The boy Joseph always sounds to me like kind of a spoiled brat. He was his daddy’s favorite. He got special presents. It doesn’t sound as if he had to do much of the work around the place. And he had delusions of grandeur, telling his older brothers that he had had dreams that they would one day bow down to him. While their behavior in selling him into slavery is not defensible, it may be somewhat understandable.
It was also part of God’s plan, not just to save the Hebrew people and preserve the line of his Son, but also for the sanctification of Joseph. After his roller coaster fortunes with the Egyptians, Joseph ends up in a position of great power. Interestingly, he also seems to understand a lot of things he didn’t before.
When he finally comes clean to his brothers, so far from lording his power over them, he tells them not to be afraid, and explains that what they intended to be an evil act was intended by God for good, good for Joseph, good for the Egyptians and even good for the brothers who had treated him so treacherously. Joseph had gone from being an arrogant teenager to being a grace-filled man. He is now in a position to be able to shower blessings on his father and younger brother, but also upon those who had tried to harm him.
I pray that we will all develop eyes to see how the difficult times and events in our lives can be used by God in our sanctification.
“And we know that God causes all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).
Tracy Ainsworth
