Intended

You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. -Genesis 50:20a NLT

Such was the response of Joseph to his brothers who sold him into slavery and lied to their father.

A few questions and thoughts for your consideration:
  • Did Joseph’s brothers sin? My take is that they most certainly did.
  • Did God cause Joseph’s brother’s to sin? My take is that He most certainly did not.
  • If Joseph’s brothers did not sin and sell him into slavery could God have accomplished His plans another way? My take is that He could, and would, have if the brothers’ evil sin did not get in His way.
God will always trump our sin, we cannot obstruct His will, but I believe that He much prefers it when we cooperate with him and not sin. The cross is similar to other events, like Joseph's mistreatment, where people sinned but God trumped their sin. In my thinking God would have had people accept their Messiah rather than murder Him.

Help us Lord to be vessels that you work through instead of obstacles that you work around.

... this devotion is part of an ongoing series on words in the bible.

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