When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him.” So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this command before he died, ‘Say to Joseph, Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” (50:15-21)
Even though Joseph had already forgiven his brothers for what they had done to him, they were afraid, now that their father was dead, that Joseph would take his revenge. While Joseph has the power to do so, of which his brothers are very aware, he does not plan to take revenge. Instead, he reminds them of how God used their evil plot for good – to keep many people alive. He kindly reassures them that he will continue to provide for them.
It is important to recognize that God works in our circumstances, even the really bad ones:
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).
I hope that seeing how God has taken care of various people that we have read about throughout the book of Genesis has shown you, or reminded you, that God does take care of His people – whether they are “major characters” such as Abraham, or minor characters such as Hagar. Challenging things do happen to God’s people as we have seen, but God will accomplish His purpose, all the while working things out eventually, for our good.
In our day, things don’t look so great. Various people indicate that there will be some scary things happening in the not-so-distant future including food shortages and other dire things. But we, who know God as our very powerful heavenly Father, can rest assured that God will be with us, whatever we go through. He will protect, provide, and hopefully use us to bless others. We need not fear, because…God!
Prayer: God, I am so thankful that whatever is in the future, I need not fear, for you are with me. Help me to encourage others with this wonderful truth! May I always look to you, rather than at the storm around me. Amen!
