God Sent Me Here - The One Year Book of Discovering Jesus in the Old Testament

God Sent Me Here

When Joseph’s brothers came to Egypt for grain, they did not recognize him. But when they were brought back to the palace because of the silver cup that had been stashed in their belongings, they fell before Joseph. Judah said, “Oh, my lord, what can we say to you? How can we explain this? How can we prove our innocence? God is punishing us for our sins” (Genesis 44:16).

Finally Joseph couldn’t stand it any longer, and he said to his brothers,

I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into slavery in Egypt. But don’t be upset, and don’t be angry with yourselves for selling me to this place. It was God who sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives. . . . God has sent me ahead of you to keep you and your families alive and to preserve many survivors. So it was God who sent me here, not you! (Genesis 45:4-5, 7-8)

Joseph’s brothers were clearly responsible for selling Joseph into servitude all those years ago. They had clearly committed a great evil against him. Yet Joseph saw the invisible hand of God behind their actions. He saw all of his suffering as part of God’s plan of salvation. And so he forgave. And beyond forgiving, he provided everything those who had sinned against him needed for survival.

Jesus, too, suffered significantly due to the cruel and evil intentions of those who conspired against him, lied about him, and called for his death. These people were responsible for their cruel sin. Yet Jesus did not hold this against them. Like Joseph, he offered forgiveness to those who put him in such a place of pain. When Jesus was on the cross, he said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).

Jesus knew that ultimately those who nailed him to the cross were not the ones who put him there. So when he looked at those who drove the crowds and drove the nails, he could echo Joseph’s words: “It was God who sent me here, not you!” (Genesis 45:8).

When I find myself in a place of deep suffering, I can trust that your sovereign hand is working behind the scenes, Lord. I can say to those who hurt me, “It was God who sent me here, not you!” And empowered by your Spirit, I can forgive.