAL AND TREACHERY WITH GRACE, WISDOM, DISCIPLINE AND FAITH. May we all respond right as God works all things together for good.
