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Tag Archives: Israel

Genesis 37:23-36 The Lesser of Two Evils

23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe he was wearing— 24 and they took him and threw him into the cistern. The cistern was empty; there was no water in it.

25 As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.

26 Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? 27 Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.” His brothers agreed.

28 So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels[b] of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.

29 When Reuben returned to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes. 30 He went back to his brothers and said, “The boy isn’t there! Where can I turn now?”

31 Then they got Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. 32 They took the ornate robe back to their father and said, “We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son’s robe.”

33 He recognized it and said, “It is my son’s robe! Some ferocious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces.”

34 Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days. 35 All his sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said, “I will continue to mourn until I join my son in the grave.” So his father wept for him.

36 Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard.

Dear God, well, it is nice to know that someone besides Reuben (Judah in verse 26) was having second thoughts about killing their brother. I find it interesting, however, that their brother was stuck in the cistern and they were comfortable enough to sit down to eat. Was it the act of sitting there and eating while his brother was stuck in a hole that gave Judah the courage to suggest a different route? Did it soften all of their hearts?

There are times when we all need a cooling off period. Not that the brothers did the right thing in the end, but they were able to slow down their actions enough to keep from making the worst decision possible.

Last night, I was pretty angry with a family member for a while, but, thankfully, I had a chance to cool off before I saw them so I was able to approach the things they had done to hurt me more constructively. I never did anything to belittle the person or damage our relationship. I just told them where they had hurt me and explained to them why I felt that way. The good news was that, in the end, we were able to be together and be at peace.

Cooling off periods are really important. There is something about time that simply deadens our emotions and reduces them to a more manageable level. Perhaps it is a chemical/brain thing. I don’t know. But I can see where I should probably use them more often as I deal with conflicts in my life.

Father, help me to be patient. Help me to be at peace. Help me to press on in joy. Help me to embrace all that you have for me today. Work through me and bless others through me.

Genesis 37:12-21 Hatching a Plot

07 Oct

12 Now his brothers had gone to graze their father’s flocks near Shechem, 13 and Israel said to Joseph, “As you know, your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem. Come, I am going to send you to them.”

“Very well,” he replied.

14 So he said to him, “Go and see if all is well with your brothers and with the flocks, and bring word back to me.” Then he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron.

When Joseph arrived at Shechem, 15 a man found him wandering around in the fields and asked him, “What are you looking for?”

16 He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks?”

17 “They have moved on from here,” the man answered. “I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’”

So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. 18 But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.

19 “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to each other. 20 “Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.”

21 When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. “Let’s not take his life,” he said. 22 “Don’t shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father.

Dear God, it is interesting that it is Reuben who tries to take care of Joseph here. Earlier, Genesis goes out of its way to mention that Reuben slept with one of his father’s concubines (or whatever the woman’s designation was). Now, it says that Reuben wanted to save Joseph from his brothers. Are the two linked? Was the author intimating that Reuben felt guilt over what he had done and wanted to save Joseph? Or did Reuben simply not have the stomach to do this to Joseph?

It can be hard to stand up to a group of others when you are the lone voice. I have had opportunities in my life to be, what I considered to be, the voice of reason. Sometimes I took advantage of it and said what I had to say, and sometimes I let the opportunity go by and went with the flow. I suppose we all make each choice at one time or another. The question is, do we learn from our mistakes and make the right decision more and more often?

Father, help me to be willing to stand up and defend you and holy values at any given time, regardless of what the personal cost might be to me. Help me to speak with eloquence as people come to me and challenge what I feel from you is right. Give me the courage to lead my family. Give me the courage to lead this organization where I work. I want to bring glory to you so that you might touch others and draw them into complete relationship to you.