Rev. Don Campbell

THOUGHT FOR TODAY, JANUARY 27, 2019:

GOD’S OVERRULING PROVIDENCE [Gen 43-45]

Joseph’s brothers returned to their father with the news that when they emptied their grain sacks, each man’s money was in his sack. The bad news was that Simeon was held in custody until they returned for more grain and had their youngest brother Benjamin with them. When the famine grew severe, Jacob finally relented and allowed them to take Benjamin with them.

After some additional testing of the brothers, Joseph reveals himself: “So Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Come near to me, please.’ And they came near. And he said, ‘I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt’” (Gen 45:4-8).

Jacob’s heart became numb when his sons told him that Joseph was still alive because he did not believe them, but when he heard the words Joseph had told them and saw the wagons Joseph had sent, his spirit was revived and he said, “It is enough; Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die” (45:25-28).

His brothers had sold him, but God had sent him. Looking back, Joseph could see the hand of God overruling the evil intentions of his brothers in order to preserve the household of Israel.

CONNECTIONS

1. Can you think of a time in your life when God turned what appeared to be a negative into a positive?

2. God’s grace is a positive. How can we turn it into a negative? (Jude 1:3-4; Rom 3:5-8; 6:1-4).