10092021 By Design

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of our sovereign God, the one who masterfully uses everything for His purposes.

I won’t do justice to this truth, and I’m positive I don’t fully understand it, but I wanted to share with you some of the blessing of the wording of Genesis 50:20. “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.”

The story is familiar. Joseph’s brothers had sold Joseph as a slave, but Joseph recognized the hand of God in it all, accomplishing His great purpose which far exceeded the intent of his brothers. The word translated “thought” about the brothers is the same word translated “meant” about God. So there is a parallel here. Just as the brothers had a malicious plan or goal in their actions, God had a positive plan or goal through those same actions.

The definition of that word is “to think, plan, esteem, calculate, invent, make a judgment, imagine, count.” It is about devising and considering something. It is proactive, not passive or reactive. The word is used 124 times in the Old Testament. It is translated in different ways, and the variety of translations reveals the strong sense of purpose behind this word. Devise (23 times), plan (14 times), calculate (5 times), purpose (3 times), make (2 times), intend (2 times), scheme (2 times), design (1 time), and plot (1 time).

And I love this one – skillful (10 times). This translation, along with a few of the others above, is used to speak of the cunning workmen who crafted the beautiful elements of the tabernacle: the curtains, the veil, the ephod, the priest’s breastplate, the work with precious metals, the engravings. This speaks of deliberate intent and conscious forethought to make something of great value and with great attention to detail and purpose and beauty.

Do you see what I’m seeing? This (including in Joseph’s case) is not a reaction or response, attempting to salvage something that has gone wrong or to rescue a disastrous situation. This isn’t about recovering or even manipulating and adapting something that started out badly. This isn’t an afterthought or a casual, half-hearted noticing of something. God had a plan – an intent, plot, scheme, purpose, design, calculation – from the very beginning. God knew exactly what He was doing. He was deliberately putting Joseph in a place where Joseph would be positioned to rescue the nation of Israel. God was deliberately setting up the incubation period of that nation that would allow it to flourish into a mighty people. God’s plan worked beautifully for that – getting Joseph to the right location and working through a series of events (mostly bad) to thrust Joseph prominently into the right position at the right time.

There is the side that we can’t fully comprehend. Of course, God doesn’t condone hatred or lying, which were among the human actions taken against Joseph. But somehow God uses and arranges the actions of evil men within His plan. Like the crucifixion of Jesus, which through the actions of evil men, God caused to happen at precisely His timing, a timing that the evil men definitely did not want. In response to this puzzling aspect, I would say two things. First, God Himself teaches that He has this level of ability and control. Second, only God is capable of such masterful providence.

So in the hard things of life, even when evil is done to us, is it not possible that God is deliberately and purposefully orchestrating His great purposes? We may not see that now, and maybe not for quite some time, but certainly God has that ability. Wicked men might be unwittingly playing right into the very plan of God.

May God strengthen you this week and give you grace and comfort, even as you go through difficult things that you may not understand. God bless.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA