Genesis 50:20 is a favorite children’s Bible memory verse, but how many know the story behind this verse?
“As for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, to bring about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.”
The world ‘Genesis’ means ‘beginnings’. In Genesis, Moses writes about 3 beginnings; the beginning of the world, the beginning of sin and the beginning of God’s special nation.
In latter part of Genesis, the book centers around one family with 12 brothers. The brothers hate the favoritism played by their father, Jacob, towards their little brother Joseph. The brothers sell their brother Joseph into slavery to some traders and Joseph winds up a slave in Egypt.
Little by little Joseph impresses the Egyptians with his God-given wisdom and knowledge and eventually by interpreting a dream of the Pharaoh (Egypt’s king), Joseph is raised to second in command in all of Egypt.
A famine comes into the land that Joseph’s father and brothers are living in and Joseph’s brothers are forced to go south to Egypt to beg for food. They don’t know that their brother Joseph is second in command, they think Joseph is dead.
Eventually Joseph reveals himself to his brothers and they are so afraid that he will have them put to death.
Into this situation Joseph spoke these famous words in Genesis 50:20. Even though his brothers meant evil by selling Joseph into slavery, God used it for good to keep God’s special chosen people from starving. God can use even use evil to carry out His plan.
We can encourage our children that no matter what happens in their lives, God can take that evil and use it help them grow and become the people that God intended them to be. Remind them that God doesn’t cause evil, but He can use it when it happens.
Now you know the story behind Genesis 50:20.
If you like what you read, check out our children’s book, Hooked on the Book, on this website. It provides the Big Story behind all 66 books in the Bible including colorful illustrations, rhymes and a surprise on every page.