LIFE: FORWARD AND BACKWARDS -- Devotional for October 18, from "Good Seeds"

“You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, in order to preserve many people alive. So therefore do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus Joseph comforted his brothers and spoke kindly to them. (Genesis 50:20-21)

One of the greatest stories in the Bible is the story of Joseph. The narrative is presented in such a way that the reader is always more aware of what is happening than the individual players in the plot. When Joseph is time and again treated so cruelly and punished so unjustly, we observers don’t for a moment believe in anything but his innocence. Though we are told all along that in spite of the ill treatment he received, he had a heavenly Midas touch, where anyone connected to him in any way was blessed by God – still Joseph seemed largely unaware of it. Like Job, Joseph was oblivious to the way God was working through all the adverse circumstances of his life, all his personal pain, to bring good to man and glory to God. The tables were eventually turned where Joseph becomes the one in the know while his brothers remain in the dark. But his intention in concealing his identity was not to play a cruel game of revenge on his brothers, but rather to test them to see if their hearts had been softened through the workings of God on their character through the years. I picked up a little “fortune cookie theology” at a Chinese restaurant the other day which beautifully describes the story of Joseph – and maybe your story and mine as well: “Life must be lived forward, but can only be understood backwards.” Joseph lived his life forward: he did what was right regardless of what wrong was done to him. He was well aware of the ill treatment he received, and often complained about it (so…he was human after all!). “You meant evil against me,” he flatly told his brothers. But he understood his life backwards: before anger or bitterness could rise in his heart, he went on, “…but God meant it for good.” In retrospect, looking back on his life with godly hindsight, he now knew how it had to happen just that way, in order for God “to preserve many people alive.” What a joy for Joseph to eventually discover that God had entrusted him with a significant part to play in His benevolent dealings with mankind. It seems to be a rule of life that “if all were known, all would be forgiven” – and I’m talking about men forgiving God! We’re so quick to blame Him for neglecting us, but who among us really knows what He’s up to? So maybe we should just keep living our lives forward, living righteously, obeying Him, trusting Him – and just wait for the understanding to come later. Knowing “we’ll understand it better by and by,” and that we will thank Him for it all then, why not in faith just praise Him for it all right now!