Meant for Evil
Evil seems strong, but God is stronger.
In Genesis 50:20, we read “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” The words were spoken by Joseph.
His brothers, inflamed by jealousy and hatred, overpowered him, threw him into a well, and then sold him into slavery where he eventually ended up in Egypt. They then lied to their father, Jacob, and convinced him that the younger man had been killed by a wild animal. They did not think that Joseph would prosper in Egypt and for many years, because of more treachery and jealousy, he didn’t. Eventually, though, he did prosper and became the second most influential man in Egypt. His policies, influenced by God’s wisdom, resulted in the salvation of many starving people, including, ironically, his own brothers and father. God intended the evil actions of the brothers to be used for a great good.
The wonderful story of Joseph, which is worth reading in its entirety, is in Genesis 37 through the end of the book.
Joseph’s is not the only story in the Bible of God using something intended as evil to accomplish much good. The murder of the young man Stephen, as shocking and disturbing as it must have been to the nascent, first-century church, actually kick-started the world-wide expansion of the good news about Jesus. “On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria” (Acts 8:1). The murder of Stephen was meant for evil; God intended it for good, resulting in many people from different ethnic groups hearing about Jesus. Until Stephen’s death, the good news about Jesus largely was confined to Jerusalem. After Stephen’s death, the Jesus followers became witnesses to “Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). The murderous anti-Christian terrorist, Saul, became a powerful pro-Jesus force for good in the whole Mediterranean world, perhaps even further.
More recently, the murder of Charlie Kirk was meant for evil; God, though, intended it for good, resulting in many people giving their lives to Jesus and returning to church.
Jesus himself was murdered and publicly humiliated. Yet God used this great evil for an unimaginable good, the salvation of millions of people: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
On a micro scale, we individually sometimes experience evil; and yet we know that God can use it for good, if we allow him to do so. May God continue to use the evil of this world for great good!
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