50/20 Vision: Life-Giving Hope from Genesis 50:20

First off, a disclaimer: it is more accurate to the content of this post to say that Genesis 50:20 and 21 are in view. But that would’ve made the title of the post more awkward. Now that we have gotten that Public Service Announcement out of the way, let’s look at Gen 50:20-21. I want to unpack some implications of this wonderful text, then out of those implications explore how it contains good news that is meant to immediately make a difference for God’s people.

The true story of Joseph’s life is a favorite for Christians. The author of Genesis clearly considered this narrative to be important. The author, after zooming through many individuals, people groups, and through much of history, slows down in chapter 37 and is almost exclusively devoted to Joseph’s life from that point until the end of the book. Many of you are surely familiar with the life of Joseph, but let’s sum up some of the main mile-markers that lead up to Genesis 50.

• Joseph was one of twelve sons of Jacob, one of the great patriarchs of the Old Testament (“great” as in notable, not always in terms of character or his obedience to God). Ten of his eleven brothers were half-brothers, but he was his dad’s favorite son. And this favoritism showed in ways that led his older half-brothers to despise him.
• His ten older half-brothers had had enough of Joseph and sold him into slavery, using cruelty and deceit to accomplish their aims.  Joseph eventually wound up in Egypt.
• Through no wrongdoing of his own, Joseph was cast into a prison for a crime he did not commit (Gen 39). While there, God enabled him to interpret the dreams of individuals who had previously served in Pharoah’s court (Gen 40). Though these individuals were helped by Joseph and one of them eventually reclaimed his position in Pharoah’s court, he did not remember Joseph. Joseph continued to live in prison, apparently forgotten.
• Joseph was eventually called upon to interpret two disturbing dreams had by Pharoah; the dreams pointed to a time of agricultural prosperity followed by a time of impending famine. Joseph’s interpretation leads to Pharoah making him the 2nd in command over the whole country of Egypt (Gen 41).
• Joseph’s brothers back in Canaan were affected by this famine and came to Egypt for food. Through a series of incredible events, these brothers were brought face to face with Joseph, who eventually revealed his true identity (they could not recognize him at first, likely due to the many intervening years and possibly differences in cultural appearance and dress). Joseph was gracious to his brothers, told them he was not angry with them, and invitedthem all (plus his father Jacob) to come live with him in Egypt (Gen 45:1-15).
• Jacob lived for 17 years after his arrival in Egypt and then died (Gen 47:28).

After Jacob died, Joseph’s brothers grew afraid (Gen 50:14-18). Apparently, they had thought all along (ever since Joseph revealed his identity to them) that Joseph was being kind to them for the sake of Jacob, as a “favor” to him while their dad was alive. But now that Jacob was dead, they thought that Joseph’s “true colors” of angry vengeance on them for their heinous actions would come to fruition. When they were younger, they were stronger than he was. But now he is stronger than they; he has the authority to do with them whatever he might wish. It is at this point that Joseph utters his famous remark. Gen 50:20 gets a lot of press (as well it should), but there is great benefit and joy in also looking at verse 21.

²⁰“But Joseph replied [to his brothers], ‘You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. ²¹No, don’t be afraid. I will continue to take care of you and your children.’ So he reassured them by speaking kindly to them.”

This is a remarkable response from Joseph in so many ways. Can you see why? Let’s tease out some direct truths and implications:

• Joseph does not undermine the evil purposes of his brothers on that fateful day so many years prior. They had intended to harm him. Joseph does not sugarcoat this. He doesn’t say, “What you did wasn’t that bad.”
• At the same time, Joseph believes fully that God also had purposes. Not only were the designs of Joseph’s brothers subsumed into God’s design without their even knowing it, God’s design was meant only for good.
• Part of God’s reason for bringing Joseph to Egypt was so “I could save the lives of many people.” The very individual the brothers had betrayed became the instrument of their lives being preserved from famine and death.
• The brothers’ fear was, in one sense, well-deserved. Insert yourself into this story. Consider the fact that these events really took place. They should be afraid.
• In response to their fear that Joseph would finally get his revenge, he tells his brothers “Don’t be afraid. I will take care of you.” To simply not kill or imprison them would have been mercy. What Joseph does is far more than mercy. This is over-the-top undeserved kindness. It is so far counter-instinctual that it bewilders the mind.
• Joseph’s actions were true to his word, and his words led to their comfort.

If you detect something Christ-like in Joseph’s life and response, follow your intuition. You are meant to have your radar go up. You are meant to hear echoes of Jesus foreshadowed in the life of Joseph. Jesus was severely misunderstood, mistreated, and abandoned. He suffered unto death. And yet the evil purposes of those who conspired to kill him was subsumed under the infinitely good and wise purposes of God (Acts 3:13-18). Jesus’s suffering led to the saving of even more countless lives than Joseph’s suffering did (Isaiah 53:10-11). The rebellion of sinners like you and me should have led to justified fear, but instead the Lord has spoken peace to our hearts by canceling the penalty of our sin (Psalm 103:10-12). Furthermore, he doesn’t just cancel our debt; he uses kind words to reassure our fearful hearts (Isaiah 42:3; Psalm 103:13-14).

So how might this impact you and me today, even at this very moment? We’ve got to ask this kind of question. If Christianity is merely about gritting your teeth and bearing it until heaven, we’re missing something. Genesis 50:20-21 is meant to impact us now. There are more possibilities than we can fathom, but here are some:

• God is good, strong, and wise. He is in control of everything that happens in the lives of his people. Not just “in control” in the abstract. The Bible will not let us get away with abstraction. The lives of Jesus and of Joseph take us by the hand and direct us to the reality that God is in control in every circumstance that you or I will ever encounter.
• God is not merely in control, though that is utterly true (Psalm 115:3; Psalm 135:6; Proverbs 21:1; Daniel 4:35). He is in control and he’s got purposes. And all of his purposes are good, though we often only are just scratching the surface of being aware of what his good purposes might be.
• God’s sovereignty (i.e., his control over every detail in the universe, combined with his good purposes) is intended to be an anchor for us in the middle of suffering. Joseph had no idea what God was up to while he was sitting in prison for a crime he had not committed. It seemed totally pointless. But it wasn’t. The saving of lives and the restoration of a broken family was at play. Unlike Joseph, the character Job never did find out what God was up to in the midst of his own horrific pain. If ever there was a person whose suffering seemed completely purposeless, it was Job. Yet it wasn’t purposeless. The beauty and worth of God for his own sake was shining through, undoing Satan’s bid to show that God is only “loved” for what he can do or give to individuals who want stuff. Countless similar examples in the Bible alone could echo these things. God is sovereign. Suffering isn’t meaningless. Your suffering isn’t meaningless.
• Finally, what about the person who fears that God is still angry with them for past sins? Is this you? Joseph had already told his brothers once before that he was not angry with them (Gen 45:5). Apparently his words didn’t take. They needed to hear it again. Aren’t we often the same way? We may know – in terms of mental assent and theological head knowledge – that God has forgiven us if we have turned from sin and towards him. But then the old fears come up again. And again. And again. Our past haunts us. Instead of impatiently blasting us for our slowness to believe, God reassures us with kind reminders that he really has forgiven and accepted us. Romans 2:4 says, “The kindness of God leads to repentance.” I think we can safely say that it is that same kindness of God that leads to assurance that he is not angry with us. Jesus has absorbed God’s wrath for our sin – past, present, and future. He now calls us friends (John 15:15).