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Joseph and His Brothers, Part 2

Sam Stringer

Jan 8, 2025

16 So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, "Your father gave this command before he
died: 17 '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. 18 His brothers also
came and a fell down before him and said, "Behold, we are your servants."19 But Joseph
said to them, "Do not fear, for a am I in the place of God? 20 As for you, you meant evil
against me, but a God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people 1 should be kept
alive, as they are today. (Gen. 50:16-20 ESV)

The debate of free will and divine sovereignty is one that sometimes leaves people either
completely avoiding the topic and other times with ruffled shirts and bruises. Well, let’s hope it
doesn’t go that far. I think when we talk about things that are deep and that can have different
conclusions drawn, we need to be humble and willing to listen but also extremely faithful to the
text of God’s word.

The Bible is full of what humanly seem like paradoxes. I heard something once along the lines
of, “To God there are no paradoxes,” and this I think only helps us understand that God is not
simplistic, certainly not inferior in logic to the humans He created, but rather deep and complex,
answering to no one and beyond our capacity to fully comprehend. The Bible does support what
at times may look to be very contrasting thoughts, and it does so in ways that we ought to take
into account. I remember R.C. Sproul teaching on this particular passage years ago on divine
sovereignty and human free will. He concluded that this was one of the most telling and
explanatory passages in the Bible regarding the complex issue. (By the way, if you disagree,
which you very well might, that’s ok, and I respect your choice to see things differently, but hope
you will always be learning and growing.

So hear these words today: “You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good…” The actions and
intentions of the brothers of Joseph were evil in that they were self-serving means to a sinful
end. In that moment, God’s glory had nothing to do with what they wanted. In that moment,
Joseph’s good had nothing to do with their actions. In that moment, blessing their father Jacob
had nothing to do with their desires. All they wanted was to do away with a brother that they felt
great jealousy towards. Having been in multiple bad situations in churches, I can tell you that
few things will destroy churches and relationships like jealousy and envy. When people see
someone else either getting what they wish they had or feel that that person might stand to take
away what they think they already have, the idols of the heart left unchecked will certainly rare
their ugly heads. Joseph’s brothers never thought to themselves, “If we sell him off and cover
our tracks by lying to dad about his death, maybe someday he’ll become second in command in
Egypt and save all of us. Maybe we could set Jospeh up for a better life!” No, they were
concerned only with toppling the first domino in their path, not seeing what that would lead to in
a very roundabout way.

The intentions of God in allowing the brothers to do what they did was to serve towards an end
that none of them could foresee. All of the path to leading in Egypt was paved with necessary
lessons and character-shaping moments. Now, we must remember that Joseph had had
dreams already at this time, that they would all bow to him one day, and this was what enraged
them. Did they believe that vision? Not in the slightest, and they did what they could to make sure it would never happen. Crazily enough, their actions led exactly to that vision coming to
pass. Why? Because God’s sovereign hand was over the whole thing and nothing would
change that.

As I write this, the elections take place next week, and rather than talk about who is voted in or what may
happen, I want to remind you and me that no matter what people may do, God is God and He
controls the whole outcome. He isn’t surprised by all these events, He is sovereign over them.
We need to see life in light of a God who is not thwarted by humans, but rather that His
intentions will always come to pass and that even when He allows evil, He only does so for the
greater end He has determined. Think about the cross when you think about that: Satan wanted
Jesus’ death but it only brought about his own end, for up from the grave Christ arose. What
was meant to thwart God’s plans only served to bring them to pass.

See your life in the greater context of God’s sovereign hand over all of it. See the world in which
you live as not outside of His control, but always within it. Be blessed, be brave.

Sam Stringer

Braver Than Lions

©2024 by Braver Than Lions

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