February 19, 2019
Today’s Tuesday’s Thoughts on Scripture comes from Genesis 45:8a: So it was not you who sent me here, but God. (NRSV)
As the story unfolds, Joseph had been sold into slavery by his jealous brothers. They had let their father think the favored child, Joseph, was killed by wild animals. But Joseph fared much better than his brothers ever thought he would - he prospered and grew into a prominent position in the home and reign of the Pharaoh. So when famine came and Pharaoh was the one with food that the brothers needed to purchase in order to stay alive, they run into Joseph. When Joseph tells them who he is, because they don’t recognize him at first, they nearly shiver in fear. What will Joseph do to them to retaliate?
In a surprising twist for the brothers, Joseph responds with words and actions of forgiveness. Joseph believes it was ultimately not the brothers who sent him into Pharaoh’s home, but God. And because of God’s faithfulness, Joseph is now in a position to help many, including his family.
Sometimes we make decisions or do things that put others in jeopardy, perhaps even change their lives beyond what we imagine possible. And what we expect is retaliation, as did Joseph’s brothers. How amazing that Joseph instead saw the hand of God in the midst of the tragedy and the blessing that came from it. Can God turn around every situation? Well, I suppose that depends on our perspective. Yet every situation in my life thus far has shown God bringing something positive from a difficulty, even when I haven't recognized it at first. For this I am grateful, because otherwise, where would there be hope in the midst of tragedy?
Blessings.
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