Genesis 50:20

Joseph's reply is beautiful: "Do not fear, for am I in the place of God?" (v. 19). Joseph would not think of judging his own case, for only God is Judge. Also, though he had been raised to power in Egypt, he still kept his place as brother to all of Jacob's sons. He did not excuse their evil thoughts against him (v. 20). But he insisted that God had used their evil to bring about great good, saving many people from death.

What his brothers did to Joseph was evil, and Joseph had done nothing to deserve it. But God was at work behind it. He turned the very harm they intended into the means of carrying out His good purpose. Joseph deserved honour, yet he was pushed from one humiliation down to a worse one. God used that road to bring him to honour in the end.

Their wrath had sold Joseph into Egypt. God used their sin to make Joseph the great organizer of that time, and he saved countless lives. Nothing could excuse the terrible sin of Joseph's brothers against him. Yet their consciences accused them, and it must have been a great comfort to find that God used the anger of man to praise Him.

Verse 20 is a fine summing up of the whole story. They had committed a grievous wrong but God had overruled it for salvation. This at once directs our thoughts to the Lord Jesus Christ. His brothers plotted evil against Joseph. That was nothing compared with what the Jews did when they rejected and crucified their Messiah. God allowed it because He meant it for good. Through it He carried out an eternal redemption. He laid the foundation on which the whole building of blessing rests, in a new creation that matches His eternal purpose.

But to whom were these wonderful words of grace addressed? To broken hearts and repentant spirits, and convicted consciences. To men who had learnt to say, "In truth, we are guilty concerning our brother." Only people like that can take in the truth we are looking at here.

They judged Joseph by what was in their own hearts. They thought he would pay them back for the evil they had done to him. Joseph wept again when they came and confessed their sin. And again he told them he would care for them and provide for them (Gen. 50:21).

He can say, "As for you, you meant evil against me." But he can also say, "Do not fear." It is as if he said: "I know all the evil in your hearts toward me. Yet you have nothing to fear. There is nothing but love in my heart toward you." So once more he takes away their fear about the past. And he takes away their worry about the future.

We cannot see how everything fits together. We cannot follow the turns of God's providence as it works. And we cannot weigh up how His dealings will finally turn out. So we badly need to wait on God. Above all, we need to hold on to our confidence in His love, which never changes, never fails, and never gets anything wrong. He will make everything plain. He will bring light out of darkness, life out of death, victory out of apparent defeat.