Devotion:
Read Genesis 45:1-8.
Joseph was certainly a victim of bad circumstances even by biblical proportions. His brothers sold him into slavery in Egypt, he was falsely accused of sexual harassment, and then was imprisoned. He did a favor for someone that should have helped him get out of prison, but the person he had helped failed to speak up for him. However, quite dramatically, the Pharaoh delivered Joseph from prison and placed him in a position like prime minister of Egypt.
Joseph’s life would be the perfect setup for a vengeance story. But instead, it is a God story. When Joseph’s traitorous brothers showed up looking for some grain, they got quite a shock. They received compassion and complete forgiveness from God through Joseph. Joseph, always the visionary, saw what the brothers couldn’t. God himself directed the whole story. Even out of the evil that people do, God works redemption. The grain given was the start of God’s promise to save his people.
Joseph the betrayed victim became a savior. It is a precursor of Jesus, who though innocent of any sin, was arrested, falsely accused, and executed on a cross. Yet out of that people could receive salvation.
Personal Worship Option:
All-powerful God, you can take a setback or failure and turn it around to accomplish your saving plan. Teach us to trust that you are with us in whatever work you have called us to do. Amen.
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