“I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.” Genesis 45:4-5
The story of Joseph is not just a rags to riches story. It’s more of a riches to rags to riches story. Joseph is one of the youngest sons of Jacob, grandson to Isaac, and great-grandson to Abraham. He started out life as the favorite child and his father gave him a beautiful coat to distinguish them from his brothers. Now, I’m sure that your parents never played favorites, but as you can imagine, this didn’t go over very well.
Fueled by jealousy, his brothers kidnapped him and sold him into slavery. He worked his way up as a slave but was eventually wound up in prison through no fault of his own. After years of ups and downs, Joseph made his way to the court of pharaoh in Egypt. He became second in command over the biggest empire in the world at the time. Eventually, he reunited with his brothers when they came to beg for food from the Egyptians.
Sibling rivalry is a powerful force. In Genesis, we have seen brothers scheme against one another, even kill each other out of envy. Joseph’s brothers intended to hurt him. They wanted to punish him. But God took their evil actions and was able to use something terrible for a good purpose. Joseph ends up forgiving his brothers saying, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good…”
Our God is powerful and creative enough to take even our most terrible sins and use them for his purpose. This is one of the biggest themes of the Christian story. In fact, that is exactly the story of the cross. The Romans and Jewish authorities intended for the cross to destroy the Jesus movement. They wanted Jesus dead and his followers scattered. But God used the evil of the cross to bring about salvation for the entire world. What some intended for harm, God used for good. How might God be turning your difficult situation into something good?
Kena Hawkins Newkirk 