While they were accountable for all their actions, God used the sins of Joseph, Jacob, and his brothers to accomplish His purposes. Despite the complexities of a sinful world, we rest in knowing that God is sovereign and He can still use us for His glory as well.
II. God Can Use Our Situations for His Purposes (
vv. 11-17)
Initially, these verses appear to be useless detail with no consequential bearing on the narrative. A closer look, however, reveals that God even utilizes the smallest details of our circumstances to accomplish his will. After arriving in Shechem, some 50 miles from home, Joseph is unable to find his brothers. The natural thing to do after such a search was to return home.
However, Joseph is sought out by the right man who knows exactly where his brothers are. Consequently, rather than return home, he continues to search and successfully finds them in Dothan, where he is ultimately sold into slavery. Apart from the minute details, the incident was impossible. God uses incidental situations to accomplish monumental purposes.
III. God Can Use Our Suffering For His Purposes (
vv. 18-28)
The brutality of these verses forces even the twenty-first century cynic to cringe. Joseph’s brothers plot to kill him (
vv. 18-20), assault him (
vv. 23-24), sell him into slavery (
vv. 26-28) and deceive their father Jacob (
vv. 31-32). From the human perspective, it appears as though Joseph’s life is ruined without hope. The view of heaven, however, is that what man means for evil God means for good (
v. 50:20). After all, we serve a God that is trustworthy and faithful. Everything unfolding in Joseph’s life was working toward the ultimate good of God (
15:13-14).
And the same is true for us. Does your life fail to make sense? Ever feel disappointed because others betray you? Is it hard to see a silver lining in your present suffering? The hope of Joseph is not that God will spare us from all trouble and anxiety. To the contrary, the Christian hope is knowing that God uses even our darkest hours to accomplish a purpose that is illuminated by His light. Never be afraid to trust God, even when your heart is breaking and your dreams don’t come true.