Why did Joseph’s brothers sell him?
"You planned to harm me. But God planned it for good..." (Genesis 50:20).
"Don’t let evil overcome you. Overcome evil by doing good" (Romans 12:21).
Joseph’s brothers were jealous that their father loved him the most.Genesis 37:3-4 shows why Joseph’s brothers did not like him: "Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons. That’s because Joseph had been born to him when he was old. Israel made him a beautiful robe. Joseph’s brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them. So they hated Joseph. They couldn’t even speak one kind word to him." Joseph also had dreams about being the leader of his family (Genesis 37:5-11).
When Joseph was sent to check on his brothers when they were watching sheep, they decided to throw him into an empty well. Some travelers came by and they decided to sell Joseph to them (Genesis 37:26-28). His brothers covered Joseph’s coat in animal blood and made it look like a wild animal had killed him.
But God was still at work. They asked for forgiveness years later. Joseph said, "You planned to harm me. But God planned it for good. He planned to do what is now being done. He wanted to save many lives" (Genesis 50:20). Even when bad things happen, God still cares about us and has a plan.
