Genesis 45:5-8 - Not You But God

Responding to the Tragedies of Life

  5 And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.  6 For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest.  7 And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors.  8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. - Genesis 45:5-8 ESV

Our story begins in Genesis 37, where we read that Jacob had a son named Joseph whom he loved more than any other son. He showed favour to Joseph by making him a special robe of many colours. The robe only served to emphasize this favouritism, and Genesis 37:3-4 tells us that Joseph’s brothers “hated him and could not speak peacefully to him:”

 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors.  4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him. - Genesis 37:3-4 ESV

The time came when Joseph’s brothers were tending their sheep in the region of Dothan. Their father Jacob wanted to know how they were doing and sent Joseph to inquire of their well-being. When his brothers saw him approaching at a distance, in their hatred for him, they planned to kill him, throw him in a pit, and tell their father that a wild animal had devoured him:

18 They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him.  19 They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer.  20 Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams.” - Genesis 37:17-20 ESV

Were it not for Reuben, the eldest brother, they would have taken Joseph’s life that very minute, but he encouraged them instead to simply throw him in a pit and leave him there. The brothers agreed to Reuben’s suggestion and left him to die a slow and cruel death. As they sat down to eat, a band of Ishmaelite traders passed by on their way to Egypt. Judah suggested that instead of leaving Joseph to die in the pit, they could make some money by selling him to these traders. Pulling him out, they sold him instead for twenty shekels of silver. Joseph was taken to Egypt and sold as a slave.

It was the captain of the guard in Pharaoh’s army who purchased Joseph. He was an important man in Egypt. Over time, Joseph proved to be very useful to Potiphar, gaining his absolute confidence. Genesis 39:2-4 describes what took place as Joseph served in his household:

2  The LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master.  3 His master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD caused all that he did to succeed in his hands.  4 So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him, and he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had. - Genesis 39:2-4 ESV

God was with Joseph and blessed him abundantly. His master ultimately put him in charge of his whole household. His brothers had sold him into slavery, but God used their evil intention to give Joseph a place of great importance in one of Egypt’s most influential families.

The day came, however, when Potiphar’s wife falsely accused Joseph of acting inappropriately towards her. This resulted in Joseph losing his position in Potiphar’s household and being thrown into prison. We can only imagine how Joseph felt about this false accusation and imprisonment. What appeared to be a tragic injustice, however, would prove to be a blessing in disguise.

The prison keeper quickly discovered what Potiphar had seen in Joseph. God was with him and blessed what he set his hands to do. As a result, the prison keeper put Joseph in charge of the prison, and the Lord made whatever he did to succeed. What Joseph did not understand yet was how the Lord would use this new position in the prison to raise him even higher in the land.

In time, two of Pharaoh’s servants wronged their master and were cast into the prison where Joseph was serving. Though he was himself a prisoner, Genesis 40:4 tells us that Joseph was given charge, by the captain of the guard, over these two men. Genesis 39:1 tells us that Potiphar, Joseph’s former master, was the captain of the guard. While it is not specifically stated here, it may be that it was Potiphar who demonstrated this confidence in Joseph.

One night, both the chief baker and the king’s cupbearer had a dream. There is nothing unusual about dreaming at night, but what is particularly of interest to us is that when Joseph saw the men in the morning, he noted that they were both troubled by their dreams:

 6 When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were troubled.  7 So he asked Pharaoh’s officers who were with him in custody in his master’s house, “Why are your faces downcast today?” - Genesis 40:6-7 ESV

The fact that both of these men had a troubling dream the same night is significant and shows that God was speaking to them. Joseph reminded the prisoners that the God who gave them both these dreams was also able to give them the meaning. That day God gave Joseph the interpretation – the cupbearer would be restored to his position with the king, but the chief baker would be beheaded. Within three days the interpretation came to pass as Joseph predicted.

Note what takes place in Genesis 41:1:

 1 After two whole years, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile, - Genesis 41:1 ESV

Two years after the cupbearer’s dream was fulfilled, his master, the king, had a dream that troubled him as well (see Genesis 41:8). When all the magicians and wise men were unable to interpret the dream, the cupbearer, who had regular access to the king, remembered how Joseph had interpreted his dream when he was in prison. He informed Pharaoh of this, and Joseph was called from prison to appear before Pharaoh.

That day, God gave Joseph the interpretation of Pharaoh’s dream. He told Pharaoh that God was showing him that seven years of plenty would be followed by seven years of great famine. Joseph advised the king to store up grain during the years of plenty in preparation for the famine. The king was so impressed with Joseph’s interpretation and wise counsel that he put him in charge of that project, making him second in command of the nation, only accountable to himself.

Genesis 41:46 tells us that Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of the king. We learn from Genesis 37:2 that he was a boy of seventeen years when he pastured flocks with his brothers.

 2 These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father.

Note how he was referred to here as a “boy.” His older brother Reuben still refers to him as a boy when he was sold into slavery in the same chapter:

 29 When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he tore his clothes  30 and returned to his brothers and said, “The boy is gone, and I, where shall I go?” - Genesis 37:29-30 ESV

We can assume from these verses that Joseph was likely around the age of seventeen when he was sold into slavery. This means that thirteen years have passed between the time Joseph was sold to Potiphar and he became second in command of Egypt. For at least two of those years, Joseph was in prison before Pharaoh had his dream and released him (see Genesis 40:20-41:1). Thirteen years is a long time. God’s presence, however, never left Joseph during those years. He blessed him abundantly, training and equipping him in preparation for even greater service. We have the advantage of knowing the whole story. For Joseph, however, that story was still being written, and the end was uncertain.

As God revealed through Pharaoh’s dream, the next seven years were years of plenty. Genesis 41:46-48 tells us that Joseph went through all the land of Egypt, gathering up the abundant harvests from the fields and storing them in the various cities of the nation. The result is described for us in Genesis 41:49:

49 And Joseph stored up grain in great abundance, like the sand of the sea, until he ceased to measure it, for it could not be measured - Genesis 41:49 ESV

The harvest amassed and stored up over those seven years in all the Egyptian cities was so great that they could not measure it.

In the eighth year, as Joseph predicted, a seven-year famine struck the earth, threatening to destroy whole families and nations. Joseph opened the storehouses and began to manage the distribution of provisions to needy families throughout the land. Genesis 41:57 tells us that nations from all over came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph.

Among those families coming to Joseph was his own family from Canaan, whom he had not seen for about twenty years. Ultimately, Joseph would bring them to Egypt and settle them in the region of Goshen, where they would remain for the next 430 years (Exodus 12:40-41). Joseph’s family numbered 70 when they arrived in Egypt under Joseph (Genesis 48:27). Four hundred and thirty years later, six hundred thousand men, plus women and children, left Egypt to return to Canaan to establish themselves as an independent nation.

The famine that ravaged Canaan could have destroyed Jacob and his family. God put Joseph in the right place at the right time, however, so that his family could be saved and mature into a large nation over the generations to come.

When Joseph finally revealed his identity to his brothers. Genesis 45:3 tells us that they were so shocked that they could not answer him, “for they were dismayed at his presence.” The word “dismayed” is the Hebrew word בָּהַל (bāhal), which means to be alarmed, frightened, anxious, or troubled. His brothers knew what they had done to Joseph. They stood before one they had sold into slavery, and seeing that he had the power to harm them, they were afraid. Notice the response of Joseph to his brothers in Genesis 45:4-8, however.

First, Joseph recognized and exposed his brothers’ sin:

“I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. - Genesis 45:4 ESV

There can be no victory over sin we refuse to admit or confess. Joseph brings this sinful act out in the open and exposes it for what it was.

Second, Joseph addresses the anger and distress his brothers felt because of what they did to him.

 5 And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here - Genesis 45:5 ESV

Joseph’s brothers felt guilty because of what they had done to him. Joseph was sold into slavery at about 17 years of age. He entered the service of Pharaoh thirteen years later at the age of thirty. When Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers, he told them there were five more years of famine left (Genesis 45:6). This means that he had served Pharaoh during the seven years of plenty and two out of the seven years of famine (nine years). Joseph was now about thirty-nine years of age when he told his brothers who he was. His brothers had borne the guilt and shame of what they had done to him for twenty-two years.

Joseph did not want to see his brothers suffer any more on his behalf. He did not want them to be angry with themselves because of what they did. He forgave them and released them from any debt to him.

Third, Joseph recognizes how God turned the evil done to him into good.

For God sent me before you to preserve life.  -Genesis 45:5b ESV

Joseph was now seeing the big picture. He saw how God had raised him up and put him in this place for a reason. He saw how God used what his brothers had done to him to accomplish this wonderful purpose. Admittedly, the road leading to this day had been rough, but the destination was so perfect that Joseph could not hold anything against his brothers. His slavery was the path to leadership over the entire nation. Had his brothers not sold him into slavery, the nation of Israel might have perished. God used every trial he faced to train Joseph and advance his position. Every struggle was blessed and used to accomplish God’s perfect purpose.

How could Joseph be angry at his brothers for what they had done when God used it for so much good? He sent him ahead to preserve the lives of his family and many other people around the world.

 7 And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors.  8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. - Genesis 45:7-8 ESV

Finally, observe how Joseph not only forgave his brothers but also extended a hand of blessing to them.

 9 Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; do not tarry.  10  You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children, and your flocks, your herds, and all that you have.  11  There I will provide for you, for there are yet five years of famine to come, so that you and your household, and all that you have, do not come to poverty.’ - Genesis 45:9-11 ESV

Joseph offers his protection to those who had sold him into slavery. He opens the door for them to live with him, under his protection and blessing. He promises to provide for them as a family for the duration of the famine. Joseph’s extended hand of blessing was part of the healing his brothers needed.

Joseph could not be angry about a circumstance God had chosen to redeem for good. If God redeemed Joseph’s tragic circumstances, can he not do the same for you? What has He accomplished in you through your trials? How has he refined you through your pain? God never leaves us alone in our suffering, but uses every situation to strengthen and prepare us for future ministry and service. People may do bad things or say evil things about us, but God can change all that into good. Cast off bitterness and anger. Let God redeem the offense and transform you. Fix your eyes on what He does through the things you suffer. Let the blessing of His presence, new life, refined character, and greater ministry opportunity transform any bitterness you may feel into praise and gratitude to a sovereign God who can change what people mean for harm into great blessing.