GOD MEANT IT FOR GOOD (Genesis 50:15-21)

This is a touching scene. Jacob lived in Egypt for 17 years. He made Joseph promise that once he dies, he should carry his body back to the Promised Land. He was 147 years old when he died. Joseph and his brothers carried his body to Canaan. They buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the same place with Leah, his wife and with his ‘fathers’, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebeccah. The death or Jacob ends an era. After that, Joseph’s brothers became afraid that Joseph would punish them for the sin they committed against him many years ago. They assumed that Joseph hates them “for the evil” they did against him. They sent messengers to Joseph asking for mercy and forgiveness. Joseph called them and wept in their presence. He was not ashamed to show his deep emotions of love towards them. Why was he hurt? Because after all these years, the brothers still did not believe that he has truly forgiven them. They assumed that Joseph was pretending to forgive them because their father was still alive. But now, they assumed that finally, Joseph would punish them. In their hearts, they thought that Joseph is a hypocrite. The truth is that they had issues with forgiving themselves and they projected their doubts upon Joseph. They were afraid of Joseph. They still did not love him. That hurt Joseph. “There is no fear in love [dread does not exist]. But perfect (complete, full-grown) love drives out fear, because fear involves [the expectation of divine] punishment, so the one who is afraid [of God’s judgment] is not perfected in love [has not grown into a sufficient understanding of God’s love]” (1Jn 4:18; AMP). This painful situation gives Joseph a wonderful occasion to re-assure them of his total forgiveness, done for the sake of God. Here you see the spiritual maturity of Joseph. You see why God chose him from among his brothers to promote him to the highest office in the land.

Joseph is a symbol of Christ glorified, our Great High Priest. Study the way He speaks to His brothers and be encouraged too! He says:

*Do not be afraid! It is true that Joseph has the power to hurt them, but he loves them. He encourages his brothers not to be afraid of him. Lesson: if you have forgiven someone, you will not intimidate him with the memory of the past! You encourage him to be strong and do not fear punishment! As our Great High Priest, Jesus intercedes for the believer in heaven. His love continues. There is no fear in Love!

*Am I in the place of God? Joseph is truly humble. He tells his brothers that his high position in Egypt does not make him God to them. Joseph does not use his authority to intimidate his brothers. Joseph loved and respected his father, Jacob. He did not want to hurt him. But Jacob was now dead. He could have punished his brothers. But he has already forgiven them, not for the sake of Jacob, but for the sake of God! “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord” (Rom 12:19). When you remain humble in the place of promotion, your forgiveness and love towards your enemies is genuine. God will vindicate you. The Great High Priest in heaven, our Lord Jesus Christ, “did not consider it robbery to be equal with God” (Phil 2:6). God Himself promoted Him to be the only authorized intercessor and mediator of the New Covenant between man and God.

*You meant evil against me! Joseph could not have used this word. But this is what they said. They helped him tell the truth. Sin does damage. The truth is that his brothers’ jealousy and wickedness could have killed him. It brought depression to their father for many years and damaged their relationship with Joseph. Sin is always evil. Sin is designed to kill, steal and destroy. Sin must be hated! “You who love the LORD, hate evil!” (Ps 97:10). “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good” (Rom 12:9; NIV). You don’t tolerate sin! You don’t ignore evil. You expose it, confess it, repent from it, and move on, walking by faith and love! Forgiveness does not mean forgetfulness. The Great High Priest carries the scars on His hands as a reminder of what sin on earth did to Him. That is why as the Great High Priest, Jesus can now help us when we fall into sin. Praise His Holy Name!

*God meant it for good! Joseph believed the revelation given by God to him thru dreams as a young man. God chose him from among his brothers to make him their leader and Savior. God was with him during his troubles. God brought him to the place of promotion, honoured him, not for his benefit, but to save his family which later became the nation called Isreal. Joseph has seen the hand of God in his life. That gave him peace and joy during his trials. That is how he truly forgave his brothers, not for their sakes, but for the sake of God. Love sees God in all things. The unbelievers, when they suffer, get angry and bitter. They are spiritually blind. They do not see any good coming out of trouble. That is why they insult and punish those who hurt them. But the believers are different. They see God working for their good. “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Rom 8:28).

*Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones. And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them! Joseph encouraged them with kind words. He promised to continue to take care of them, to provide and protect them for as long as he lives. He kept his promise. Lesson: true forgiveness is not just an isolated act. It is a lifestyle. It produces fruits of kindness and good behaviour. Our Great High Priest continues to help us live godly and saves us to the uttermost. Glory to God!

Finally, reconciliation always points to glory! Peace leads to promotion! We see that Jesus, in His office as our eternal Intercessor, has the power to help us finish the race and reach heaven. He saves us by His eternal Life! In this life, we are tempted by sin, the world and by the devil. But Jesus defeated all of them on the Cross. Our Great High Priest is able to prevent us from falling into sin and to deliver us in case we fall. “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, 25 To God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen” (Jude 1:24, 25). Worship the Lord!

The meaning of Joseph is ‘increase’. Joseph’s brothers hated him. They wanted him dead. Joseph suffered much because of them. Yet, he forgave them freely. How was he able to do that? What is the secret of Joseph in displaying such grace and mercy? His secret is found in his theology. Because he knew God intimately, he behaved like God. This is Joseph’s basic doctrine: “you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good” (Gen 50:20). Lesson: if we believe like Joseph, we can also forgive and love like Joseph and God will use us for His glory!

The Bible Story of Joseph is found the Book of Genesis, chapters 37 to 50. It is one of heroic redemption and forgiveness. Joseph was the most loved son of his father, Israel, who gave him a robe of many colors, a symbol of leadership. Lesson: parents, it is not good to have favorites! When Joseph reported having dreams of his brothers bowing before him, their jealousy grew into action. They sold him into slavery to a traveling caravan of Ishmaelites who took him to Egypt and sold him to Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh’s guard. In Egypt, the Lord’s constant presence with Joseph enables him to find favor with Potiphar and later, with the keeper of the prison. With God’s help, Joseph correctly interprets the dreams of two prisoners, predicting that one of them will be reinstated but the other put to death. Joseph then interprets the dreams of Pharaoh, which anticipate seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine. Pharaoh recognizes Joseph’s God-given ability and promotes him to be to the chief administrator of Egypt. Shortage of food in Canaan forces Jacob to send his sons to buy grains from the Egyptians.  Benjamin, Joseph’s younger brother, remains at home as Jacob fears losing him, as he did Joseph. When Joseph finally encounters his brothers again, he conceals his identity. He accuses them of being spies and tells them to return with Benjamin or he will not sell them grain. The ongoing famine forces Jacob to reluctantly send his sons back to Egypt with Benjamin, and they are unexpectedly invited to dine at Joseph’s house. Joseph tests the character of his brothers by placing a silver cup in the sack of Benjamin and falsely accusing him of theft.  When Judah offers to stay in place of Benjamin, Joseph knows that his character has changed and reveals to them that he is their brother. Joseph says that they need not feel guilty for betraying him as it was God’s plan for him to be in Egypt to preserve their family. He told them to bring their father and his entire household into Egypt to live in the province of Goshen because there were five more years of famine left. Joseph supplied them with Egyptian transport wagons, new garments, silver, and more donkeys for the journey. Jacob is joyously reunited with his beloved son Joseph. This is an interesting note: Joseph became prime minister at 30. (David became king at 30. Jesus started His public ministry at 30). Joseph died when he was 110. For 80 years he was a great leader in Egypt. But with all his success, Joseph did not regarded Egypt as his own country. He told his family to carry his bones to the Promised Land. That was faith (Heb 11:22)! More than 400 years later, during the exodus, the Jews carried his bones and buried them in the Promised Land.

Joseph is about 40 years when Jacob came to Egypt. He was about 57 years old when his father died (Gen 47:28). He is now at the peak of his power and success in Egypt. After Jacob dies and is buried, Joseph’s brothers felt guilty and afraid. They knew that they planted evil. They must now harvest evil. Without their father, they assumed that Joseph would now seek revenge and punish them. But Jospeh’s words toward his brothers are words of mercy and love. Before he revealed himself to his brothers, they lived in torment, in unconfessed sin. This always makes men guilty and angry. They hate Christians who speak the truth. It affects their relationships with others. Joseph’s brothers’ sin affected their relationship with their father. Lesson: Sin must be confessed and repented of. The only solution is the mercy of Jesus!

This is a reminder of the power of love released when the Kingdom of God is active among men. “When the righteous are in authority and become great, the people rejoice; But when the wicked man rules, the people groan and sigh” (PV 29:2; AMP). Here we see the reason why Joseph was a great man. Joseph was great not because of his dreams, his intelligence or his hard work. It is because of his godly character, the man he has become thru all the trials of life. His brothers wanted to kill him. Eventually they sold him. What effect do you think that action will have upon a 17-year-old boy? Potiphar’s wife lied that he wanted to rape her. Before Joseph was 30 many people betrayed him and tried to destroy his character. But thru it all, Joseph trusted and loved God. He gave his two sons Hebrew names: Manasah (God has helped me to forget the suffering in my father’s house) and Ephraim (God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction). Joseph had a relationship with God even before the trials came. Joseph knew that God would make him fruitful no matter what happens to him. God allowed him to suffer until he could be able to forgive and freely love his selfish brothers. He could not be promoted until Love won his heart. A proof that Joseph truly forgave them is that he encouraged them not to fear him. Joseph did not see himself in the place of God. He knew that vengeance belongs to God and not to man. Lesson: True forgiveness releases the victim from fear of punishment and comes from a humble and loving heart.

How to forgive others? Joseph saw his brothers as an instrument of God! Joseph does not even want his brothers to grieve over their sin. He encourages them because he loves them, and he has forgiven them. Lesson: if you have suffered and you still want others to suffer, you are bitter. You have not forgiven. I am not saying that the pain is not real. But like Joseph, look unto God and see everything as God sees. Joseph focused on the plan of God and left vengeance to God. He realized that God has a purpose for his life and trusted God to fulfill that. Joseph’s life is a proof of the sovereignty and grace of God for those who live faithfully and righteously. Despite being sold into slavery by his brothers, Joseph remained faithful to God and trusted God to deliver him from trials. His story shows how God’s plan may not be obvious to our limited perspective but indeed “all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Lessons: Your God given dreams may disturb others. Nothing stops God’s plan for you. Prosperity is not just material wealth. It is being in God’s plan. God’s presence with you means prosperity. Joseph was called prosperous even as a slave (Gen 39:2-6). Obedience and Truth always defeat rebellion and lies. God will test and discipline you. Forgiveness and giving others a second chance is proof of love. It is worth it. Trust God during trials, knowing that God will deliver us! He will display His Justice, love, mercy and grace!

Finally, you look for a mentor, look for one who knows God, who is responsible, faithful, kind and one who fears God! Joseph is the only person in the Old Testament who has no record of guilt. He is a type of Christ! He was a man who knew God and was in touch with God. He has surely learned about God from his father, Jacob. Joseph’s relationship with God started when he was a child, long before his trials came. Joseph found favor with God and with man (with the community). He was faithful in his responsibilities. He had the fear for God. When Potiphar’s wife tempted him, he said that adultery is a sin against God and not only against man. He knew how to say no to sin. But his greatest moral quality manifested as love and forgiveness. He could have sold his brothers into slavery or kill them. But he forgave them and spoke kindly to them. He did not allow his suffering to make him bitter. He kept his heart pure. Joseph became Pharoah’s mentor. He did not corrupt Pharoah with bitterness. Joseph suffered a lot, but when he died at 110, he was the greatest man in the world at that time. This is truly amazing! This is true greatness! Worship the Lord!