But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result-the survival of many people. Therefore, don’t be afraid. I will take care of you and your little ones.” And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.     Genesis 50:19-21 HCSB

This is one of my favorite Scriptures for several reasons. First, Joseph had every right to despise his brothers. Years ago, when he was just a teenage boy, they sold him into slavery. Now to be fair, their father favored Joseph and was obvious about it with that whole coat of many colors. Joseph didn’t make matters any better by telling them the dreams he had about the whole family bowing down to him, even if they would eventually come true.

Joseph would first be a slave in the house of Potiphar, an Egyptian official. He would be placed in charge of the household. This would go horribly wrong when Potiphar’s wife tried to get David to sleep with her. When David refused, she accused him of trying to rape her and he wound up in prison.

In prison, he would again be put in charge. He would interpret dreams with God’s help and would spend several years there. Eventually, the Pharaoh would have a dream no one could interpret and David would be sent to him to interpret his dream. Joseph told him his dream meant that there would be seven years of bountiful harvests in the land followed by seven years of famine and then outlined a plan to be sure they were not affected by the famine. Potiphar was so impressed with Joseph’s plan; he made him second in command.

Joseph would go on not only to save Egypt from famine but would eventually save his father and brothers by moving them to Egypt.

Once his brothers realized who he was, their conscience got the best of them. When their father died, they were sure Joseph would kill them to seek revenge. But Joseph didn’t harbor any hard feelings. He knew that all that had happened to him was God’s plan. God used Joseph to save many from the famine.

His brothers may have intended to do him harm, but God always worked it out for Joseph. He always gave him a high position and finally made sure that he was second in command in all of Egypt. He was favored by the Pharaoh which allowed him to move his family there and give them their choice of pastureland.

Joseph’s life was a living of example of what Paul said in Romans 8:28, “For we know that the Lord works all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.”

So, if someone plots evil against you, give the matter over to the Lord. Trust in Him. Psalm 37:1-2 says, “Do not be agitated by evildoers; do not envy those who do wrong. For they wither quickly like grass and wilt like tender green plants. And verse 3 tells us to trust in the Lord and do what is good; dwell in the land and live securely.

There is a lot of evil in this world today and if you live here long enough, it will come near you. But have no fear, Psalm 91 tells of the Lord’s protection. He will protect us if we surrender to Him. If we will only trust Him, He will be our refuge in times of trouble. He will protect us from the evil that is all around us. We can trust in Him to work even the worst things in our lives out for our good.

When Paul spoke of Christian ethics in Romans chapter 12, he could have used Joseph as an example. In Romans 12:20, Paul said, “If your enemy is hungry feed him…” This is exactly what Joseph did. In Romans 12:21, Paul said, “Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.

God can use evil plans of men for our good and His glory if we will only trust Him.

Have a great day!