Ouch!

Read Genesis 46:1–50:26

15. Now that their father was dead, Joseph’s brothers became fearful. “Now Joseph will show his anger and pay us back for all the wrong we did to him,” they said.
16. So they sent this message to Joseph: “Before your father died, he instructed us
17. to say to you: ‘Please forgive your brothers for the great wrong they did to you—for their sin in treating you so cruelly.’ So we, the servants of the God of your father, beg you to forgive our sin.” When Joseph received the message, he broke down and wept.
18. Then his brothers came and threw themselves down before Joseph. “Look, we are your slaves!” they said.
19. But Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you?
20. You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good.” Genesis 50:15-20

Bad news never comes at a good time. Whether it’s a flat tire or the death of a close relative, negative and tragic experiences happen all too often. Can anything good come of these events?

The final events of Jacob’s life play out in this section of Scripture. We learn of his family’s move to Egypt. The famine in Egypt continues. Joseph’s sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, become Jacob’s, and Jacob blesses them. The passage of time has proven Joseph right. Now what?

As you read this story’s ending, note the lessons available to each of the key people: to Joseph (choosing forgiveness instead of revenge, knowing that God is in control, and finding blessing in tragedy); to Jacob (seeing God keep his promises, depending on God); and even to Pharaoh (learning that God is great). And imagine how Manasseh, Ephraim, and Judah must have felt.

When Joseph became a slave, Jacob thought he was dead and wept in despair (Genesis 37:33-35). Eventually God’s plan allowed Jacob to regain not only his son, but his grandchildren as well. Circumstances are never so bad that they are beyond God’s help. Jacob regained his son. Job got a new family (see Job 42:10-17). Mary regained her brother Lazarus (see John 11:1-44). We need never despair, because we belong to a loving God. We never know what good he will bring out of a seemingly hopeless situation.

God brought good from many bad circumstances in Joseph’s life—his brothers’ evil deed, Potiphar’s wife’s false accusation, the cup bearer’s neglect, and seven years of famine. The experiences in Joseph’s life taught him that God brings good from evil for those who trust him.

What difficult circumstances are you enduring? Do you trust God enough to wait patiently for him to bring good out of bad situations? You can trust him because, as Joseph learned, God can overrule people’s evil intentions to bring about his intended results.