Overcome Evil with Good

If we receive bad news or find ourselves in a bad situation, we shouldn’t consider it evil. Many Scriptures confirm this, but for an example, let’s use Joseph, the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham.

As you may remember, Joseph’s brothers wanted to kill him. In the end, they settled on human trafficking. Joseph labored as a slave in Egypt and was falsely accused of rape. He spent years in prison. At just the right time, God delivered him from prison and promoted him to rule Egypt under the authority of the Pharaoh. Then, his brothers showed up.

When Joseph finally revealed himself to his brothers, they feared for their lives, but here is what Joseph said to them: “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today¹.”

The events in Joseph’s life show us that, as believers, we need to view this world through spiritual eyeglasses. We may experience “bad” things that last years, and it still is the will of God. We must not depend on our own understanding².

Now, notice that Joseph refused to accept evil into his life. What his brothers did to him was evil. This was a fact, and in God’s eyes, the brothers were guilty of an evil act. Nevertheless, God used their evil action as an instrument for the good of Joseph, Egypt, and surrounding nations.

If Joseph believed he was a victim of evil, then evil would have been his idol. Evil would have been the master and Joseph, its slave. But Joseph trusted God. What he was experiencing may have made no sense, and he surely had bad days, but he knew God would not abandon him.

Don’t Let Evil Overcome You

We may recall Apostle Paul’s encouragement: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose³.” For believers in Jesus, we must avoid letting evil be our master. Evil may come against us, but our Lord and Savior will take it and make it work together for good, just like he did with Joseph. Hang tough. “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good⁴.”

---

Footnotes

1. Genesis 50:20 – Joseph Comforts His Brothers. (n.d.). Bible Hub. Retrieved October 19, 2024, from https://biblehub.com/genesis/50-20.htm ↩︎
2. Bible Gateway passage: Proverbs 3:5-6 – English Standard Version. (n.d.). Bible Gateway. Retrieved October 19, 2024, from https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs%203%3A5-6&version=ESV ↩︎
3. Romans 8:28 – God Works In All Things. (n.d.). Bible Hub. Retrieved October 19, 2024, from https://biblehub.com/romans/8-28.htm ↩︎
4. Romans 12:21 – Forgiveness. (n.d.). Bible Hub. Retrieved October 19, 2024, from https://biblehub.com/romans/12-21.htm ↩︎