“Now Joseph was governor over the land. He was the one who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground.”
– Genesis 42:6
Genesis 42:6 is quite a statement, quite a verse when you think about Joseph’s story. Do you remember back in Genesis 37? Joseph had a dream in which his brothers were bowing down before him. And remember he shared that with his brothers, and it didn’t go over very well and eventually led to him being sold into slavery, almost killed.
This Verse Reminds Us that God Can Turn Bad to Good
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.
And so his brothers tried to hurt Joseph, but their sin against Joseph actually ended up fulfilling Joseph’s dream. This is mind boggling, it’s baffling, how does this work? Sin, evil, ultimately ends up fulfilling the good and gracious purpose of God. How does that work? That is theologically baffling. But it makes sense when you think about it.
This is the gospel, right? God used the sin of those who murdered Jesus to bring about salvation for us from our sins. Oh, praise be to God! He is able to take a world of sin and evil and turn it for our eternal good. All glory be to his name.
Genesis 42:6 Reminds Us To Put Our Faith In God
And so, be encouraged today. When you put your faith in God, you have a rock solid confidence that nothing in this world can shake. That the worst things in this world cannot shake because you know God indeed has purposes that he is accomplishing. And his purposes are clear. Romans 8:28, for the good of his people, ultimately for the glory of his name, even the picture here of Joseph’s brothers bowing down to him, we know where all of history is headed one day. Philippian 2:9-11, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. We know that is where all of history is headed.
Genesis 42:6 Leads Us to Bow Before Jesus
So I urge you, I urge you today, bow the knee before Jesus as Lord. People sometimes say, “Well, I’ve decided to make Jesus Lord of my life.” The reality is, you didn’t have a choice in the matter. Jesus is Lord regardless of whether or not you make him Lord.
The question is not whether or not he is Lord, the question is, will you bow the knee to his lordship now or will you bow the knee to his lordship when it’s too late? Every knee is going to bow, every tongue is going to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. That’s where all of history is headed. And be confident of this, for all of those who trust in him as Lord, he will use. Even the worst things that happen to us in this world, ultimately, for our eternal good and his glory in that.
This Verse Leads Us To Praise God
So, God, we praise you today for your sovereignty over all things, over all history, for your purposes that will prevail. We look around us in the world, there’s all kinds of things going on that we don’t understand and we don’t know where this is going, we don’t know where that is going, but you do. You know where it’s all going, you told us where it’s all going, and you’re working all things, like millions and millions, trillions of different circumstances and things in the world toward your ends. Toward the fulfillment of your purposes in history.
So we bow before you right now in prayer and we say we trust you. I trust in you, it’s not in any government, in any leader, in any circumstance, any plan. Our trust is in your plans, your purposes. We bow the knee. You are Lord and we are so thankful you are Lord because we trust that you’re working all things together ultimately for the good of your people and the glory of your name.
And so, God, we pray in thanksgiving for the confidence we have in you and then we pray for people around us today who don’t have that confidence, who have not bowed the knee and called you Lord. God, use us to proclaim your lordship today. Help us to tell other people that Jesus is Lord. Lord, use our lives, our lips today to introduce others to Jesus as Lord. Lord, don’t let us stay silent with this gospel.
This Verse Leads Us to Pray For Turkey
And then for people groups in the world that have yet to hear this, God, we pray for the Zaza Dimli in Turkey, almost two million of them, no known followers of Jesus. God, please change that. One day the Zaza Dimli are going to bow the knee and call you Lord, Jesus, may it be now. Cause laborers to go to that harvest field to make the gospel known. God, we pray for the spread of the gospel to the Zaza Dimli, please, oh God, use us, our lives, our churches, our resources, the resources and lives and churches that are near there. Please help us to work together to get the gospel to these in Turkey who have never even heard it.
We know where all of history is headed, so help us to live toward that end with trust in you every step of the way. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
