Joseph’s Place in God’s Plan

Genesis 39:20-23; 41:14-16, 25, 41-43

GOLDEN TEXT: “Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings.”—Proverbs 22:29

THE Golden Text expresses the practical value of this lesson to us as Christians. There was much that Joseph could have said to his brethren in making himself known to them which he did not say. They knew of their guilt in selling him to be a slave in Egypt, and he knew it. The marginal rendering of verse three states that they were “terrified” in his presence. And well they might be.

But as far as Joseph was concerned they had no need to fear. He not only manifested a wonderful spirit of forgiveness but did all he could to make his brothers feel at ease. He said to them, “Be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither, for God did send me before you to preserve life.” In other words, instead of condemning themselves for what they had done, Joseph asked his brethren to think of it from the standpoint that God had overruled it for good; hence, now that it had turned out for the welfare of all concerned, nothing would be gained by grieving.

There is an important lesson in this for Christians, which is the wisdom of recognizing all of our experiences as being permitted by the Lord, hence, that we should not be too critical of the agencies through which they come. As long as we are tabernacling in our imperfect bodies of flesh and surrounded on every hand by those who are as imperfect as ourselves, we will have trials. These are permitted by God to test our patience and our love, and it will help us to exercise forgiveness toward others if we remember this. Instead of condemning them for the injuries they inflict upon us, let us thank God for our trials, and forgive those through whom they come.

Joseph’s viewpoint was based upon knowledge of the promise God had made to his fathers concerning a “seed” which was to bless all the families of the earth. He explained to his brothers: “God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.” (Gen. 45:7) The outworking of God’s plan with respect to the “seed” of promise called for the preservation of the natural descendants of Abraham, and Joseph recognized the hand of God toward this end in all of his experiences.

God had “called” Abraham and had ordained that his seed should be a chosen people out of whom would come the Messiah. Those among them, therefore, who truly loved God and trusted in His promises were justified in believing that all their experiences were being overruled by Him for their good. What the Apostle Paul says in Romans 8:28 concerning the church was true also of the natural, typical seed of Abraham—all things did work together for their good, because they loved God, and because they were called according to His purpose. It was their rebellious and stiffnecked attitude that brought upon them God’s wrath.

After Joseph made himself known to his brethren his next concern was his aged father: “Haste ye, and go up to my father,” he said to his brethren, “and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not.” (Gen. 45:9) It was but natural that Joseph should be anxious to see his aged father, hence the urgency of this appeal. In it, also, is the element of command. Joseph was now a ruler, one whose word was law and this fact is revealed in the message he sent to his father.

There is nothing in the record to indicate that Joseph ever told his father of the circumstances which took him into Egypt. All Jacob could conclude, after learning that Joseph was alive and the ruler of Egypt, was that he, as well as the remainder of the family, had misjudged the meaning of the blood on Joseph’s coat. In this too, we see the forgiving spirit of Joseph. It would do no good now to create in Jacob a measure of disesteem for his other sons. Doubtless all the boys were truly penitent for their sin.

It is thus that God deals with all the penitent who seek forgiveness through Christ. Both now and in the age to come, the sins of those who seek forgiveness through Christ are not remembered by God nor by His people who are truly godlike. “To err is human,” it is said, “to forgive, divine.” Fallen humanity cannot escape from sin, hence the great need of forgiveness through Christ.

But there is a sin which God does not forgive. It is sin against the Holy Spirit—against full light and in the spirit of willfulness. Such sin is punished, not forgiven, and if persisted in will be punished by the second death. (Rev. 20:6,14) That is true now, and will be true during the Millennium. “It shall come to pass that every soul which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.”

QUESTIONS:

In what ways did the experiences of Joseph illustrate Jesus’ part in the divine plan?

What was the principal cause of Joseph’s great success in Egypt?

What practical lessons may we draw from the life of Joseph?

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