Dear Church Family,

Hope you have used the tragic events of last week to find your “holy discontent” as Nehemiah had. How can this spur us on to good works? I think we find part of the answer in Joseph’s story, which I think will encourage you:

What you meant for evil, God meant for good… – The Story of Joseph

Where is God in the midst of murders, assassinations, abuse, corruption, death, and all other evils?

The story of Joseph from the Old Testament answers that exact question…

Joseph was Jacob’s beloved son, marked by the “robe of many colors” (Gen 37:3). This wasn’t just a fashion statement. It signified status and inheritance…. provoking jealousy. His dreams, hinting at future rule, only fueled their hatred. In ancient cultures, dreams were often seen as divine messages, making his claims even more provocative.

Consumed by envy, his brothers plotted murder. Instead, they sold him to Ishmaelite traders for 20 shekels of silver (Gen 37:28). That price matches the going rate for a slave in the 2nd millennium BC. They thought they erased him. But they only set God’s plan in motion.

Joseph lands in Egypt, purchased by Potiphar, a military officer. Though enslaved, the refrain begins: “The LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man” (Gen 39:2). Ancient Egyptians prized household stewards, and Joseph’s administrative gifts shone. Even in humiliation, God’s favor rested on him.

When Joseph resisted Potiphar’s wife, he lost everything again. His response, “How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” (Gen 39:9) reveals a heart shaped more by loyalty to God than by fear of man. Prison was not the end. In Egyptian systems, political prisoners often retained special privileges, which explains Joseph’s access to fellow inmates.

In prison, Joseph interprets dreams for Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker (Gen 40). His plea of “Remember me” goes unanswered. Two long years pass. Waiting, forgotten, in the darkness, Joseph learns that God’s timing is not man’s timing. In Scripture, dungeons often symbolize God’s deep work of testing.

When Pharaoh dreams of fat and lean cows, Joseph is summoned. His response is striking: “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer” (Gen 41:16). Overnight, the prisoner becomes vizier of Egypt which was the second-most powerful man in the land.

Famine drives Joseph’s brothers to Egypt. They bow before him, unknowingly fulfilling the dream they once despised. The narrative slows here…. chapters of testing, feasts, and tears. Joseph probes their repentance. When Judah offers himself in place of Benjamin (Gen 44), Joseph sees the change: selfish brothers transformed into sacrificial ones.

Joseph can no longer restrain himself: “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” (Gen 45:3). What follows is one of the most emotional reunions in all of Scripture. Joseph’s explanation is theological, not bitter: “God sent me before you to preserve life” (Gen 45:5). The invisible hand of providence becomes visible.

When Joseph reveals himself to his brothers, he sends for his father. After years of grief, the old man’s heart revives when he learns his son is alive (Gen 45:27–28). Their reunion in Egypt is tender: “Joseph fell on his father’s neck and wept a good while” (Gen 46:29). Joseph then provides land, food, and protection for his family in Goshen. The one sold into slavery becomes the savior of his household.

After Jacob’s death, Joseph’s brothers fear judgment. But Joseph speaks words that resound through history: “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Gen 50:20). The key is that word meant. The brothers intentionally plotted evil. God, with equal intentionality, meant the very same events for good. The same action, two purposes…. one wicked, one sovereign. Human sin is real, yet God’s design is greater, weaving redemption through the very instruments of harm.

Joseph lives to see God’s faithfulness, providing for his family and countless others. He names his son Manasseh (“God has made me forget my hardship”) and Ephraim (“God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction”), a testimony carved into the lives of his children. God never wasted a single trial.

The entire story of Joseph points us to Christ…

• Beloved Son, rejected by His own.

• Sold for silver as a slave

• Wrongly accused, unjustly condemned.

• Descended into suffering, then exalted to the right hand of power.

• Through His wounds, life is preserved.

At the cross, we see the ultimate display of this story’s theme: the greatest evil ever committed was the crucifixion of the Son of God… and yet it became the greatest good, the salvation for all who believe.

Joseph teaches us that evil is real, but never final. Christ proves it. Evil does not write the last word…. God does. And His word is always good.

Our world overflows with evil…. murders, assassinations, injustice, betrayal, suffering. Joseph’s story reminds us: what is meant for evil, God can (and will) use for good. Yet Joseph only foreshadows Christ, who bore the greatest evil at the cross and turned it into salvation. That truth steadies us now and points us forward to His coming kingdom, when evil ends, tears are wiped away, and God’s good purposes stand forever.

“We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” – Romans 8:28

Press on,

Mark