Good Can Come From Bad

Introduction

Fanny Crosby is one of the best-loved hymn writers of all time, and many of her hymns are still sung today, including songs like “Blessed Assurance,” “Rescue the Perishing,” and “Safe in the Arms of Jesus.” What not everyone knows, however, is that Fanny was blinded at the young age of six weeks old. In later life, a Scottish minister remarked to her, “It is too bad that God in His many wonderful gifts to you, did not include the gift of sight.” Fanny answered, “Do you know that if at birth I had been able to make one petition, it would have been that I was born blind? Because when I get to Heaven, the first face that shall ever gladden my sight will be that of my Savior.”

Most of us, given the choice, would avoid difficulty of any kind. But if we could make these choices, we would miss out on some of the greatest good that God does in our lives through trials. Joseph is one Bible character who was well acquainted with trials. But throughout his life, we get an Old Testament picture of the great truth of Romans 8:28.

Romans 8:28 KJV 1900

28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

In fact, Joseph himself, near the end of his story, uttered words that sound very similar to Romans 8:28...

Genesis 50:20 KJV 1900

20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

Joseph’s early years were plagued with adversity. There were four mothers in the family and eleven brothers. And, as you can guess, they were pretty dysfunctional.

Joseph's story is rich with wisdom and insight into our own struggles and conflicts. The same God who was with Joseph is with us. What can we learn from Joseph and how he looked to God's hand in the midst of conflict and trials?

Well...

I-Know that you can play a role in your own suffering

Genesis 37:5–8 KJV 1900

5 And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more. 6 And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: 7 For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf. 8 And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.

Genesis 37:26–28 KJV 1900

26 And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood? 27 Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content. 28 Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.

Joseph was the favorite child of his father, Jacob, which caused the other brothers to hate Joseph. The coat of many colors that Jacob gave to Joseph was a constant reminder to his jealous brothers of his favored status (Genesis 37:3–4).

Jacob’s favoritism of Joseph was an obvious source of conflict in the family. The brothers naturally hated him...

What we find in verse 2 doesn’t help him either…The Bible tell us Joseph brought unto his father their evil report. He told on them so to speak...

God revealed some of the future aspects of His plan for Joseph’s life in dreams in these verses...

In Joseph’s two dreams, his brothers’ sheaves in the field bowed before his sheaf, and the sun, moon, and stars bowed before him.

Joseph knew this was God’s revelation that he—the second-youngest of twelve brothers—would one day rule over his family.

And when Joseph shared these dreams with his brothers, guess what? They hated him even more. Their hatred for Joseph grew and eventually, they threw him into a pit and sold him to slave traders who passed by at just that moment.

Shew! That’s one way to get rid of that problematic family member isn’t it?

Now, I’m trying to wrap my head around why in the world Joseph even told his brothers or his parents…God never told Joseph to reveal his dreams…I’m wondering if he had the same motive maybe he had with the evil report of verse 2?...

These dreams obviously would have caused resentment in his family…They not only told of him being set above his brothers, but also above his father and mother.

Some things are meant to be kept to oneself you know?

I wonder if Joseph had the sort of pride common in the favored and blessed…I wonder if he was so focused on how great his dreams were for him, he didn’t begin to consider how the dreams would sound in the ears of others.

We can make things hard on ourselves you know? We can cause conflict ourselves...

I don’t think we can overlook the fact that between the evil report of verse 2, and the telling and re-telling of the dreams, that Joseph may have provoked some of the hatred from his brothers.

Even doing what God tells us to do sometimes will get us into conflict...

We must understand that we can and do play a role in our suffering…whether good or bad...

II-Resist the temptation to get even

Genesis 50:15–21 KJV 1900

15 And when Joseph’s brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him. 16 And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying, 17 So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him. 18 And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants. 19 And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? 20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. 21 Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.

After the death of Jacob, the brothers of Joseph as worried.

They remember all the terrible things they did to Joseph years ago. They remember how they hated him. They remember how they sold him as a slave. They remembered how they covered up his disappearance with the lie that he was dead. They remember these things and many others and they are afraid. They are sure that now that their father is dead, Joseph will seek revenge against them.

So, they come up with a plan. They sent someone to Joseph with a message. They want him to believe that Jacob left word for him to forgive his brothers before he died. When Joseph hears their words, he weeps according to verse 17...

He said,

Genesis 50:19 (KJV 1900)

19 ...Fear not: for am I in the place of God?

Then he assures them that he will take care of them and their families in verse 21.

Joseph, one of the most powerful men in Egypt, refused to harm his brothers. The hurt they caused him was real.

The evil they meant against him was real. ButJoseph saw a greater plan at work which led him to forgive them, and seek their good.

As we pass through life, there’s going to be times when we are hurt by the words and actions of others. It is inevitable,

Luke 17:1 KJV 1900

1 Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come!

We will be hurt and sometimes, we will be hurt deeply. We cannot help what others do to us, but we can help what we do with the hurts of others.

When the hurtful words and harsh deeds of others break our hearts, we really only have two courses of action.

We can be angry, hold a grudge and seek revenge.

Or, we can forgive them and leave the matter in the hands of God.

Here is the scriptural mandate given to us by the Lord,

Ephesians 4:32 KJV 1900

32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

What about what we’ve been looking at for the past two weeks in Romans 12...

One of the greatest evidences that we really trust God is that we refuse to harbor bitterness and anger toward others during a conflict.

We must resist to temptation to get even…Then,

III-Look for God’s hand in everything

Genesis 50:20 KJV 1900

20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

Joseph does not pretend that what his brothers did to him was not evil. It most certainly was. He knew the intent of their heart. After all, he was there when they betrayed him and sold him as a slave. But, Joseph saw deeper than their intentions. In spite of what they were doing, God was doing something far more wonderful.

God mysteriously worked through the wickedness of his brothers to bring about Joseph's triumph in Egypt and the saving of many lives through the famine. This is something only God can do.

When we pass through the hard places of life, it is easy to forget that God is in control.

The next time life pulls the rug out from under you, remember that God is always with to catch you.

Remember that He invites you to come to Him for comfort and consolation.

Remember, no matter what takes place in life, God Meant It For Good! Good Can Come From Bad!

Conclusion

In closing, I like what J. Vernon McGee said about Gen. 50:20...

“Friend, God has a far–off purpose that you and I do not see. I must confess how human I am about this because I can’t see any further than my nose when trouble comes to me, and I ask, “Why does God permit this to happen?” We need to remember that He has a good purpose in view. He is not going to let anything happen to you unless it will accomplish a good purpose in your life.”