Good Intentions
“You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.” (Genesis 50:20)
Joseph said this to his brothers after revealing himself to them in Egypt. We did an extensive study on Joseph’s life two years ago, but as a quick reminder, Joseph was thrown into a well by his brothers, then sold into slavery by his brothers, then sold to a rich man, then accused of rape, and imprisoned before being made the second in command of all of Egypt. Throughout all his ordeals, Joseph kept his eyes on the Lord, and throughout his story we see this phrase repeated: “the Lord was with Joseph.” Throughout Scripture, we see the truth that the Lord is with His people during hardships—and what others intend for evil, God can use for good. We are going to look at a few examples of this truth: even if others intend to harm us, God can intend things for good.
In the book of Esther, we read about Haman, the most powerful official in the King’s empire, who had some evil intentions.
“All the king’s officials would bow down before Haman to show him respect whenever he passed by, for so the king had commanded. But Mordecai refused to bow down or show him respect. Then the palace officials at the king’s gate asked Mordecai, ‘Why are you disobeying the king’s command?’ They spoke to him day after day, but still he refused to comply with the order. So they spoke to Haman about this to see if he would tolerate Mordecai’s conduct, since Mordecai had told them he was a Jew. When Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow down or show him respect, he was filled with rage. He had learned of Mordecai’s nationality, so he decided it was not enough to lay hands on Mordecai alone. Instead, he looked for a way to destroy all the Jews throughout the entire empire of Xerxes.” (Esther 3:2-6)
Haman had very evil intentions toward the Jewish people, but what people intend for evil, God can intend for good. Esther bravely intervened on her uncle’s behalf, and on behalf of all of the Jewish people, and Haman’s evil plan fell back on him.
“Then Harbona, one of the king’s eunuchs, said, ‘Haman has set up a sharpened pole that stands seventy-five feet tall in his own courtyard. He intended to use it to impale Mordecai, the man who saved the king from assassination.’
‘Then impale Haman on it!’ the king ordered. So they impaled Haman on the pole he had set up for Mordecai, and the king’s anger subsided.” (Esther 7:9-10)
In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul wrote of a thorn in his flesh, some sort of ailment or pain that seemed to bother him constantly. Paul did not complain or whine or question God because of the thorn in his flesh; instead, he wisely recognized that what could have been intended to harm him, God could use for good.
“So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.” (2 Corinthians 12:7b-9)
The ultimate example of this truth is, of course, the cross. A symbol of torture and death became a symbol of hope and life. What was intended to kill a man, gave life to countless believers. What was meant to stop a revolution gave birth to a religion, to the only true way to a relationship with God. Christianity doesn’t stop at the cross—it starts there. The tomb was meant to seal up the body, but the stone was rolled away and the tomb is empty. What was meant to be the final resting place of Jesus was the starting place of belief and faith for the first Christians.
“As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died.” (Galatians 6:14)
God will take what is intended for evil and make it into something beautiful according to His will. Chances are that you have encountered this in your own life, quite possibly in your testimony of coming to faith. Remember that our God is always in control and no matter what others intend for harm, God can intend for good.
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
—Redeemed
