Where Is Your Focus? When Joseph Had to Choose

 

Genesis 50:15-21

You know the verse:

But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, (Genesis 50:20 NKJV)

But have you ever thought about the choice Joseph was making when he spoke those words? His father Jacob had recently passed away and his brothers were now scared. Without the protection of their father they feared that Joseph might take his revenge on them for what they had done many years ago. And who could blame Joseph if he did? After all, when he was much younger they tossed him into a pit which was much better for him than their original plan which was to kill him (Genesis 37:17-22). Later his brothers decided to make some money by selling Joseph into slavery (Genesis 37:25-28). This was the start of what could only be called a roller coaster of a life, that is if roller coasters existed back then.

As a slave he found himself traveling with a group of Arabian Nomads who made their living by selling things, in this case spices, balm myrrh and the occasional human being. (If you are curious as to why the Bible calls this group both “Ishmaelites'' and “Midianites'' check out “Ishmaelites or Midianites” on appologeticspress.org.) These Nomads sold Joseph to Potiphar where he would find himself falsely accused of attempting to assault the man’s wife. As a result Joseph would find himself in prison before eventually being freed in order to guide Egypt through a rather severe drought. According to a number of sources, Joseph would spend a combined 13 years either serving Potiphar or sitting in prison before seeing the fulfillment of what he had seen in the dreams that turned his brothers against him in the first place.

Having experienced these ups and downs, and now facing his brothers without his dad there to intervene, Joseph had a choice to make. He could focus on all that had gone wrong in his life because of one malicious act carried out against him by his brothers. He could focus on how he had overcome the difficulties of his past to become second only to Pharaoh in all of Egypt. Instead of choosing one of these, Joseph focused on a third possibility: that God worked everything for his good and for the good of his family.

Joseph chose to see his life through the eyes of God, focusing on what God was doing instead of focusing on the actions of his brothers or anyone else that had wronged him. This allowed him to forgive and to live free of the bondage that comes when past trauma colors our point of view. What could have been a life of depression and anger or a life spent carrying grudges was instead a life of purpose and blessing which Joseph was only able to receive by seeing God at work in his life.

This lesson is one that is very personal for me. I’ve shared in the past how my teen years were lived under the bondage of codependency. Early in my Christian walk I found it difficult to forgive and to let go of my past, allowing the chains of co-dependency to haunt me long after I had been set free. But in order to forgive and let go, I had to come to terms with the fact that God allowed me to grow up in that situation. No, He did not cause alcoholism to run in my family but He also didn’t intervene to keep me out of the situation. I had to accept that God had worked all for my good including my past and what was a very difficult situation served a purpose in God’s plan for my life.

Chances are there are times in your life where you have wondered why God didn’t intervene. Was He even there with you? Could He hear your cries? The answer is yes and yes. But will you choose to see your situation and your past through His eyes, believing that He works all for your good?

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28 NKJV)