Unrecognized Rescue

Unrecognized Rescue

Genesis 37: 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.

 

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Joseph’s brothers were filled with jealousy and rage. When Joseph came up to them, they ripped off his coat that Israel had carefully created. They threw Joseph in a pit, and then sat down to eat a meal.

 

My Observations:

• GOD made the pit dry way before Joseph’s brothers came up with their plan.
• Reuben and Judah were Leah’s children and seemed to be different than the other enraged brothers.
• GOD orchestrated the situation where the Ishmaelites just happened to be passing by, almost at the exact moment Joseph was pushed into the pit.

 

Joseph did not have to spend a long time in the pit. I believe his brothers threw him in and the next thing they did was to sit down and eat a meal. This detail tells me that not much time had passed. While they were eating, the Ishmaelites came by.

 

GOD’s protection over Joseph seemed to be implied because the same brothers who wanted to kill him, were now rescuing him out of the pit for their own personal gain. They did not want Joseph’s blood to be on their hands and they could make a quick buck. GOD used their evil for HIS good.

 

Challenge

• Why do you think GOD told Moses about the timing of these events?
• Have you ever been thrown into the pit of life?
• Do you believe that GOD can use your enemies to raise you out of the same pit they threw you in?