“’You meant evil against me (Joseph), but God meant it for good, so that many people should be kept alive… So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.’ Thus, he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.” Genesis 50:20-21
Heavenly Father, most of us know the backstory to this passage. Joseph is confronting his brothers about the evil way they treated him—first, leaving him to die in a hole in the ground, before turning a profit by trafficking him as a slave to pagan strangers.
After living over a decade as a prisoner, you rescued and repositioned Joseph to be second, only to the Pharaoh, in the Egyptian government. This wasn’t a mere “reversal of fortune,” it was a chapter in a far bigger Story. Gigantic good came out of the hell-hole of unconscionable evil. Many nations and people benefited—including Joseph’s brothers and their kids, because of your heart and hand at work.
Father, here’s where our confusion and your wisdom, our limited perspective and your sovereign rule sit together in the welcome of the Gospel, and the mystery of providence. Surely you don’t endorse trafficking or any evil, as a means to a good ending. You’re not a pragmatist. You are the Lord God Almighty.
The good you brought out of this evil is measureless, but evil did not become good. Joseph’s brothers weren’t excused, they were forgiven. In time, you sent the greater Joseph—the Lord Jesus, to save us from our sins, not just starvation.
Death on his cross, then raised to life, and exalted to your right hand—Jesus has already defeated the devil, and will eradicate all evil. It’s why we have hope. It’s why we love in the midst of evil. It’s why we long for His return. So Very Amen.