Joseph wept, probably because his brothers had not yet received his love, and he began assuring them again of his pardon, displaying mature faith when he asked, “Am I in the place of God?” (Gen. 50:18–19). What he really meant was this: “Brothers, I am not God, and it is not my place to take vengeance. I forgive you.” God’s people trust Him, not themselves, to repay transgressors (Prov 20:22). -- https://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/joseph-and-his-brothers/
“Do not be afraid for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me but God meant it for good in order to bring it about as it is this day to save many people alive. Now, therefore, do not be afraid, I will provide for you and your little ones. And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.”
There was no vengeance here. There was no hatred. There was no animosity. Joseph treated his brothers with mercy. He treated them with loving kindness. He treated them with undeserved favor.
But the question is this, How does kindness and love and mercy and grace become cultivated in the heart of one so wickedly treated? How does this attitude of complete forgiveness and compassion and affection and provision and comfort and kindness come out of the heart of one so horribly treated? The answer is found in Joseph’s theology. He had a clear understanding that what his brothers have done to him is evil. But though they meant it for evil, God meant it for good. He had a clear understanding that God was at work and God is in control and you can trust God for the outcome. It was his theology of the sovereign purpose and providence of God that generated the attitude of his heart.
Boy, that’s a great lesson. Unless we see the big picture of what God is doing through the difficulties of life, the suffering, the pain, the iniquities, the injustices of life, we will miss the profound and foundational truth that God is using all of it for our ultimate good and His glory. The big picture that Joseph saw was the reality that though they had mistreated him, it was in the purpose of God. And that purpose was so vast, and so all encompassing, and so far-reaching as really to be staggeringly amazing. Bottom line, the Lord used Joseph’s suffering and his subsequent circumstances to accomplish His own sovereign purposes. Far bigger picture. God had a plan for the world and in order to fulfill that plan for the world, He had a plan for the nation Israel. And in order to fulfill the plan for the nation Israel, He had a plan for Joseph. And it all was tied together. The plan for His chosen people included their survival, their survival during a seven-year famine. During that seven-year famine they had no food in Israel.
From <https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/80-388/Joseph-Because-God-Meant-It-for-Good>
Ligonier Ministries
Today, we resume our study of Genesis 50. Having described the death and funeral of Jacob (49:28–50:14), Moses tells us about the final days of Joseph’s life in the last few verses of ...
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- That's good. I've always looked at that passage as a story to explain God's sovereignty over evil. But seeing how someone who experienced such pain and evil was able to cultivate that forgiveness and mercy through the empowering of God is a good lesson of how not to allow bitterness to overtake the heart.