It is a dramatic moment as Joseph faces the brothers who sold him into slavery when he was a young man. Their father is dead and the brothers are afraid Joseph will take his revenge on them (v15), but his response is very different. His words in v20 raise profound issues about God’s sovereignty and human freedom. Consider Genesis 50:20 The mystery of providence.
1. Human responsibility
Although the Bible says much about God’s sovereignty, it never minimises human moral responsibility. ‘You intended to harm me’: Joseph does not say that their plan was anything less than evil. They are morally responsible for what they did. In one sense he was harmed as were others in the family. The brothers acted freely, making choices in harmony with their (sinful) natures. We too are morally responsible for our actions freely performed. We act in accordance with the nature we have, unconverted or converted. We are not forced to sin against our will. Our actions are rooted in out inmost being – Mark 7:21.
2. Divine sovereignty
Note‘but God intended it for good’ – the same action is viewed from a different perspective. God was at work in and through the action of Joseph’s brothers. He had a good goal in mind – ‘the saving of many lives’. God so directed events that his good purpose was carried out. The brothers did not consciously do what would fulfil God’s plan, yet that was the result. Throughout the Bible God is portrayed as being in full control and as accomplishing what he plans. The actions of evil people do not frustrate his plan but in mysterious ways advance it. All events (often in ways we cannot fathom) contribute to fulfilling God’s plan. Only in looking back could Joseph discern God’s sovereign hand in what he had experienced.
3. The big picture
God’s sovereignty is not confined to the details of individual lives: those lives are linked in innumerable ways. His sovereignty relates to the ‘big picture’ – here, ‘the saving of many lives’. Scripture shows that God is sovereign over:
- The natural world. Genesis 1-2 shows him as the Creator, and he has not left the universe to run itself. All things are in his hands – see Job 38-39. He provides for his creatures – Psalm 145:15.
- The nations. Prophets could speak of the fate of nations because it is God’s plan that governs them – Proverbs 21:1. This is a truth full of comfort for believers.
4.The supreme example
The supreme illustration of God’s sovereignty embracing human responsibility is the death of Christ. See Acts 2:23. On the one hand it was the result of the actions of ‘wicked hands’, with Jew and Roman fully responsible. Yet on the other hand it took place by ‘God’s set purpose and foreknowledge’. It was the climax of his plan of salvation (1 Timothy 1:15). Through the actions of those who wanted to destroy Jesus, God provided our salvation.