Genesis 50:20: “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” This is quite a famous verse. I believe if you have been a Christian for some time, you should have heard it. However, I wonder whether you have understood and applied it to your lives. Genesis 50:20 is a one-sentence summary of a man; it is Joseph who is the main character from chapters 37 to 50. To help you understand better how Joseph’s life is a means of God’s grace and mercy to many people, I will walk you through Genesis 37-50 in three sections. 

xBut, before that, please do these two things: take your Bible, open Genesis 37-50, and pray for the Holy Spirit to guide your reading. Let’s dive into it. 

First is the Prologue: Genesis 37. Joseph is the 11th of Jacob’s 12 sons. “Joseph, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers… And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father… Now Israel (Jacob) loved Joseph more than any other of his sons because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colours… But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him” (37:1-4). Here we see how Jacob’s favouritism of Joseph resulted in his brothers’ jealousy. Moreover Joseph had two prophetic dreams, “the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me” which made the tensions with his brothers worse, eventually leading to the brothers’ conspiracy (37:18) and Joseph’s slavery in Egypt (37:36). 

Second is what I call, From a Slave to a Means of God’s Grace. This section has three parts. First part is from slavery to leadership: Genesis 39-41 depicts God’s providence to Joseph from slavery to Potiphar’s decision to imprison him due to his unwavering integrity (39:9), to interpreting the dreams of officials and Pharaoh  (41:9-19) who granted power to Joseph as a governor in Egypt (41:31-45), and to the birth of his two sons amid famine as God’s plan in preserving the people (41:50-52).  The second part is from guilt to plea for forgiveness: Genesis 42-44 explores human shortcomings, wisdom and forgiveness through Jacob sending his sons to Egypt for grain (42:2), encountering Joseph as a governor who tested his brothers’ character which revealed their guilt (44:16), and led to Judah’s plea for forgiveness and mercy on their past actions. And the last part is from compassion to a means of God’s grace: Genesis 45-47 emphasises forgiveness, family unity, divine grace, and provision amid adversity through Joseph’s compassion (45:7) leading to reconciliation in the family and being a means of God’s grace in providing guides to the whole of Jacob’s family (46:27) settling in Goshen, Egypt (47:6). I hope you see how God’s providence since the start of Joseph being a slave in Egypt to saving the whole family from famine: from a slave to a means of God’s grace. 

Last is the Epilogue: Genesis 50. Yet, before this, Genesis 49 highlights God fulfilling His covenant promises through Jacob’s blessings to Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh (47:14), and for each of Jacob’s sons, particularly the distinct future of Judah and Joseph (48:8-12, 22-26). Once again, not only do we see how Joseph became a means of God’s grace in physical blessings, but God’s covenant blessings could continue to the next generations. Genesis 50 reemphasizes God’s providence through Joseph’s reconciliation with the family, by honouring his father’s wishes (50:5), by granting mercy on his brothers (50:15-20), and by witnessing his grandchildren (50:23) as God’s preservation of the Israelite people. 

So far, if you notice, I have covered Genesis 37 to 50, but not Genesis 39. What is my purpose of leaving Genesis 39 behind?

Genesis 39 is the only chapter that does not tell anything about Joseph; it is about Joseph’s brother, Judah. Genesis 39 contrasts Joseph’s integrity and Judah’s wickedness through Judah and Tamar’s relationship emphasising the family’s complexities, highlighting themes of levirate marriage (1-11), deception, and accountability (1-26), and culminating in the birth of Tamar’s twins signifying the continuation of Judah’s lineage as God’s plans (27-30). Now, remember that Judah is one of Joseph’s 11 siblings. In Genesis 37:26-28, Judah said to his brothers, “’What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.’ And his brothers listened to him.” Judah provoked his brothers to sell Joseph. Furthermore, in the Joseph Story, Genesis 39-47, there are patterns worth learning from Judah and the other brothers: from envious heart (37:4) to conspiracy (37:18) to trembling heart & fear of God (42:28) to guilt (44:16) to defence (44:18) to plea for forgiveness (44:18) and to receiving mercy (45:7, 50:20). Aren’t we like them before we were saved? 

“And Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram,” (Matthew 1:3). Judah is part of the genealogy of Jesus Christ. Judah was written as a wicked man in a relationship with Tamar and a cruel brother to Joseph, but through Judah’s lineage our Lord Jesus Christ was born. I had mentioned earlier that Genesis 50:20 is a one-sentence summary of Joseph’s story of his brothers doing evil to him but God meant it for good in saving many people including Joseph’s own family. 

But let me tell you, Genesis 50:20 is not about Joseph, it is about the Man. Though hated, mocked, tempted, punched, and framed, He did not fight back. Though He was in the form of God, He emptied himself, taking the form of a human servant who was obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Phil 2:6-8). That Man is our Lord Jesus Christ. God’s providence through Joseph saved his family and many people, but God sent Jesus His Son into the world in order to save the whole world (John 3:17). Jesus is the Light of the world (John 8:12). Our church, Bethany International Church, has been teaching us since the beginning of this year about Seeing the Light, Receiving the Light and Living in the Light.  

So, do you personally See, Receive and Live in the Light?

Friends, I hope that this article provokes you in love. First, for those who are still unsure whether you have seen, received and been living in the Light, pray for your enlightened hearts. Second, for those who don’t believe, please repent, come to Jesus, and believe in Him: Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6). An outcast Samaritan woman, upon receiving Jesus Christ, ran back to her city; she told the people in the city who Jesus is and what Jesus did for her; she invited the people to come to Jesus; and many believed (John 4:1-42). No matter what condition or stage you are at, come to Him. Jesus came to the world to save the lost (Luke 19:10). And lastly, for those who have Seen, Received and been Living in the Light, be blessed! You can now joyfully be partners in Shining the Light; you are a means of God’s grace. 

Finally, I close with where I began by saying, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” Since the start of Joseph’s journey as a slave in Egypt, the Lord was with Joseph (Genesis 39:2). Just as the Lord was with Joseph, He is with us (Matthew 28:20). Joseph, from a slave to a means of God’s grace. 

Friends, by God’s grace, do you want to imitate Joseph, from a slave to a means of God’s grace? My prayer is…