As the favored son of Israel’s patriarch Jacob, Joseph had dreams of a bright future. Little did he expect his jealous brothers to capture him and sell him as a slave. The slave traders took Joseph to Egypt, where his years of slavery culminated in a false accusation and imprisonment.
Joseph could easily have asked, "Why??" - shaking his fist at his brothers or at God. He could have become bitter because of what his brothers had done to him and the injustice of his imprisonment. Instead, he worked diligently and grew in wisdom and responsibility. His authorities found him faithful and promoted him to positions of authority. In time, Joseph became second in command to Pharaoh and coordinated efforts to sustain the nation during a seven-year famine.
Through this experience, Joseph learned to see his enemies, who had evil intentions, as instruments in the hand of God. When Joseph’s brothers traveled to Egypt to find food during the famine, they repented of the evil they had done to Joseph, and their family was reunited. Joseph explained a key to forgiveness when he told his brothers, “Ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive” (Genesis 50:20).
Learning together to trust in His good-ness...
Joseph could easily have asked, "Why??" - shaking his fist at his brothers or at God. He could have become bitter because of what his brothers had done to him and the injustice of his imprisonment. Instead, he worked diligently and grew in wisdom and responsibility. His authorities found him faithful and promoted him to positions of authority. In time, Joseph became second in command to Pharaoh and coordinated efforts to sustain the nation during a seven-year famine.
Through this experience, Joseph learned to see his enemies, who had evil intentions, as instruments in the hand of God. When Joseph’s brothers traveled to Egypt to find food during the famine, they repented of the evil they had done to Joseph, and their family was reunited. Joseph explained a key to forgiveness when he told his brothers, “Ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive” (Genesis 50:20).
Learning together to trust in His good-ness...
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