Good from Evil

“Even though you planned evil against me, God planned good to come out of it.” Genesis 50:20.  OK Bible scholars, who spoke these words, and to whom? (Insert Final Jeopardy theme here)  The buzzer sounds…do you have it?  Don’t feel bad, it’s not a test and there is no prize, but boy oh boy is there a great story attached!  For you smarty pants, yes the speaker was Joseph, not Mary’s spouse, but he of the multicolored coat fame.  Few people are unfamiliar with this tale, especially since Andrew Lloyd Weber set it to music, but let me refresh your memories.  Little Joe was seventeen, smart as a whip, and the proverbial apple of his father’s eye. His older brothers, he was one of 12, realized this special relationship, and were very jealous.  As if that weren’t enough to incite some major sibling rivalry, Joe also had an uncanny, God-given gift to interpret dreams.  The final backbreaking straw fell, when he told the brothers about his latest dream.  As they were out harvesting wheat, all the sheaves, who represented his brothers and family, bowed down to Joseph.  Now the elder boys really hated him, even Joe’s dad, Jacob was ticked off!  What do you do with a problem like this, well of course throw him in a pit, tell dad he was eaten by a wild beast, then make a profit by selling him into slavery.  Flash forward 13 years and we find that Joseph has worked his way up from slave to a trusted member of Pharaoh’s staff , and is employing the dream interpretation gift as well. More dilemmas arise for Joe, but let’s skip ahead to where the brothers are reunited.  There was a drought in Israel, so droves of folks headed to Egypt to buy grain, including Jacob and the boys.  The sheaves were bowing down, and they didn’t even realize it was Joseph.  Long story short, Joe could have kicked them out for the wrong they had done to him all those years ago, but he didn’t.  Instead he embraced them with love!  Yes, his kin had acted with evil intent so many years before, but in spite of it, Joseph was put in a place, that God had provided, that brought good to his family and nation. I love this verse because it offers so much hope.  Maybe you’re in the midst of terrible crisis, unjustly placed upon you, please remember how Joseph, and much later Jesus, reacted to his plight, then cling to the reassurance that God will bring good out of it!!