God Meant It For Good...

For the past few weeks I have been taking my church through the story of Joseph in Genesis 37-50.  The main theme of this story is God's providence in the life of Joseph.  The key verse in this entire story is Genesis 50:20.  Here Joseph is talking to his brothers and says, "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today" (ESV).  This verse tells us that Joseph understood that all the events that happened in his life were ordained by God and happened for a distinct purpose.  The events that Joseph is referring to are the evil ways in which his brothers treated him earlier on in life.  Joseph's brothers treated him with great contempt because of the dreams he had about his brothers one day bowing down to him (37:5-11).  As a result, he was seized (37:23), stripped of his special robe (37:23), thrown into a pit (37:24) and eventually sold into slavery by his brothers to Midianite traders who passed by (Genesis 37:28).  But as the story goes, Joseph ends up becoming second in power in all of Egypt when he successfully interpreted Pharaoh's dreams and devised a plan to keep the people of Egypt from starving.  One day, Joseph's brothers came to buy food.  Joseph recognized them, but they had not idea who he was.  What is fascinating his how Joseph responds to seeing his brothers.  He puts them through a series of tests that by God's grace transforms the brothers hearts.  But what is even more striking is the fact that Joesph did not act in revenge in any way against his brothers, even though he was in the perfect position to do so.  He does not blame them for what they did.  He even tells them not to be distressed or angry (45:5) and after Jacob dies he reassures them that he will not do anything to harm them (50:19-21).  How could Joesph forgive them for what they did?  I think it all has to do with his view of God, ie, His providence and His sovereignty.  It was his view of God that caused him to weep for them (42:24) and provided for their needs (50:21) and not put them in prison and throw away the key.  For this very reason I believe that the doctrine of God is vital for the Christian's growth in Christlikeness.  For if we believe that God is sovereign over all things and has ordained them to come to pass, and that he his sovereign enough to able to use the evil action of people for his glory and our good, then we can trust that God is in control of our lives and that He knows what is best for us.  When this sinks deep within us, as is did in Joesph's heart, forgiving others becomes a whole lot easier.