Read Genesis 50 here or at Bible Gateway.
The Hebrew paragraph:
49:27-50:26 {p} Benjamin’s blessing / death, burial of Jacob / death of Joseph
But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. Gen 50:20
The statement of fact which Joseph makes in Gen 50:20, that what the brothers intended for evil, God intended for good, in order to save many lives, is a repeating theme, first mentioned by him in Gen 45:5. I find it something worthy to meditate on, that despite what the faith and prosperity preachers will tell you, God’s plan for your life might not be your absolute comfort in every circumstance. In order to accomplish the saving of many lives, which Joseph sets as the greater goal than his own personal comfort, Joseph needed to go through many years of hardship, to position him in the right place at the right time.
And what about David? He was a man after God’s own heart, but was no stranger to betrayal, sorrow, and toil. Out of his distress came the Psalms, which have been comforting humankind in their sorrow for many millennia.
Jesus did not live for His own personal comfort either, but went through the ultimate hardship without rancor or bitterness toward God, in order to accomplish the saving of many lives. Jesus taught us to take up our cross and follow Him. Being His disciple is not about getting that new car or a bigger house, but personal sacrifice from the motivation of love, for the saving of as many lives as possible.
If there are questions, these are good resources:
Jacob split the birthright and blessing he had inherited from Abraham, into two – Christine Miller
Genesis Whole Book Chiastic Structure – Christine Miller
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