HealingStrong's Around the Word

Episode 20 - The Joseph Series: God Intended it for Good (Genesis 50:1-21, Romans 8:28 NIV)

• HealingStrong • Episode 20

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Joseph's profound forgiveness of his brothers demonstrates God's ability to transform evil intentions into good outcomes. We explore how Joseph's statement "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good" reveals the heart of grace and reflects Romans 8:28.

This quick episode covers:

• Joseph's brothers feared retribution after their father's death despite 17 years of Joseph's care
• The brothers' inability to accept forgiveness mirrors our struggle to receive God's grace
• Joseph refused to take God's place as judge, choosing mercy instead
• Joseph maintained a forward-thinking perspective rather than dwelling on past betrayal
• Grace is "unearned favor" - we can neither earn it nor lose it
• God's redemptive purpose can transform our deepest wounds into opportunities for salvation
• True forgiveness requires leaving the past behind and embracing God's future plans

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Suggested Resources:

BIBLE PLAN - Trusting God's Plan in the Waiting: Lessons from the Life of Joseph

PODCAST - Genesis to Revelation Bible Reading

TOOLS - Refresh Your Spirit through God's Word




Speaker 1:

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good, to accomplish what is now being done the saving of many lives.

Speaker 1:

Hi, my name is Cheryl and you're listening to Healing Strong's Around the Word. We are friends sitting around the table who love God, and we love digging deep into His Word. We also love talking about it too. Each day you're going to hear me reading a Bible passage and then we'll chat about what we're learning from it. I'll be reading Genesis, chapter 50, verses 1 through 21, and Romans 8 28 today from the NIV version of the Bible. So join us Around the Word. Genesis, chapter 50, verses 1 through 21.

Speaker 1:

Joseph threw himself on his father and wept over him and kissed him. Then Joseph directed the physicians in his service to embalm his father, israel. So the physicians embalmed him, taking a full 40 days, for that was the time required for embalming, and the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days. When the days of mourning had passed, joseph said to Pharaoh's court If I have found favor in your eyes, speak to Pharaoh for me. Tell him my father made me swear an oath and said I am about to die. Bury me in the tomb I dug for myself in the land of Canaan. Now let me go up and bury my father, then I will return. Pharaoh said Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear to do so.

Speaker 1:

Joseph went up to bury his father. All Pharaoh's officials accompanied him, the dignitaries of his court and all the dignitaries of Egypt. Besides all the members of Joseph's household and his brothers and those belonging to his father's household, only their children and their flocks and herds were left in Goshen. Chariots and horsemen also went up with him. It was a very large company. When they reached the threshing floor of Atad, near the Jordan, they lamented loudly and bitterly, and there Joseph observed a seven-day period of mourning for his father. When the Canaanites who lived there saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said the Egyptians are holding a solemn ceremony of mourning. That is why that place near the Jordan is called Abel Mizraim. So Jacob's sons did as he commanded them. They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave in the field of Machpelah near Mamre, where Abraham had bought along with the field, as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite.

Speaker 1:

After burying his father, joseph returned to Egypt together with his brothers and all the others who had gone with him to bury his father. When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said what if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him? So they sent word to Joseph saying your father left these instructions before he died. This is what you were to say to Joseph. I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly. Now, please, forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father.

Speaker 1:

When their message came to him, joseph wept. His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. We are your slaves, they said. But Joseph said to them Don't be afraid, am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good, to accomplish what is now being done the saving of many lives. So then, don't be afraid, I will provide for you and your children. And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them. And now Romans 8, verse 28. And we know that in all things, god works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. And that was our marathon scripture reading for today. So now let's listen in and hear what Susie, angie Maren and myself found when we were sitting around the table and around the Word.

Speaker 2:

So here we're at Jacob's funeral. They're mourning for seven days and they named the place I don't know how to say it Abel Mizram. It means Egyptian mourners. I just thought that was very interesting. They they thought they were the egyptians mourning for this person.

Speaker 2:

He got buried like an egyptian too then we fast forward to verses 18 through 21. His brothers came and fell down before him and said we are your slaves. But joseph told him don't be afraid of me. Am I God to judge and punish you? So think about that. We, as Christians, need to also forgive others when people do something wrong against us. He goes on to say the famous verse what you meant for evil, god made good. God can take any situation and make it good.

Speaker 3:

But think about his brothers though. I think about that, for you know, it's been 17 years and they think that Joseph's love is, all you know, bound up into his father. Joseph has extended his love to his brothers and now that their father is gone, they truly fear their life.

Speaker 1:

Which has got to be sad, that's got to be a little hurtful to not again not be heard or believed. That it's not a sham. I really do care about y'all. I'm going to take care of you. It's not just about dad.

Speaker 2:

But we do it all the time. We do it all the time we think he can't love us. We keep messing up. We keep messing up or we messed up so bad that he can never forgive us. But he did, he did.

Speaker 1:

Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good, to accomplish what is now being done the saving of many lives. Joseph had a forward thinking. Look like he was looking to the future too. He was not set on the past anymore. He literally did leave the past behind in that throne room that day when he forgave his brothers. They may have not forgiven themselves, but I think, after this incident, I hope and pray that they did receive that full forgiveness forgiveness of what they did to their brother.

Speaker 4:

It's all about grace and how difficult it is for us to understand grace and mercy and forgiveness, yeah, and to receive it. It's unearned. It's unearned, unearned favor, so we can never do anything to deserve it. So if we didn't deserve it, then we can't really do anything to lose it. It's a gift. It's a gift from Christ Himself as the sacrifice for us, and His blood was the ultimate sacrifice, and all we need to do is accept that and then spend the rest of our lives here trying to understand it and unfold all of what that means and the gift that it truly is for us as believers.

Speaker 1:

I hope you were really listening to what Angie was saying at the very end there. That's so amazingly important about the gift of grace and what Jesus did for us on the cross. That is the heart of the gospel right there. Thank you so much for joining us for Healing Strong's Around the Word podcast. I hope you are encouraged to dig deeper into God's Word. Please take a minute and check out our website, healingstrongorg, where you can find out all about us, our mission and our wonderful community groups. Until next time, remember faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.