March 4, 2013
Central Truth
We are called to do what is right, even if it upsets our brothers, and to trust in God for the outcome, not ourselves.
Reuben further said to them, "Shed no blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but do not lay hands on him" -- that he might rescue him out of their hands, to restore him to his father. . . . Now Reuben returned to the pit, and behold, Joseph was not in the pit; so he tore his garments. (Genesis 37:22, 29)
18 They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him. 19 They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer. 20 Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. 1 37:20 Or cisterns; also verses 22, 24 Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams.” 21 But when Reuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.” 22 And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him”—that he might rescue him out of their hand to restore him to his father. 23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore. 24 And they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.
25 Then they sat down to eat. And looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. 26 Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? 27 Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him. 28 Then Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels 2 37:28 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt.
29 When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he tore his clothes 30 and returned to his brothers and said, “The boy is gone, and I, where shall I go?” 31 Then they took Joseph's robe and slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. 32 And they sent the robe of many colors and brought it to their father and said, “This we have found; please identify whether it is your son's robe or not.” 33 And he identified it and said, “It is my son's robe. A fierce animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces.” 34 Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. 35 All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, “No, I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” Thus his father wept for him. 36 Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.
So the brothers decided to kill their younger brother, Joseph, because he was a "dreamer." But big brother Reuben stood up to them and did what was right. Well, not exactly. Instead, not wanting to upset them, he went along and tried to control the situation. He planned to rescue Joseph and return him to his father. That went terribly wrong, so he had to tell his father that Joseph was dead. Not exactly what he had planned on! Can you believe that guy?
But how many times have you found yourself in that type of situation? It may not be as extreme as killing someone, but to avoid upsetting people, we can kill relationships or even jobs trying to control them. Several years ago, I had a brother in Christ who was struggling with anger issues. Stress from his job was causing him not to treat employees as he should. Instead of speaking the truth in love, I chose to talk all around what he was doing. Rather than directly addressing it, I was hoping he would change. He didn't change, and as a result, he was let go from his job. Not exactly what I had planned on. Like Reuben, I thought I could control the situation, but that was not the case. My friend spent several years in and out of jobs before he was rehired (at a lower position) by the company that let him go.
Proverbs 27:5-6 says, "Better is open rebuke than love that is concealed. Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy." Reuben would find out years later that Joseph was indeed alive, and my friend now has a job. But years of heartache and sorrow may have been avoided if Reuben and I had stood up, done what was right, and trusted God. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-6) Living that will keep you on the right path!
1. Is there someone you need to speak truth to in love, trusting God?
2. What are you trying to control?
3. What path are you on?
4. Do you have others in your life to speak truth to you?