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You Meant It for Evil

Tom Pennington Genesis 50:15-21

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Tonight, I want to step away from our study of the gospel of Mark just for this one night. Next week as you know is Thanks Gatherings and we were coming up on a large passage about John the Baptist and Herod and Herodias and I really didn't want to move forward in that passage and then have some time between when we'd be looking at it again. In addition to that there's a passage and a message that sort of been rattling around in my head for more than six years that has come to the forefront of my thinking for tonight. Actually, every time I've had an opportunity this particular passage and this particular message has come to my mind; do I want to go there now? And I've waited but I'm eager to go there with you tonight. And that is to Genesis 50.

As you know Genesis 50 is at the end of the story of Joseph. The story of Joseph is really a remarkable story. His life is a remarkable lesson in God's providence. Of course, it fits into the greater scheme of redemptive history as God shows how He intends to bring His Son into the world, and He intends to do so through one man and his family. Through Abraham and those who come after him. God wanted to put Himself on display in the world through a single man and a single family in the nation that came from him. And so really the story of the Old Testament is not so much a story of individuals; they're not the hero of the story in any case. In every case the hero of the story is a redeeming God moving toward the cross. And so, everything drives in that direction including the life of Joseph. But the life of Joseph is shaped by Moses, its author, to give us a wonderful picture of God's sovereign providence in the life of one of His own.

I don't know if you've thought about it much at all, but Joseph really faced remarkable obstacles. At seventeen years old he was sold by his brothers into slavery. Sold into a distant land. Taken away from his family with the full intention being that they would never see him again. It wasn't until he was thirty that he became prime minister. So, for some 13 to 14 years this man lived in the no man's land of thinking that his life had been completely wrecked by the sins against him of his brothers.

God was behind it. Because God worked through his brothers' sin, as we'll see in a little bit, to preserve his own people from famine and to let them incubate in Egypt for four hundred years away from the Canaanite influence away from the influence of all those ungodly peoples that they eventually overthrew. In order to accomplish that, God had a plan, and that great plan was that for four hundred years His people would be in Egypt away from those influences then He would take them into the land and plant them there when the iniquity of the Amorite was full as He says back in Genesis and to make all of that happen here's what God did. He gives dreams to Joseph. Joseph shares those dreams with his brothers which makes him less than, you know, liked and attractive to his brothers. His brothers then decide to kill him. But instead of killing him they decide, no they don't really want his blood on their hands. They decide instead to sell him and just at the moment they decide to sell him in God's providence here comes a group of Midianites who just happened along at the right moment and just happened to be going to Egypt. And so, they sell their brother to the Midianites. When he gets to Egypt, he just happens in God's providence to be sold to the captain of Pharaoh's bodyguard, a man named Potiphar. Potiphar buys him and in Potiphar's house God prospers Joseph. But then as he prospers, Potiphar's wife begins to make wicked advances toward him and lies about him to her husband and Potiphar has him imprisoned. As he's in prison you remember that there were two other men there; the chief butler and the wine taster were also incarcerated for some sort of insurrection, some sort of rebellion against Pharaoh and while they're there they both have dreams. Joseph interprets those dreams. One of them is cleared and returned to his position and Joseph asks him to remember him. And he doesn't; he forgets Joseph altogether. Two years later Pharaoh has a dream. And the wine taster, who's now returned to his responsibilities remembers Joseph's ability to interpret dreams in the prison and voila God has Joseph right where He wants him.

It's a pretty complicated scheme wouldn't you say? Would you have come up with a plan like that? But that's our God. God's providence is absolutely amazing, and can I tell you, it is every bit as active and as complex in our lives as it was in Joseph's life. We can't see it because it hasn't unfolded yet but if we can look back with the eye of history it would be just as remarkable, just as amazing as that of Joseph. It led Charles Hodge to write, "The circumstances of every man's life." let me go here "The circumstances of every man's life and birth and death are ordered by God whether we are born in a pagan or a Christian land, whether weak or strong with many or few talents; whether we are prosperous or afflicted. Whether we live a longer or shorter time are not matters determined by chance or by the unintelligence sequence of events but by the will of God." We all say that we believe that God rules over every event in life. Don't we? Wouldn't we agree with that? And that's easy to say when it's something beyond our control; something like a health problem or an accident. Something that is we didn't do nor did anyone else do, it just is something that happens in the world. It's just a whole lot easier to face but it becomes much more difficult to acknowledge the sovereignty of God when somebody else does something evil to us. You can probably think right now of that one time in your life when the worst sin was perpetrated against you. It's much harder in that circumstance to see the providence of God. But it happens. And it will happen yet again. And when it happens the response of most people, the response of people who live in the world is what? Anger and bitterness, holding grudges and even getting even. Even revenge. They're simply expected. This is an old theme.

I remember my first major exposure to the theme of revenge at any educated level was when I was reading Edgar Allen Poe's short story, "The Cask of Amontillado." Some of you read that story where the man ends up getting his friend drunk and because of some past wrong he ends up actually burying him alive in a cave under his castle. And it's a typical Edgar Allen Poe story but it's a story of revenge. And he delights in the revenge. That's a human response. In Shakespeare's, Merchant of Venice, he just wants his pound of flesh. I just want to get even! I just want him to hurt. You see it in more contemporary and popular expressions as well and movies where revenge is a common theme in movies. Someone who's been hurt getting back at the bad guys, hurting them, making them suffer. That is a normal human response. But God's expectations of us as His children are much different. He tells us in Romans 12, don't allow your thinking to be crushed into the mold of the world's thinking; of the thinking of the age in which you live. Instead, you need to be transformed by the renewing of your mind. How are our minds renewed? By the Scripture. By the Scripture. And so that's what we need to do tonight in Genesis 50.

I want to go to an overview and just give you an overview of what this passage teaches. Genesis 50:15-21 teaches us the world's response to personal wrongs, the believer's repentance for personal wrongs and the believer who's been sinned against response to personal wrongs. In other words, we're going to see here how the world typically responds when there is evil done against them. We're going to see what the sinning believer, the person who has committed the wrong how he should respond, or she should respond and in this passage we're gonna see how the one who's been wronged should respond as well. That's what we'll learn in this amazing passage. Let me read it for you. Genesis 50:15. "When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, 'What if Joseph bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong which we did to him?' So, they sent a message to Joseph saying, 'Your father charged us before he died saying, "Thus you shall say to Joseph, 'Please forgive, I beg you, the transgression of your brothers and their sin for they did you wrong. And now please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.'" And Joseph wept when they spoke to him. Then his brothers also came and fell down before Him and said, 'Behold we are your servants.' But Joseph said, to them, 'Do not be afraid for am I in God's place? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result to preserve many people alive. So therefore, do not be afraid. I will provide for you and your little ones.' So, he comforted them and spoke kindly to them."

Now, let's look at, first of all, the world's common response. The world's response to personal wrongs. Understand the circumstance here. Jacob has just died, and he had been, and he'd asked to have himself buried in the Promised Land and so they have just returned from burying Jacob to Egypt from the funeral. Probably on the return trip the reality of their situation begins to set in. They begin to fear that Joseph will respond a certain way. Now, why do they think this? Why do they begin to conclude that Joseph might respond like this? It's because this is how people typically respond when they've been wronged. They had seen it before perhaps this is what they would have done. But they understood they were at real risk because they had wronged Joseph. He was now in a position of authority, and he was likely to respond the way most people would respond, the way they would have responded. And so, as they unfold their fear how Joseph might respond we see the world's response to personal wrongs.

First of all, make a conscious decision to hold a grudge. This is how people respond when they're wronged. Notice what they say, Verse 15, "when they saw the father was dead, they said, 'What if Joseph bears a grudge against us?'" This means to purposefully nurse and keep your anger up against someone else. The same word that's translated here occurs back in Genesis 49. Look back one chapter in Jacob's blessing of his sons he describes what Joseph had faced. Notice Verse 22 of Genesis 49. "Joseph is a fruitful bow, a fruitful bow by a spring. Its branches run over a wall" now here He describes how Joseph had faced incredible trials both from his brothers and from others. Notice how he describes it Verse 23, "The archers bitterly attacked him, and shot at him (and watch this last word) harassed him." That word harassed is the same word that's translated "bear a grudge". It means to keep anger up. To keep at someone. And this is exactly what Joseph's brothers had done to him. In Chapter 49, Jacob is describing how Joseph's brothers had attacked him. And so now they're assuming that he will respond to them in kind. That he will harass them. And that he will keep that grudge against them. This is interesting expression by the way. I love the fact that in Psalm 103 it says, this is the very thing God doesn't do. In Psalm 103 it says, "He doesn't keep anger forever". It's the same Hebrew word. God doesn't bear a grudge. God doesn't hold a grudge against us when we sin. He invites us to come and seek His forgiveness. But this isn't the human response. This isn't the human response at all. It is to make a conscious decision to hold a grudge.

There's a second part of the world's response that they anticipate from Joseph and that is, wait for an opportunity for payback. Just bide your time and wait for a chance to get them back. Notice their whole concern is based on this in Verse 15 "When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, 'What if he holds a grudge and what if he seeks to get even?'" His time has come. Maybe before when he offered us those expressions of desire to be reconciled, maybe that was all a ruse. Maybe he really is like the people of the world. Maybe he has just been waiting for the right time and he wasn't going to attack us while his father, our father, Jacob was alive. Instead, now that the father has died, he's gonna jump on the opportunity. Folks, this is how people of the world are. They wait for just the right opportunity. They nurse that grudge. They think about it. And they wait for the chance to pounce. I'm sure you have interacted with people who have lived their whole lives nursing a grudge. Waiting for the chance to somehow express their anger and frustration against the person who has wronged them. This is how the world responds. They're wronged, some evil is perpetrated against them, and they make a conscious decision to hold a grudge and then they wait for an opportunity for payback. And Joseph's brothers anticipate that this might very well be what Joseph has done.

The third response of the world to personal wrong is then to make them pay for what they did. Make them pay. Look again at Verse 15. "What if Joseph bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for the wrong which we did to him?" Again, they're anticipating this because this is the common response of most people. It's a tragic response, however, because revenge does not so much affect the victim as the avenger. There's a great quote in Jane Eyre. "Something of vengeance I had tasted for the first time as aromatic wine it seemed. On swallowing warm and racy but it's after flavor metallic and corroding gave me a sensation as if I had been poisoned." That's vengeance. It tastes sweet initially but it's poison. Francis Bacon writes, "A man that studies revenge keeps his own wounds green."

But God's perspective is even more direct. Look over with me to Ezekiel. Ezekiel's prophecy. I want you to see how God feels about this whole issue of revenge. Of waiting for the opportunity and trying to get even with others. Of carrying out your own anger on those who've sinned against you. Look at Ezekiel 25. Ezekiel 25:15. Here are a series of judgements pronounced against a variety of Gentile nations. One of those nations is Philistia and the sin of Philistia is a most unusual one that God is going to carry out His wrath because of this sin. Verse 15, "Thus says the Lord God, 'Because the Philistines have acted in revenge and have taken vengeance with scorn of soul to destroy with everlasting enmity'" because they are given to revenge to getting even "therefore, thus says the LORD God, 'Behold I will stretch out My hand against the Philistines even cut off the Cherethites and destroy the remnant of the seacoast.'" In other words, I'm gonna wipe their area clean. '"I will execute great vengeance on them with wrathful rebukes and they will know that I am Yahweh when I lay My vengeance upon them.'" You know what God is saying? He's saying I'm going to judge the Philistines because they are a people given to revenge and they have essentially taken my prerogatives. Only God has a right to carry out vengeance on those who deserve it. And for us to take that into our own hands is to take the prerogative of God. And God here says, I'm gonna deal with it.

You can see it again over in the prophecy of Amos. Turn over just a few pages to the minor prophet, Amos, in Chapter 1. Again, another of the nation's nearby Israel, Edom in this case, Verse 11 of Amos 1, "Thus says the LORD, 'For three transgressions of Edom and for four I will not revoke its punishment because he pursued his brother with the sword while he stifled his compassion'" Literally he corrupted his compassion. He absolutely ignored any heart of compassion. He just wanted to get even. He just wanted revenge. "'his anger also tore continually, and he maintained his fury forever. So, I will send fire upon Teman and will consume the citadels of Bozrah.'" God says I'm going to deal with Edom because they are a people given to revenge. This is not something God takes lightly. But this is how the world responds. They respond by making a conscious decision to hold a grudge by waiting for an opportunity for payback and when that opportunity comes, making them suffer. And you know it happens all the time. Sometimes it happens very subtly in the office or in school. Some line, some bit of gossip intended to hurt or crush another person. Some photograph taken at a wrong moment and distributed to ruin another person's reputation. But it happens all the time. And God says, I hate when people take My prerogatives to get even. Vengeance is mine, says God.

Well, this passage not only shows us the world's response to personal wrongs, but it shows us how you and I should respond if we're the ones who have hurt and sinned against someone else. If we are the perpetrator of the wrong. If we have caused this kind of trouble in another person's life. Notice first of all, if we're in that situation we ought to be open to the pangs of conscience and conviction. Look again back in Genesis 50:15, "When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, 'What if Joseph bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong which we did to him?'" Now remember when they first interacted with Joseph back in Chapter 45 Joseph had assured them that he was going to take care of them and their families and that he was not holding a grudge against them and that he would in fact care for all of them and that his sale into Egypt was providential. He says all of that back when they first encountered each other in Chapter 45. But their sense of guilt is still strong. So, when the father dies, it all comes back up. They bear the weight of conscience, the weight of conviction for what they did. The question is why? If Joseph had assured them all the way back in fact let's go back. I want you to see this. Go back to Chapter 45. You remember when they came down looking for food because of the famine? Joseph first interacts with them when they first learn what has happened with Joseph. Chapter 45:4. "Joseph said to his brothers, 'Please come closer to me' and they came closer, and he said, 'I am your brother Joseph whom you sold into Egypt.' Now watch what he tells them. This is sometime before. 'Now do not be grieved 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 still five years in which there be neither plowing nor harvesting. God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. Now therefore it was not you who sent me here but God. And He has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Hurry and go to my father and say to him, "thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt come down to me do not delay. You shall live in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me and your children and your children's children and your flocks and your herds and all that you have.'" Verse 11, "Therefore I also will provide for you for there is still five years of famine to come and you and your household and all that you have would be impoverished." So, Joseph assures these guys that in fact it's ok, it's done, it's over. So why when Jacob eventually dies are they concerned? Well, we have to piece together the evidence but there is one thing that is not in the Scriptural record until Chapter 50. And that is there is no indication that they ever made a full confession of their sin to Joseph or sought his forgiveness until Chapter 50. And so, it's not resolved. And so, when Jacob dies, it all resurrects because it hasn't been dealt with.

And can I just add a little point of application here? If you just ignore sins against you or sins you've committed against your spouse or roommate or friend or whomever it might be. They don't go away. Years ago, Sheila and I taught a marriage seminar out at Grace, and we talked about this very thing that you must resolve conflict; that if you don't resolve it, it doesn't just disappear. It's still there and it's palpable. And in fact, it's as if every time you leave an issue unresolved between you and someone else it's as if you put a brick between you. And it stays there. And the next time you leave some issue unresolved between you and someone else you put another brick there. And it doesn't look like much initially; it's just a couple of bricks. But over years of interaction, you build a wall. And we shared this with the folks that were there that night and I remember this dear lady came up and with tears in her eyes she said to Sheila and me, she said you know you are so right. I've never dealt with any misunderstanding, any conflict we just sort of ignored them and gone on as if they don't exist and we have built a wall and she was a little short Asian lady and she stood on her little tiptoes and reached as high as she could reach and she said we've built a wall this high. That's what happened here. There's no resolution. There's no record that they ever sought Joseph's forgiveness; that they ever made full record restitution and reconciliation and so now Jacob dies and immediately their conscience is alive. What if. And so be open to the pangs of conscious when they come. When your conscience speaks up and says what about this situation? What about this person? What about this issue we never resolved? What about this sin that I committed against so in so? Don't ignore that. And Joseph's brothers don't ignore it.

The second thing is quickly seek to be reconciled to the one you wronged. Look at Verse 16. As soon as all of this is made clear to them after Jacob's death, they sent a message to Joseph. "They sent a message to Joseph saying, 'Your father charged before he died saying, "thus shall you say to Joseph'". So immediately when their conscience pricks them when they realize their situation when they realize there's an unresolved issue, finally, they're ready to deal with it. And they move as soon as they realize it to be reconciled to the one, they wronged. By the way, they quote Jacob, there's no indication in the text Jacob said this, but I have to agree with most commentators and that is there is no reason to suspect they're lying here. Jacob had probably addressed this directly to Joseph before his death. The brothers knew that and so now they're appealing to that. So, they're seeking now to be reconciled.

A third step in this process of reconciliation with someone you've sinned against is to freely acknowledge your sin without caveats and without excuses. And you know they really do that here. These guys are not exactly honor students; they're not exactly people you want to recommend to emulate. But here they're a perfect model of seeking forgiveness. Look at what they say. Verse 17, "Thus shall you say to Joseph, 'Please forgive, I beg you, the transgression of your brothers and their sin. For they did you wrong.'" Now notice the quotation marks I think rightfully in there; they're done quoting their father and now this is their expression and now please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father. So, they quote Jacob their father and then they turn it very personally and seek forgiveness. They're acknowledging their sin without caveats or excuses. They don't say, you know please forgive us, but you were such a pain as a little kid. You know you and your dreams and exalting yourself and your pride. They could have said that, couldn't they? But there's none of that. Instead, they describe their sin in a most comprehensive way. Notice the words they use, transgression. Or you could translate it crime. Truly transgression is the word crime. Our crimes, sin, evil. They include three of the principle Old Testament words for sin. The only one missing is iniquity. But they describe what they've done in the clearest terms: We did you wrong. We sinned against you. Folks, when you go to be reconciled with someone, do that. Be that direct and clear. Don't say, you know I'm sorry for what happened. Say, I sinned against you. And here's how I sinned against you. That's what they're doing.

That brings us to the next important step in seeking full reconciliation with someone you've sinned against specifically; ask for forgiveness. Notice what they say, "And now please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father." There's none of this, well I apologize, or you know if I offended you, please forgive me. If I did something wrong while you were being a jerk, please forgive me. Ok? Is that how it goes? They own it. They are begging Joseph to act like their father's God, the One who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin. Isn't that how God revealed Himself? Later He would reveal Himself that way to Moses in Exodus 34:7 as the God who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgive iniquity, transgression and sin. David found Him to be the same way in Psalm 32. He said, "I acknowledge my sin to You, my iniquity I did not hide I said I will confess my transgressions to the Lord, and You forgave the guilt of my sin." I love Micah 7:18, "Who is a God like You? Who pardons iniquity and passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession? He does not retain His anger forever" there's that expression. God doesn't hold a grudge. Because He delights in unchanging love.

So, Joseph's brothers were asking him to act like God. And to be gracious and to forgive their sin. When you have wronged someone else be open to the pangs of conscience and conviction. Seek them out. Seek to be reconciled. You remember in the New Testament Jesus urges us if we're about to worship and we remember our brother has something against us. Don't worship. Go be reconciled first, then come and worship and offer your sacrifices. So be quick to be reconciled. Freely acknowledge your sin without caveats or excuses. Don't leave yourself an out. Don't make yourself look good. Just be honest about how you've sinned against that person. And then specifically ask for their forgiveness. It looks just like this: You know what the other day I was angry with you. That was a sin. It was a sin against God. It was a sin against you. Would you please forgive me?

When you do this, a fifth step in this process is go to the person in the spirit of humility. Again, his brothers are a perfect example of this. Verse 18 says, "Then his brothers also came and fell down before him." There's this spirit of humility and some of it obviously was because he was the prime minister of Egypt, but you can sense from their heart, their spirit it was more than that. They are genuinely humbled by their sin against Joseph. And they go to him in a spirit of humility. You know when I read this verse, "they fell down before him" it's probably impossible for those brothers to forget their brother's dreams so many years before some thirteen actually would have been more than that before this, "You will fall down before me." And here they are exactly as God had promised.

The last part of this process is be willing to make restitution. I love this. Verse 18, "Then his brothers also came and fell down before him and said, 'behold we are your servants. We are your slaves.'" They didn't stop with a message of confession. They didn't even stop with a request for forgiveness. They quickly followed it up with an offer to become his slaves. Now why is that important? Because they had sold Joseph into slavery and they now volunteered to become his slaves. This is sincere confession of sin against another person, and it always includes a desire to make it right, restitution. And they were willing to do this the best way they knew how. They had sold him for some thirteen years into slavery. From a human standpoint they had ruined his life. And they come to him now in the spirit of humility and they offer to make it right the only way they know how: we will become your slaves.

Reminds me of the prodigal in the story of the prodigal son, you remember. He comes back and he has this speech all warmed up to give to the father. It's "Father I have sinned against heaven in your sight, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son." Make me as what? One of your hired servants. The reason he said that is because remember he had taken all that was rightfully his and he had squandered it and now he had nothing. And so, he had no right to come back and request the rights of a son so understanding that in the spirit of true repentance he comes back and says, "just make me a servant." But when he starts that speech, you remember how it goes? He doesn't even get to that line before the father stops him and says, "bring, bring shoes and bring a robe and let's kill the fatted calf." Because God doesn't accept restitution. His is all grace. But on a human level restitution is crucial.

Now that brings us then to the believer's response to personal wrongs. And this is really the heart of the passage. This is the main intention of the passage. Listen, folks, Joseph was horribly wronged. I don't think we can fully appreciate you know our little bible story books and flannel graph do not picture the horrors of what went on in Joseph's life. Imagine what it was like. He was literally sold as a slave to the Midianites who were slave traders and he's taken to Egypt, and he's sold under a man named Potiphar. He was a slave and then he ends up, because of all of that, imprisoned, falsely accused and imprisoned. He was terribly wronged. It wasn't in his imagination. In fact, can I say that as badly as any of us here have been sinned against, probably none of us, certainly very few of us have been sinned against at that level. So, Joseph becomes a perfect model for how to respond to lesser wrongs. When people have sinned against you. I want you to stop right now and think about the one or two people in your life that when you think of somebody terribly sinning against you, that's the person, those are the people that come to mind. Here's how to respond. Joseph becomes the perfect model.

First of all, have a forgiving spirit. Look back at how Joseph responds to their speech. Verse 17, after they present their confession, they ask for forgiveness. It says, "and Joseph" the end of verse 17, "and Joseph wept when they spoke to him." Joseph wept. Apparently, Joseph is touched by what he now believes is their genuine and complete repentance. He now sees the opportunity for true restoration. And he's eager to do it as we'll see in a moment. He already had a forgiving spirit toward them. We saw it back in Chapter 45 before they ever sought his forgiveness, he had already exercised a forgiving spirit toward them. And he's prepared when they come this time and he weeps as they speak to him. He has this forgiving spirit toward these people.

Secondly, remember that dealing with the sins of others is God's responsibility not yours. I don't mean confronting sin in the life of someone else if they need to be confronted as Matthew 18 spells. I'm talking about really dealing with and punishing them carrying out vengeance. That is not your job; that's God's responsibility. And Joseph understood that. Verse 19 "Joseph said to them 'Do not be afraid for am I in God's place?'" You don't need to be afraid; I'm not God. I'm not the One who's the one to get even with you, to carry out whatever you deserve, whatever your sins deserve. Joseph understood that dealing with their sin was not his responsibility. Proverbs 20:22 says, "Do not say 'I will repay evil.' Wait for the Lord and He will rescue you." Romans 12:17, "Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge beloved but leave room for the wrath of God. For it is written, 'Vengeance is Mine. I will repay' says the Lord.'" Leave room for God to act. If they're unrepentant, if they've sinned horribly against you, listen God is a God of justice. Not one sin will ever go unpunished. God will either punish the person who perpetrated it or if they come to believe in Jesus Christ, He'll punish His Son in their place. But not one sin will ever escape the justice of God. You don't need to deal with it; God will. Leave room for the wrath of God for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine. I will repay." Joseph understood this and he says, "Don't be afraid. That's not my job; that's God's job."

Number three, have a settled conviction that God providentially orchestrates the sin of men for His purposes. This is where we get to the most famous verse in this passage. Verse 20, "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant if for good in order to bring about this present result to preserve many people alive." Joseph had a settled conviction that God had providentially orchestrated even their sin in order to accomplish His purpose and plan. You know what, it's easy to accept the results of our own sin. It's easy to accept circumstances beyond our control but it's very hard to understand how God's providence intersects with the wickedness and sin of others. Some of you have been sinned against in your lifetime horribly. And it's very hard to figure out how that connects to the sovereign providence of God. Let me just give you a brief review so you don't take a misstep here. As far as God's interaction with evil. Understand that God is not the source of evil. Isaiah 6:3 and so many other passages say God is thrice holy; He cannot even look on sin with any approval, the prophet says. So, God is not the source of evil. That evil that was perpetrated against you, didn't have its source in God. Secondly, God does not tempt anyone to evil, any man to evil. James 1:13 makes that very clear. "He cannot be tempted nor tempts He any man." God does not force man to evil. James 1 says, "Don't accuse God. Every man is tempted when he is (what)? Drawn away of his own lust and enticed." That sin that was perpetrated against you didn't find its source in God. God didn't tempt them to that; He didn't force them to do that. That was the response of their own evil and wicked heart. And yet God does not exempt man from responsibility for that evil. In his self-revelation in Exodus 34:7 not only does it say that He's compassionate and gracious and all those other wonderful words that we delight in, but He also says, "I will by no means leave the guilty unpunished."

So, with respect to man's sinful actions, God does this. In some cases, He prevents sinful actions. He doesn't always move to prevent. Obviously, the world is filled with evil but in some cases, God can step in and prevent the evil that some men would do. You see this in Genesis 20:6, God says to Abimelech, "I kept you from sinning against Me." You remember Abimelech was going to take Sarah, Abraham's wife because he didn't know that she was married to Abraham; thought it was Abraham's sister and God says to Abimelech, "I kept you from sinning against Me." God somehow moved providentially, revealed clearly to Abimelech that in fact he shouldn't do this. Jesus in Luke 22:31 told Peter, "Satan has demanded to sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith fail not." So, in other words, God prevented Peter from going any further than those denials.

Sometimes God permits evil. He often permits evil for His own purposes. Romans 1 makes this clear. Over and over again it says, "He gave men over to their sins." He permits men to cherish their sin and to manifest their evil disposition.

God directs evil. Here we see it in Genesis 50, and we'll come back to that in a moment, but you see it as well in Acts 2. In fact, turn to Acts 2 for just a moment. Acts 2:23. On the day of Pentecost Peter says, "This man Jesus delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death." Now you tell me. Did the Jews and the Romans have any idea what God was doing in the death of Jesus Christ? Of course not. They intended it solely for evil. They intended to put to death a man who'd become a problem. And in the Jews case a man they saw as a blasphemer. But God had a plan. And He was directing their evil to notice Verse 23, His predetermined plan and His foreknowledge. He didn't make them sin. He didn't cause that evil in their hearts. He simply directed it to ends unintended by the sinner.

And sometimes He limits sin. He doesn't let it go any further than He plans. For example, in 2 Thessalonians 2:7 He talks about the Spirit restraining evil until He's removed from the world when the man of sin comes. So, God determines the bounds reached by evil and the extent of its effects. In other words, folks here's the big picture. Listen carefully. Sinful acts even the sinful acts that have been perpetrated against you and me are under divine control and they occur only by God's permission and according to His own ultimate purpose. He did not cause the evil. He did not originate the evil. He did not tempt that person to evil. He is not responsible for their evil, but God is so great that He can direct that to His own ends. You say how does all that work? How does God do all that without being tainted by it? I don't know. Here's an illustration that helps me though and maybe it will help you. John Calvin gives the illustration that when the sun shines its rays upon a rotting corpse, the sun's rays intensify the decay and odor of that corps but the rays of the sun and the sun itself are not responsible for the decay nor are those rays or the sun itself tainted in any way by the decay of that rotting corps. That's God's interaction with evil. Listen, here's the bottom line. When people sin against us, we have no right to be angry with them because although they are completely responsible for their sin and will face God's justice or His forgiveness in Christ, God has permitted their sin and He will use it for our good. As Thomas Watson put it "If men do not act as we would have them, they shall act as God would have them."

Back to our little list of how we ought to respond number 4, know that God intends to use even the sins of others for good. God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result; to preserve many people alive God did it to preserve the entire Middle East but especially his own people. He brings Jacob and his sons down to Egypt. Joseph cares for them. They are like in an incubator for all those years and in Gods' time then He takes them out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. God had a huge plan and God used their sin to accomplish all of that. What a great God. The same thing is true for us when we are sinned against by others. Romans 8:28 although sometimes used tritely is still true. "God causes all things to work together for good; to those who love God to those who are the called according to His purpose."

The final part of our response to personal wrongs is choose to return good for evil. Look back in Genesis again and Joseph's response. Verse 21, "'So therefore do not be afraid. I will provide for you and your little ones.' So, he comforted them and spoke kindly to them." That expression "spoke kindly to them" is literally he spoke to their hearts. He returns good for their evil. This is the message of the Bible. This is how we're to respond. Jesus explained this very principle on the Sermon on the Mount when He said that we are not resist an evil person but whoever slaps you on your right cheek turn the other to him as well. That doesn't mean you can't defend yourself. The point is you're not to take revenge. You're not to have a vengeful spirit. Luke 6, "Love your enemies and do good. Lend expecting nothing in return and your reward will be great for you will be sons of the Most High for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. Romans 12:20, "If your enemy is hungry feed him and if he is thirsty give him a drink for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head." This is the biblical response. Joseph's response is exactly how you and I are to respond. Let me ask you, did someone terribly sin against you in the past in a way that you believe has forever changed the course of your life? You have a brother in Joseph because that's exactly what happened to him. Or perhaps are you currently right now engaged in some issue where you are being attacked maybe not physically but you are being attacked by someone to the extent that you wonder if you are even going to survive. Maybe a spouse or a child or a parent or a relative or a friend or a co-worker a boss. Maybe a fellow believer. Maybe a total stranger. Whomever. Listen, you must choose between forgiveness and revenge. Between holding a grudge or pursuing godliness. Leviticus 19:18 puts it like this, "You shall not take vengeance nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord." This is the second great commandment that Jesus quoted when asked what the greatest commandment was. And notice the context. We usually quote it out of its context. Its context is you love your neighbor by not getting even, by not holding a grudge against them, by not allowing your anger to burn, bitterness to grow but by copying Joseph. But not just Joseph. The wonderful truth is we have a better example than Joseph. Turn over to Peter. 1 Peter 2. There's a far greater example. 1 Peter 2:22. Let's start with Verse 21, "For you've been called for this purpose since Christ also suffered for you leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps." Remember Peter has written people who are suffering, suffering unjustly. And here's what he says, we're to follow in the steps of Jesus "Who committed no sin nor was any deceit found in His mouth and while being reviled, He did not revile in return, while suffering He uttered no threats. But He kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously." That's how we're to respond when we are sinned against. Whether it's a little sin or whether it's a life changing sin. Jesus Christ as always is our great example. Let's pray together.

Father, thank You for Your Word. Thank You for the wonderful example of Joseph but Father, thank You even more for the amazing example of our Lord Jesus Christ. I pray Father that You would help us to understand that we are not to respond as the world responds when wronged. Father, there may be some here tonight who have nursed a grudge for many years, who have held on to anger because of a wrong done against them. May this be the night, Father, when they acknowledge that to be sin before You and they leave no stone unturned to be reconciled to the person against whom they've they hold that grudge. Father, there are others here tonight who have sinned horribly against someone else, spouse, a friend, parent. I pray that this would be the night they would understand how important it is to reconcile. To seek forgiveness. To express their sin without excuse or caveat and to seek genuine forgiveness. And Father, I pray especially for those here tonight who have been sinned against and we all have but I pray especially for those who have been horribly, unimaginably sinned against. Father, may You give them the resolve, the courage, the obedience to follow not only in the steps of Joseph but in the steps of Christ. Give them the grace, oh God, to respond like that. And Lord, may all of us walk in His steps as Peter urged us to. We pray in Jesus Name. Amen.

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