"The patriarchs moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt; but God was with him, and delivered him out of all his afflictions." (Acts 7:9-10)
Joseph saw the hand of God in the matter, and said to his brethren: "You thought evil against me, but God meant it for good." (Genesis 50:20)
The full force of the Hebrew is not given in the translation, for both clauses have the same verb in the Hebrew; and the verse really reads thus: "You thought evil against me, but God thought good."
The contrast, it will be seen, is very striking: Joseph's brethren thought evil against him, even planning his death; but God thought good, even purposing "to save much people alive;" (Genesis 50:20) and God's thought prevailed. So much more powerful was God's good thought than Joseph's brethren's evil thought that their evil design was made to work out God's good purpose. How vividly this illustrates the truth that: "[God] works all things after the counsel of His own will," (Ephesians 1:11) making even "the wrath of man to praise Him." (Psalm 76:10)
So we need not fear or worry even though a wicked man seems to succeed in his evil way, and "brings wicked devices to pass," (Psalm 37:7) or, literally, "does his thoughts."
It makes no difference how much evil a man may think against us, nor how fully he may accomplish his designs; if God thinks good, all the evil will come to nothing, and only good will result. How calmly confident, then, we ought to be, since God says: "I know the thoughts that I think toward you, thoughts of peace, and not of evil." (Jeremiah 29:11)
Aggrieved Love
As soon as Jacob was buried, his sons said to one another: "Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him."
So little did they appreciate Joseph's character and understand real forgiveness, that they thought that Joseph had for years been cherishing hatred against them, and had been dissembling out of deference to his father. So they came begging Joseph to forgive them, and pleading, as though it were necessary, that their father had left word that he should do so.
"And Joseph wept when they spoke unto him." (Genesis 50:17)
The severest blow that can be given is to discredit one's expressions of love. We can easily picture to ourselves how Joseph's tender heart was grieved at the thought that his brethren had so little perception and understanding of the genuineness of his kindness toward them; but how often are we guilty of the same lack of appreciation of God's kindness and love. How often God must be grieved as He sees His children doubting Him. Let us not dishonor Him any more by our doubts, but trust Him at all times.--Present Truth, January 1, 1903--Genesis 50:17-20
E.J. Waggoner