God Is In Control

“And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.” Genesis 45:5

God providentially first had Joseph sold as a slave to Egypt and then placed Joseph as leader of Egypt “next to Pharaoh.” When Joseph’s extended family moved to Egypt and his brothers realized that he now had the power to execute vengeance, Joseph quieted their hearts, reminding them that God had orchestrated the whole saga.

God revealed to Joseph’s great grandfather Abraham: “And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years.” Genesis 15:13  We have no reason to believe that Joseph was aware of this prophecy given to Abraham.

God effected Israel’s deliverance through the last plague in which He passed over God’s people as he killed the first-born in Egypt. Israel celebrates the Feast of the Passover as the time when God’s wrath passed over them and delivered them from their oppressors. In other words, God orchestrated events, beginning with the selling of Joseph, to communicate to His people that they were to look to Him for deliverance.

Salvation is another word for deliverance, and God says that only He can save. He made Israel slaves so that they would understand this. If you don’t see yourself as a slave in need of deliverance, you may not sense your need for God.

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