What Joseph Knew

It was an unbelievable turn of events. Overnight, Joseph went from prison to occupying the second-most powerful position in the world, ruling over Egypt’s food supply. If the story had ended there, it would have been an amazing one. Instead, it culminated with one of the most amazing demonstrations of forgiveness on Joseph’s part.

Fast-forward many years, and Joseph looked like a completely different guy. He didn’t have the long hair and beard of a Hebrew. Rather, he looked like an Egyptian. And just as God had warned through Pharaoh’s dreams, a famine came.

Meanwhile, Joseph’s family, in the land of Canaan, was also dealing with the effects of the famine. They heard there was grain in Egypt, so his brothers went to get food. And when they showed up in Joseph’s court, he recognized them, but they didn’t recognize him.

An amazing scene unfolded, which we read about in Genesis 45: “Joseph could stand it no longer. There were many people in the room, and he said to his attendants, ‘Out, all of you!’ So he was alone with his brothers when he told them who he was. . . . ‘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!’ ” (verses 1–2, 7–8 NLT).

This could have been the ultimate revenge story. But instead, Joseph forgave all of them. He knew that God is sovereign, which means that He’s in control and doesn’t make mistakes.

To say that God is sovereign is saying that nothing comes into the life of a Christian that has not been first approved by God. Joseph knew that God was always in control of his life, even in the hard times. And God is sovereign in your life right now as well.