January 17, 2013 - Genesis chapters 37, 38

Joseph was a tattle tale. I'm an only child, but I've heard siblings generally stick together. He was annoying, to say the least.

And you'd think he'd keep his mouth shut about the dreams of his whole family bowing down and worshiping him. Or tell only his dad in secrecy. 

Plus, to make matters worse, he was his dad's favorite son and had a fancy robe to prove it. Yep, definitely the little brother no one would enjoy having around. 

Ever had someone in your life who just kept prodding and prodding and prodding, trying to get a reaction? 

Joseph was that person. And the brothers had reached their limit. They literally hated him. He had to know how they felt. And yet he wouldn't shut up.

Yep, he definitely had it coming.

Sometimes good people can do despicable things. Especially when they join forces. Kind of like a pack of dogs. 

These brothers obviously weren't Spirit filled. And to think they would develop into the heads of the tribes of Israel, God's chosen people? I'd say impossible. But God used an awful, hateful crime against their own little brother to work His plan. 

^"18 Now when they saw him afar off, even before he came near them, they conspired against him to kill him. ¹⁹ Then they said to one another, “Look, this dreamer is coming! ²⁰ Come therefore, let us now kill him and cast him into some pit; and we shall say, ‘Some wild beast has devoured him.’ We shall see what will become of his dreams!”

²¹ But Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands, and said, “Let us not kill him.” ²² And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit which is in the wilderness, and do not lay a hand on him”—that he might deliver him out of their hands, and bring him back to his father.

²³ So it came to pass, when Joseph had come to his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the tunic of many colors that was on him. ²⁴ Then they took him and cast him into a pit. And the pit was empty; there was no water in it.

²⁵ And they sat down to eat a meal. Then they lifted their eyes and looked, and there was a company of Ishmaelites, coming from Gilead with their camels, bearing spices, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry them down to Egypt. ²⁶ So Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is there if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? ²⁷ Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother and our flesh.” And his brothers listened. ²⁸ Then Midianite traders passed by; so the brothers pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.

²⁹ Then Reuben returned to the pit, and indeed Joseph was not in the pit; and he tore his clothes. ³⁰ And he returned to his brothers and said, “The lad is no more; and I, where shall I go?”

³¹ So they took Joseph’s tunic, killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the tunic in the blood. ³² Then they sent the tunic of many colors, and they brought it to their father and said, “We have found this. Do you know whether it is your son’s tunic or not?”

³³ And he recognized it and said, “It is my son’s tunic. A wild beast has devoured him. Without doubt Joseph is torn to pieces.” ³⁴ Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth on his waist, and mourned for his son many days. ³⁵ And all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, and he said, “For I shall go down into the grave to my son in mourning.” Thus his father wept for him." Genesis 37:18-35

The brothers had to feel awful. But they couldn't tell their dad what they had done. They had taken a difficult situation into their own hands, and things had turned out horribly, all stemming from an aggravating, spoiled little brother. 

Many years ago, when I was backslidden in my heart but didn't know it, I took a matter into my own hands and as a result I lost a dear friend. And she and her family stopped coming to church. I'm not proud of this at all. Ashamed, actually. Many times I have thought of my selfish actions, wishing I could have a do over. 

Are you in a situation right now that's making you angry enough to do something completely out of character for you? Don't do it! You will be sorry! Instead, pray this prayer with me.

"Dear God, I'm in a terrible dilemma right now that's about to make me go right over the edge and do something really mean and spiteful.  It's normally not my nature to do this! But I've had it up to here! Right now I want to lay my anger at the foot of the Cross and ask you to cover it with Your precious blood. Please cleanse my heart and help me to think clearly. I want to serve You and love like You love but this is getting in the way!!! God I give this awful junk to You right now. God please deal with these people who hate me. You can take care of them way better than I can. Help me to love those who despitefully use me. Just like You loved when You were on the cross. I want Your perfect love. In Jesus' name I pray, AMEN."