Genesis 50 Devotional

God Meant It for Good

“As for you, what you intended against me for evil, God intended for good, in order to accomplish a day like this—to preserve the lives of many people.”Genesis 50:20 (BSB)

After Jacob's burial, Joseph's brothers are afraid. Now that their father is dead, perhaps Joseph will pay them back (50:15). They send a message asking forgiveness and fall down before him as his servants, the very scene his dreams had shown. Joseph weeps. He tells them not to be afraid, because he is not in the place of God. They intended evil against him, but God intended it for good, to save many lives (50:19-20).

The whole story of Joseph is gathered up in that sentence. Human evil is real, and Joseph names it. But God was working through it the whole time. Paul says God works all things together for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28), and the cross is the greatest case: the worst thing humans ever did became the way God saved the world. Genesis ends with Joseph confident that God will bring his people home, asking that his bones be carried with them (50:24-25). You can face both the past and the future trusting the same God.

To think about: What hard part of your story do you need to entrust to the God who turns evil to good?