Genesis 37:1–36

He was told in chapter 35 to go and live at Bethel. Here it says he "lived in the land of his father's sojournings." But the history now is the history of his sons. His history until he went to Egypt is in this one verse.

Verse 1 states a truth of deep significance: "Jacob lived in the land of his father's sojournings, in the land of Canaan." It had taken him some years to settle there. Yet even while living there, he was still only a sojourner (Heb. 11:9). He did not remain indefinitely, but later went down to Egypt, where he died.

Then, in the freedom and strength of all this, our patriarch resumes his journey. He goes from Bethel to Bethlehem. From there he travels by the tower of Edar to Mamre in the south country, where his father Isaac was living. But in none of these places do we read of house or land again. It is the tent, the altar and the pillar, and the journey still going on. Then the burial of his aged father. And at last, one with his fathers, he lives in the land where they had lived before him.

The first verse has told us that he lived in the land where his father had been a stranger. In this he was moving ahead of God's purpose. So God soon allowed circumstances to move him and his sons into Egypt. In that way everything happened that God had foretold to Abraham in Genesis 15:13-14.

Jacob's dwelling in the land where his father was a stranger is not, I think, a contrast in evil. Scripture uses the same word yashav (to dwell) of Abraham and Lot together in Canaan, and of Lot in Sodom. He was no longer a wanderer outside the land, but someone living in it. Still, he was more settled than Abraham was — only, when he did settle, God stirred him up out of his rest.

The section called "The generations of Esau" begins at Genesis 36:1 and runs to Genesis 37:1. As with Ishmael and Isaac, Scripture mentions the rejected line first, but only briefly, and does not follow its dates. The chosen line comes second, and then enough dates are given to let us follow the passing of the years. This foreshadows a principle of God's ways, stated so clearly: "He takes away the first, that He may establish the second" (Heb. 10:9).

The next chapter follows with a long list of Esau's generations, ripening early into dukes and kings. The world must have its day… In chapter 37 a single verse sets Jacob's portion against all this. Its very shortness speaks volumes to the ear that hears.

The next mention of Jacob is in Genesis 37. There we read that he "lived in the land of his father's sojournings." This was his proper position, the one faith had called him to. Still, after a pause, the discipline goes on. He had to be weaned from depending on anything at all. Though Rachel is gone, her two sons remain, and through them Jacob undergoes a continued crucifixion of his affections.

His generations center simply in Joseph (v. 2): there is no list of names. The answer is simply that the true genealogy of the line of faith centers in the person of the Lord Jesus, of whom Joseph is a type.

Genesis 37:2 gives "the generations of Jacob." Joseph is the special object of interest. He is a plain figure of Him whom His brothers rejected and who was separated from them. God exalted Him to hold the power of the throne over the Gentiles. In due time His brothers are brought to repentance and humbled before His glory, and He makes Himself known to them.

The first view that we have of Joseph is at seventeen years, feeding the flock along with his brothers. The ruler God appoints is always a shepherd! We see this with Moses and with David. In Matthew, the Gospel of the kingdom, we hear the scribes quoting Micah to the king: "Out of you shall come a Governor who shall rule My people Israel." The margin has "feed." The word literally means "be a shepherd to" My people Israel. Jacob's prophecy at the close of this book connects this character of Christ's rule with the type of Joseph (49:24).

But he is with the children of the servant-woman. That is a telling picture of Israel's condition when our Lord came in the flesh — perhaps in politics as well as in spirit. Joseph is separated from them too, far from them in his morals, just as the Lord was. That was the ground of the later separation, and it came from their side, not from his. "The world... hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil."

He worked with his half-brothers, feeding Jacob's flocks. He brought his father the report of their bad practices. If these things were serious, Joseph may have needed to do it. But Scripture does not say one way or the other. On the other hand, we know that the Lord Jesus was always right to talk with His Father about the evils of His natural brothers.

He was a witness of their evil ways, and his father loved him. Both things made Joseph hateful to the sons of the servant-mothers. The special robe Jacob gave him did not soften their harshness, and neither did his two dreams. "Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy?"... Everything on record stamps Joseph as a devout youth. He had moral courage. He was faithful toward those who were going wrong. He had a lowly mind, and wondered at the dreams as much as anyone or more.

The generations of Jacob are mainly about the doings of his sons, who came from him. They are about Joseph most of all. Verse 2 introduces him at the age of seventeen. It has been said that in him we have the most perfect and complete type of the Lord Jesus in all the Scriptures, and we believe that is true. In keeping with this, we shall see that Scripture records no sinful or unworthy action of his. This increases the value of his life as a type, though he was a sinful man like the rest of us.

Verse 3 tells us that Jacob loved Joseph more than all his other sons. This was Jacob's failure. Love in a family should be completely impartial and concerned about the true welfare of every child. Above all this, though, this history reminds us that God's love for His Son must be unique.

In His great grace God has brought His saints into relationship with Him as children and as His sons. He has given us "the Spirit of His Son…crying, Abba, Father" (Gal. 4:6). But we must never forget that the Son has His own special place at the Father's side, and it is His alone.

Israel bears witness to this place of distinction by clothing Joseph with a coat of many colours — a public testimony to the delight of the father in his son… The same chapter that tells us, "God so loved the world," also tells us that "the Father loves the Son." A measure is given of the love of God for the world, infinite though it is. But no measure is, or can be, given of the Father's love for the Son… Joseph's coat of many colours, the public testimony of his father's love, has its bright counterpart in the opened heavens of the New Testament. The heavens never open apart from Christ. When they open, they always bear some fresh witness to the Father's delight in the all-varied graces of the Son.

They were worn as marks of distinction — "for the neck as spoil," as Sisera's mother says. She thought he should wear this "spoil of dyed materials" as a special honour, fitting such a mighty conqueror as he was.

The inner garment is the kethoneth, a long tunic worn by men and women, made of wool, cotton, or linen. This was the garment God made of skins for Adam and Eve, and what Jacob made of many colours for Joseph.

God calls the Lord Jesus His well-beloved Son, and has given Him many glories. A robe of many colours is His, but they are the colours of His glories. Not one greater, or more brilliant, than the glory of His humiliation. He laid aside His riches, and became poor, that we through His poverty might be made rich.

The many-coloured coat, as we saw earlier, was a mark of renown, or of superior dignity or excellence… The persecutors of the Son of God were not content until they had stripped Him of everything the many-coloured coat of Joseph stood for — His dignity, His moral excellence, His honour. They did this as far as it lay in their power.

Loved and marked out by his father in this way, his heart grew large. He tasted the sweetness of his father's affection, and his own affection came out in return. Nothing produces affection in us so much as the assurance that it exists for us. As it is written, "We love because He first loved us."… But at the same time this exposed him to the envy of those who had proved themselves unworthy of it.

He was the object of his father's love, and the subject of very high destinies. His brothers' hearts were not in communion with these things, so they hated him. They had no fellowship in the father's love… In all this they represent the Jews in Christ's day. "He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him."

He was the object of his father's love, and he was marked out for very high destinies. His brothers' hearts had no share in these things, so they hated him. They had no fellowship in the father's love. They would not accept the thought of Joseph's exaltation.

The love of Jacob for Joseph drew out the bitter animosity of his brothers. Jacob was to blame for this, of course, not Joseph, but the same thing has happened in many families. In the case of the Lord Jesus, Israel hated both Him and His Father (John 15:24). They did not have the slightest excuse for this, though Jacob's brothers might have had some excuse for hating Joseph.

The clearer it became that his father loved him in a special way, the more they hated him. Their hatred first showed in their speech — they "could not speak peacefully to him." Later it broke out in wicked action. But we see at once a type of the One of whom Psalm 69 speaks prophetically: "They ... hate Me without cause"; and again, "I have become a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my mother's sons."

Why was Joseph hated by his brothers? Was he not in their company as one who served? He was. But they were evil. However welcome his service might be, his presence exposed their evil and called out their hatred. For the same reason, and far more deeply, the world hated Christ. He could say, "It hates Me because I testify about it that its works are evil."

Joseph had done them no harm — no, he loved them, so very much: yet he lived among his brothers as one alone. He "was separate from his brothers." How it must have hurt poor Joseph — out "feeding the flock with his brothers," or at home with them, and never hearing a kind word from any of them.

On one side he learned the tenderness and the resources of his father's affection. On the other he suffered reproach and persecution for being so favoured. So early in life, and in his own family, Joseph learned — as all God's servants do — the basic truth that had to sustain him in the highest service later on: that the one loved by God is the one hated by man. His father's love, marked out by the coat of many colours, had to make up to him for the hatred of his brothers. It had to strengthen him and prepare him for all their opposition and envy.

In verse 4 of our chapter we read that Joseph's brothers "hated him and could not speak peacefully to him." It was the same with Jesus here on earth. People hated Him without a cause. And this is every sinner's attitude toward Christ until he comes to Him by faith and learns His love. You may not want to believe this of yourself, but it is true all the same. You may not know this enmity to Christ is in your heart, but it is there just the same.

Next comes the record of Joseph's two dreams. It is remarkable how large a part dreams played in his history. Scripture records no fewer than five of them before the climax, and every one contained a prophecy. Each was therefore produced by the finger of God touching the unconscious mind of the sleeper. Each marked a divine intervention, and indeed a revelation of secret things.

In the ages before Moses there was no written revelation of God's will. He often used dreams to communicate His mind, or to reveal coming events beforehand… Now we have His written revelation, the completed Bible. Only in very rare and exceptional cases can we recognise a dream as having come from God. "For a dream comes with much business," that is, from purely natural causes, Scripture says.

In Joseph's case, we see that his brothers refused his first dream, and yet he in no way softened his testimony… This was simple testimony founded on divine revelation; but it was testimony that brought Joseph down to the pit. He could have held back his testimony, or taken off some of its edge and power, and so spared himself. But no — he told them the truth, and so they hated him.

The dreams that speak of Joseph's future supremacy are a fresh motive for the envy and hatred of the brothers. He had been a witness against them of their evil; now he is a witness to them of his future glory. They will have neither one nor the other. The Lord did the same. He witnessed against the evil of the world and bore witness to His coming glories. Like Joseph, He drew hatred on Himself… Before the assembled leaders of Jerusalem He can say, "From now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power." A furious outburst of hatred followed that confession.

Whether it was wise or fitting to repeat his dreams to those who had no love for him may be a question. But the dreams were of God, as the effect on his brothers was of the enemy… The whole record marks Joseph out as a devout youth. He had moral courage. He was faithful toward those going wrong. He had a humble mind, and wondered at the dreams as much as anyone or more… A sign of coming exaltation always provokes adversaries to madness and revenge. Yet, strange as it may seem in their eyes, God turns even their spite and wicked ways to accomplish His purpose.

We may not doubt that God had a gracious purpose in this. He was exercising Joseph's spirit and strengthening his heart for the distress and the many troubles ahead of him, before those remarkable foreshadowings came true… The dreams were simple and striking, and they touched the whole family. If his brothers could not forget them, the sufferer could forget them still less. In the middle of grief and shame he remembered the visions of strange dignity that awaited him.

All this applies in a striking way to the One Joseph pictures, our Lord Jesus. The Jews, His brothers by natural descent, hated Him without a cause and rejected Him when He came among them. Yet the day is coming when they will bow down before Him. But not only this. He is to be the central Object of worship to the heavens as well as the earth. What had been secret is now revealed. We know that God's purpose, according to His good pleasure, is "to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth."

Next comes the record of Joseph's two dreams. It is striking how large a part dreams played in his history. Before the story reaches its climax, Scripture records no fewer than five, and every one of them contained a prophecy. So the finger of God produced each dream, touching the sleeper's unconscious mind. Each one marked a Divine intervention — indeed, a revelation of secret things.

Joseph spoke the truth about their evil ways, and his father loved him. That made him hateful to the sons of the servant mothers. The special robe Jacob gave him did not soften their harshness, and neither did his two dreams. "Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy?" Was it wise or fitting to tell his dreams to those who had no love for him? That may be a question. But the dreams were of God, just as their effect on his brothers was of the enemy.

Now, in Joseph's case, we see that he in no way relaxed his testimony because his brothers refused his first dream. "Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more" … "Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers." This was simple testimony founded on divine revelation. But this testimony brought Joseph down to the pit. If he had held back his testimony, or blunted its edge and power, he might have spared himself. But no — he told them the truth, and so they hated him.

The dreams speak of Joseph's future supremacy, and that gives the brothers a fresh motive for envy and hatred. He had been a witness against them of their evil; now he is a witness to them of his future glory. They will have neither one nor the other. The Lord did the same. He witnessed against the evil of the world and bore witness to His coming glories. Like Joseph, He drew the world's hatred upon Himself. Before the assembled leaders of Jerusalem the Lord speaks of His coming glories: "From now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power." A furious outburst of hatred follows that confession. Priests and elders unite to spit in the face of the Son of God.

In Joseph's first dream he tells his brothers that he and they were binding sheaves of grain in the field: his sheaf arose and stood erect, and those of his brothers all bowed down to his sheaf (v. 7). Joseph probably did not understand that God meant the dream as a prophecy: his brothers would one day bow to his authority. Genesis 42:6 tells us they did. Of course, the most vital lesson here is that all Israel will yet bow to the Lord Jesus, whom they have despised and hated.

We may not doubt that God had a gracious purpose here. He was exercising Joseph's spirit and strengthening his heart for the distress and many troubles that would be his portion before those remarkable foreshadowings came true… The brothers could not easily forget dreams so simple and striking, dreams that touched nearly the whole family. Still less could the sufferer forget them. In the middle of much grief and shame, he remembered the visions of strange dignity that awaited him within his lifetime and theirs.

Was it wise or fitting to repeat his dreams to those who had no love for him? That may be a question. But the dreams were from God, while the effect on his brothers came from the enemy... Everything recorded marks Joseph as a godly youth. He had moral courage. He was faithful toward those who went wrong. He had a humble mind that wondered at the dreams as much as anyone, or more... Such a sign always provokes opponents to madness and revenge. Yet God turns even their spite and wicked ways to accomplish His purpose.

To tell what his dreams, or his visions in the Spirit, had shown him was from God.

In Genesis 37, what could be simpler or better suited to these men? Joseph's sheaf rises up and keeps standing, while the other sheaves come round and bow down to his sheaf... The dream was so plain, vivid and startling that it needed no interpreter.

Joseph likely did not understand that God meant the dream as a prophecy: his brothers would one day bow to his authority. Genesis 42:6 tells us they did. The most vital lesson here is bigger still. All Israel will yet bow to the Lord Jesus, whom they have despised and hated.

The scene of this dream is the harvest field. It is Christ's kingdom on earth... All the earth shall own His rule... He does not yet openly take up His great power and reign. But He will, when He reaps the harvest of this earth. Now is the day of His kingdom and patience.... He waits in patient grace to see if you will submit to His authority of your own choice. If you refuse Him now, while He is patient, sheer force will make you own His righteous rule in the day of His power.

In Joseph's case, he did not soften his testimony when his brothers refused his first dream... This was simple testimony founded on God's revelation. But it was testimony that brought Joseph down to the pit. If he had held back his testimony, or blunted its edge and power, he might have spared himself. But no — he told them the truth, and so they hated him.

These dreams of their young brother enraged his jealous brothers, and they got rid of him. They sold him to passing merchants, who took the boy to Egypt and sold him as a slave. This did not look like the fulfilment of Joseph's dreams of future greatness. It was indeed a very sorrowful road to the answer of his dreams, but it was THE road.

Joseph was a witness against their evil ways, and his father loved him. That made him hateful to the sons of the servant mothers. The special robe Jacob gave Joseph did not soften their harshness, and neither did his two dreams. Whether it was wise or fitting to repeat his dreams to those who had no love for him may be a question. But the dreams were of God, just as the effect on his brothers was of the enemy.

Joseph tells his brothers his first dream. He and they were binding sheaves of grain in the field: his sheaf rose and stood upright, and the sheaves of his brothers all bowed down to it (v. 7). Joseph probably did not understand that God meant the dream as a prophecy: his brothers would one day bow to his authority. Genesis 42:6 tells us they did. Of course, the most vital lesson here is that all Israel will yet bow to the Lord Jesus, whom they have despised and hated. At the time Joseph's brothers thought it ridiculous that he would ever have dominion over them (v. 8).

And so his sufferings begin. The Lord marks him as the heir of glory. He speaks of the goodness he had found, and of God's high purpose for him. And his brothers hate him. They envy him; and who can stand before envy? They had already begrudged him his father's favour, and now they hate him for God's. They hate him for his words and for his dreams.

Finally, Joseph's brothers hated him for his words. … So too Christ is still the object of a hatred that men cannot hide, however hard they try. … But never forget what lies behind the "harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him": the "ungodly deeds that they have committed in such an ungodly way." The evil lives of Joseph's brothers lay behind the hatred in their hearts and the evil words of their lips (Jude 15).

Now, in Joseph's case, we see that he in no way relaxed his testimony because his brothers refused his first dream. … This was simple testimony founded on divine revelation; but it was testimony that brought Joseph down to the pit. Had he held back his testimony, or blunted its edge and power, he might have spared himself. But no — he told them the truth, and so they hated him.

He was the object of his father's love, and the subject of very high destinies. His brothers' hearts were not in fellowship with these things, so they hated him. They had no share in the father's love. They would not yield to the thought of Joseph's exaltation. In all this they represent the Jews in Christ's day. "He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him." … They would neither own Him as the Son of God nor as king of Israel.

Joseph was lord. His rule was absolute in that great land. His dreams came true. The other sheaves bowed to his sheaf; sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed to him. His brothers had said, "Let us … throw him into one of the pits … and we will see what will become of his dreams." Well, now they had seen!

Both his dreams foretold his coming greatness and glory. The meaning was so plain that his brothers, and his father too, saw it at once. The drift of the two was the same. But only the second suggested that his father and mother, as well as his brothers, would bow down to him in a day to come. There was a further difference. Sheaves belong to an earthly harvest, while sun, moon and stars are heavenly objects. The sun is a symbol of supreme authority, and the moon of authority derived from it and joined with it. Jacob saw at once how well this fitted the place of father and mother in his large family.

The second dream seems to have raised questions in his brothers' minds. He told them, and told his father too, that he had dreamed of the sun and moon and eleven stars bowing down to him. His father rebuked him. He evidently felt that pride in Joseph had produced the dream. The implication was plain to him: he himself, Rachel and his eleven children would all bow down to Joseph.

The second dream implied a remarkable honour, and it moved Jacob. He could not help storing up its meaning, dim as it still was to him. Joseph was simple and open, with no presumption in him at all. That only made his brothers' spite burn hotter, and it soon found an occasion to break out in outrageous malice. How like the way of the Jews with Him who was long afterwards to be the blessed One that Joseph pictured!

His father rebuked him. He assumed that what the dream pointed to could never happen. Yet Scripture records that he "kept the saying in mind." That shows he could not dismiss it, and that he saw more in it than he had thought at first. He had faith in God, even if it was weak; whereas the brothers had none.

And see what happens next. When Joseph tells his second dream, we read that his brothers envied him. It was the same with the great One whom he pictured. It is written of Pilate, "he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up" (Matthew 27:18). And who can stand before envy, as the proverb asks? The rulers and the Pharisees were jealous of His standing. "Look, the world has gone after him," they said, in alarm.

One dream might have been enough to foretell the glories of Joseph. It would be far too small to picture the glories of Christ. For His supremacy will have a twofold character… The dream of the sheaves bowing to Joseph's sheaf may well speak of that excellent supremacy over all the earth which Christ is destined to wield. Yet this first dream does not set out His supremacy in full. He is destined to be supreme not only on earth, but to hold universal sway over heaven and earth… And this second dream speaks of that heavenly supremacy. It presents heavenly bodies — the sun, the moon, and the stars — bowing down to Joseph.

Jacob's view of the prophetic dream seems limited to his own family. He heard that the sun and moon and eleven stars paid homage to Joseph. He then asked whether he, Joseph's mother and Joseph's brothers would really bow to the ground before him. The sun and the moon were, to Jacob, father and mother. But this dream goes far beyond Jacob's family, or the nation of Israel.

Joseph told his brothers, and his father too, that he dreamed the sun and moon and eleven stars bowed down to him. His father rebuked him. He seemed to feel that pride on Joseph's part caused the dream, because the implication was plain to him: he, Rachel and his eleven children would bow down to Joseph. But his brothers envied him. Did this not show they were afraid Joseph would have such a place of authority? We know too that it was not only unbelief that moved the Jewish leaders to reject Christ. It was envy as well (Matt. 27:18).

The dreams that speak of Joseph's future supremacy are a fresh motive for the envy and hatred of the brothers. He had been a witness against them of their evil, now he is a witness to them of his future glory. They will have neither one nor the other. The Lord did the same. He witnessed against the evil of the world, and He bore witness to His coming glories. Like Joseph, He drew the hatred of the world onto Himself. Before the assembled leaders of Jerusalem the Lord speaks of His coming glories. "From now on," He can say, "you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power." A furious outburst of hatred followed that confession. Priests and elders united to spit in the face of the Son of God.

The recounting of these dreams greatly fanned the flame of hatred, as we see in verses 5, 8 and 11. His father rebuked him, thinking that what the dream pointed to could never happen. Yet the record says that he "kept the saying in mind." He could not put it out of his thoughts. He recognised that there was more in it than he had first thought. He had faith in God, even if it was weak; whereas the brothers had none.

Was it wise or fitting to tell his dreams to those who had no love for him? That may be a question. But the dreams were of God, and the effect on his brothers was of the enemy. Even to his father the second was distasteful, though he kept it in mind. Everything recorded here marks Joseph as a godly youth. He had moral courage. He was faithful toward those who were going wrong. He had a lowly mind, and wondered at the dreams as much as anyone, or more. And we cannot doubt that God had His gracious purpose in it: to exercise Joseph's spirit and strengthen his heart for the distress and many troubles that would be his before those remarkable foreshadowings came true.

When Joseph tells his second dream, we read that his brothers envied him. It was the same with Christ, the One Joseph pictured. Of Pilate it is written that "he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered Him up" (Matt. 27:18)… How different the spirit shown by John the Baptist, who said, "He must increase, but I must decrease." It was his joy to step into the background, so that Christ his Lord might, as God intends He shall, be preeminent in everything.

What a mercy it was for his half-brothers, who were not brothers in heart, that their cruel purpose took effect only in part. In divine goodness, wisdom and power God turned it to bring about the very exaltation which they hated as much as they envied. Like Cain, they meant to kill their brother. And why? Because, underneath it all, their works were evil and their brother's were righteous.

Jacob had many sheep and cattle. His sons fed the sheep at Shechem — the city where they had killed its people. Hebron, high on a mountain, makes us think of heaven; but Shechem makes us think of sin, deception and murder. Jacob's sons left Hebron and their father to feed the sheep down at Shechem. Have we not all left our heavenly Father and chosen this bad world?

Why this return to Shechem? Was it because the purchased land, the family estate, was there? It was a dangerous place to be connected with. It had proved a snare to the whole family, and the Lord had called them away from it. Had Jacob been as watchful as he should have been, we might not now be hearing again of Shechem and of the flocks and the brothers there. Still, it is good to see signs of uneasiness in his mind about it. He sends Joseph to find out how the flocks and the brothers were doing there, as though he had some misgiving about them in such a suspect place. We may take this as the pulse of an awakened soul in Jacob, though that pulse is weak.

Shechem means "shoulder." It speaks of taking up responsibility, which Israel did under law. So the Lord Jesus, sent by the Father, came to the place where Israel was responsible to be, under the law God had given them. Joseph was sent "from the valley of Hebron" (v. 14). Hebron means "communion." This reminds us that the Father sent His Son from the place of close communion. That communion had been the portion of the Father and the Son from all past eternity.

Joseph gives willing and hearty obedience. "Here am I," he answers to his father's command. "So," we read, "he sent him from the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem." Here we see a picture of the coming of the Son of God into the world. In type, it is the arrival of Israel's Messiah among them. He was "sent" by his father; and in the New Testament we read that "the Father has sent the Son."

Joseph then starts on his mission. He is sure of his father's love and aware of his brothers' hatred… He answered the will of the father, and did not shrink from the post of danger which the father did not fear for him… So Joseph followed this path of service, carrying his father's message and showing his father's concern. He came to Shechem. There his mission met a check: his brothers were not there. Such checks often happen to test how real we are — whether the Father's will is all we want. Joseph's heart was set on finishing the mission. Instead of going home when he could not find them, he waits at his post until he gets news of them.

In his own measure Joseph was like the Lord. He was a vessel of divine wisdom in humiliation that deepened into the shadow of death. His brothers rejected and scorned him most of all, and he was sold to the Gentiles. The very errand of love on which his father sent him to them gave them the opportunity for taking out their hatred on his lowly and blameless head.

Why this return to Shechem? Was it because the purchased land, the family estate, was there? It was a dangerous place to be connected with. It had proved a snare to the whole family, and the Lord had called them away from it. Jacob should have been more watchful. If he had been, we might not be hearing again of Shechem, or of the flocks and the brothers there. But still, it is good to see signs of uneasiness in his mind about it. He sends Joseph to find out how the flocks and the brothers were doing there, as though he had some misgiving about them in so suspicious a place.

Shechem means "shoulder," and speaks of assuming responsibility, which Israel did under law. So the Father sent the Lord Jesus to the place where Israel was responsible to be, under the law God had given them. Joseph was sent "from the valley of Hebron" (v. 14). Hebron means "communion." This reminds us that the Father sent His Son from the place of close communion. That communion had been the portion of the Father and the Son from all past eternity.

Hebron, high on a mountain, makes us think of heaven; but Shechem, of sin, deception and murder. Jacob's sons left Hebron and their father to feed the sheep down at Shechem. Have we not all left our heavenly Father and chosen this bad world?

Joseph would have had good reason to draw back from such an errand. He knew his brothers' wickedness and hatred. He knew the envy of their hearts against him. He could with reason have asked his father to excuse him from this undertaking. But no; "Here I am," he says, always ready to obey, and glad to seek his brothers' welfare.

Joseph first comes before you as a young man of seventeen (Gen. 37:2), and we find that his father sends him on a journey, saying, "Go now, see if it is well with your brothers… and bring me word" (v. 14). In the same way, of the blessed Lord we read, "The Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world" (1 John 4:14). Did the world know Him? Ah, no! "He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, yet the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him" (John 1:10-11). So it was here. No sooner does Joseph appear among his brothers than they plot, as you know, for his death.

Responding to the will of the father, he did not shrink from the post of danger which the father did not see for him. Suppose the One greater than we are, in love and in wisdom, appoints us a path of service that would be pleasing to Himself. He knows all, and He sees no danger for us. Then we may surely enter on it in simple confidence… Joseph's heart was set on finishing the errand. Instead of turning back when he could not find his brothers, he waits at his post until he gets news of them, and then follows them to Dothan.

Joseph's service brought him reproach and misunderstanding. In the end he had the joy of fellowship with his brothers, and "Joseph provided… his brothers" with food (Genesis 47:12). Paul cared for all the churches. Timothy had genuine concern for the saints. Epaphras prayed fervently for them. These are a few of those who sought the welfare of their brothers — a happy service open to all.

Joseph followed this path of service. He carried his father's message and expressed his father's interest. He came to Shechem, but his mission stalled when he found that his brothers were not there. Such checks often happen to test how real we are about whether the Father's will is entirely our desire. Joseph's heart was clearly set on completing it. Instead of turning back when he could not find them, he stayed at his post until he got news of them. Then he followed them to Dothan, unprepared for the murderous and spiteful welcome waiting for him.

How like the blessed Son of God! He, too, "found in human form," was here, "Wandering as a homeless stranger."

Then the father sent out his beloved Joseph to seek his brothers who were lost. Israel put Joseph into their hands. All this foreshadows God's unspeakable gift in sending His only Son into this world to seek what is lost.

Joseph wandering in the field, in complete loneliness, is only a shadow of Him who here on earth had "nowhere to lay His head." Though often in the middle of crowds, His life was one of loneliness and sorrow. He was like "a lonely sparrow on the housetop." Few could, or even cared to, share His thoughts. Sometimes, as with Joseph, "a man found" Him, and to such people He told His errand. To these, His disciples, He could pour out the intentions of His burdened heart; but the world did not know Him! But how He kept up His search for those "lost sheep of the house of Israel" to whom He was "sent." Nothing could turn Him back.

Joseph did not find his brothers at Shechem, just as the Lord Jesus did not find Israel in the place of obedience to the law of God. Dothan means "their decree." Just as Joseph found his brothers at Dothan, so the Lord Jesus found Israel in a place of their own decrees and traditions, rather than in the place of submission to the law of God. He told the Pharisees and scribes, "So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God" (Matt. 15:6).

"Dothan" means "two wells," or, perhaps better, "cisterns." This at once recalls what God says of Israel in Jeremiah 2:13: "they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water." This was Israel's exact condition when the One who had "the fountain of life" was among them.

Joseph was like the Lord in his measure. He was a vessel of divine wisdom in humiliation that deepened into the shadow of death. His brothers rejected and scorned him more than anyone else, and sold him to the Gentiles. The very errand of love on which his father sent him to them gave them the opportunity to pour out their hatred on his lowly and blameless head.

Joseph does not find his brothers when he comes to Shechem. They have departed. Now is his chance to return to Hebron if his heart is not wholly in his mission. Here is a good excuse for turning back and giving up the task. But no; he has no thought of turning back, or of giving up the work his father gave him to do.

Joseph followed this path of service. He carried his father's message and expressed his father's interest. He came to Shechem, but there his mission stalled, because his brothers were not there. Such checks often come to test how real we are — is the Father's will wholly our desire? Joseph's heart was set on finishing it. Instead of returning when he could not find them, he waits at his post until he gets news of them. Then he follows them to Dothan.

In this journey there is a foreshadowing of a far greater journey taken by the Son of God. He left the Father's home of light and love. He came into this world of death and darkness, and He knew well the evil into which He came. And yet He did not turn back. Even at the cross we read, "Jesus, knowing all that would happen to Him, came forward" (John 18:4). If the love of the Father would send Him, then the love of the Son is ready to do the Father's bidding. "Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God." He comes as the sent One of the Father to declare the Father's love.

Joseph wandering in the field, in complete loneliness, is only a shadow of Him who had "nowhere to lay His head." He was often surrounded by crowds, yet His life was one of loneliness and sorrow… Sometimes, as with Joseph, "a man found" Him, and to such people He told His errand. To these, His disciples, He could unburden the thoughts of His heavy heart; but the world did not know Him! But oh, how He kept up His search for those "lost sheep of the house of Israel" to whom He was "sent." Nothing could turn Him back.

"Dothan" means "two wells," or perhaps better, "cisterns." This at once recalls what God says of Israel in Jeremiah 2:13. They have forsaken Him, "the fountain of living waters," and dug out for themselves "broken cisterns that can hold no water." That was Israel's condition exactly when the One with whom is "the fountain of life" was among them.

Joseph did not find his brothers at Shechem, just as the Lord Jesus did not find Israel in the place of obedience to the law of God… Dothan means "their decree." Joseph found his brothers at Dothan. In the same way, the Lord Jesus found Israel in a place of their own decrees and traditions, and not in the place of subjection to the law of God.

Joseph's service brought him reproach and misunderstanding. In the end he had the joy of fellowship with his brothers, and he provided for them (Genesis 47:12). Paul cared for all the churches. Timothy had genuine desires for the saints. Epaphras prayed for them with all his heart. These are a few of those who sought the welfare of the brothers — a happy service open to all.

Joseph does not find his brothers when he comes to Shechem. They have left. Now is his chance to return to Hebron if his heart is not wholly in his mission. Here was a good excuse for turning back and giving up the task. But no; he has no thought of turning back, or of giving up the work his father gave him to do.

Joseph took this path of service. He carried his father's message and stood for his father's interest. He came to Shechem, but found his brothers gone, and his mission stalled. Such checks often come to test how real we are — whether the Father's will is all we want. Joseph's heart was set on finishing the errand. Instead of going home when he could not find them, he waited at his post until he got news of them. Then he followed them to Dothan, unprepared for the murderous and spiteful welcome that awaited him.

Joseph was certainly not one to break from his brothers without cause. He followed them forty miles to be with them and serve them, but "they hated him without a cause." He was a picture, given in advance, of One whose deepest human sorrow was that "His own people did not receive Him." He was wounded in the house of His friends, and He said to those He had held close, "One of you will betray me."

Dothan means "their decree." Just as Joseph found his brothers at Dothan, so the Lord Jesus found Israel in a place of their own decrees and traditions, rather than in the place of subjection to the law of God.

They were zealous law-keepers, and Dothan points to this exactly, if I am not mistaken. The name means "laws" — not "precepts," the moral and spiritual guidance that God's law was, but imperial "decrees." Israel had gone away from God and from the path of their forefather. That is what God's word had become to them.

"Dothan" means "two wells," or perhaps better, "cisterns." That at once recalls what God says of Israel in Jeremiah 2:13: "they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water." This was Israel's condition exactly when the One who held the fountain of life was among them.

Because of their self-righteousness and pride they would not be convinced by Him of their wickedness. So He appealed to their unsatisfied hearts and cried out, on the last day of the feast, the great day: "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink." Joseph goes from Shechem, the scene of their wickedness, to Dothan — heart thirst. This is still Christ's way with souls. Some find it impossible to think of themselves as great and grievous sinners. But they do have empty hearts. When they see how broken earth's cisterns are, they will come to Him who is Himself the satisfying fountain of true joy.

They were heartless toward the innocent sufferer and toward the father who had sent him in love. Yet in the middle of it rises the foreshadowing of Him who was to come, one infinitely greater than Joseph. He too was the Beloved of His Father, and His Father sent Him as Son of Man to seek the lost.

Joseph's touching story also points ahead to the reception the world has given to the One sent by the Father. Having no heart for their father, these men of evil ways have no eyes to recognise the one his love had sent. To them Joseph is only a dreamer whose dreams they would gladly stop by conspiring to kill him... And how eager man is to express his hatred: "They saw him from afar... they conspired against him to kill him." But God's thoughts are not our thoughts, nor His ways our ways. If it is a question of the Son of the Father's love coming near to men, then He will be rejected while still far off. But it is different when a sinner is drawn to the Father. Then we read that "while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him."

These words are a powerful reminder of the parable in Matthew 21: "Finally he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.' And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him." God sent His Son into the world with this thought: "They will respect my son." But man's heart had no respect for the "well beloved" of the Father. They cast Him out... Man crucified Him; but God raised Him from the dead. Man placed Him on a cross between two thieves; God set Him at His own right hand in the heavens.

The evil heart of man is marked by corruption and violence. The brothers are ready to rid themselves of Joseph by violent acts. They were also prepared to cover their violence with corrupt and lying words. "Let us kill him," they say, "and we will say, Some fierce animal has devoured him." Violence and corruption are the outstanding marks of fallen man. He is shameless in both. He is not merely overcome by a sudden temptation. Like Joseph's brothers, he can plan his violent act and his corrupt lies in advance.

God sent Joseph's dreams, and the outcome proved them real, while what other people call reality is only a daydream. And what a mercy it was for his half-brothers, who were not brothers in heart! Their cruel purpose succeeded only in part. God turned it, in His goodness, wisdom, and power, into the very means of bringing about the exaltation they hated as much as they envied. Like Cain, their intent was to kill their brother. And why? Because, at bottom, their works were evil and their brother's righteous.

The Jew did this nineteen hundred years ago. You and I, and every man, would do the same today, if grace had not renewed us and we stood in the same place.

Joseph then starts on his mission. He is sure of his father's love. He knows his brothers hate him. And deep inside he carries an idea of future greatness that he does not yet understand. Responding to the will of the father, he did not shrink from the post of danger which the father did not foresee for him... instead of returning when he could not find them, he stays at his post until he gets news of them. He then follows them to Dothan. He was not ready for the murderous, spiteful welcome waiting for him.

They could not bear the idea of his exaltation. They hated him, and called him "this master of dreams" (v. 19), so they plotted his death. But Reuben rescued him, and says, "Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit."

For them Joseph is only a dreamer whose dreams they would gladly frustrate by conspiring to kill him... And how eager man is to express his hatred. "When they saw him afar off … they conspired against him to slay him." But God's thoughts are not our thoughts, nor His ways our ways. If it is a question of the Son of the Father's love drawing near to men, then indeed He will be rejected while still far off. But what if it is a question of a sinner drawn to the Father? Then we read that while he was "still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him."

These words strongly remind us of the parable in Matthew 21. "But last of all he sent to them his son, saying, They will respect my son. But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him and have his inheritance. And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him." God sent His Son into the world with this thought: "They will respect my son." But sadly, man's heart had no reverence for the "well beloved" of the Father. They cast Him out. Earth and heaven were at issue about Christ, and they are at issue still. Man crucified Him; but God raised Him from the dead.

They thought his dreams were only an idle fancy, which they could easily get rid of. They had to learn that the dreams were a revelation of the purpose of God, and they could not overthrow it.

The dreams of Joseph were God-sent, and as real in the outcome as the realities of others are only daydreams. And what a mercy it was for his half-brothers, who were not brothers in heart! Their cruel purpose took effect only in part. God, in His goodness, wisdom, and power, turned it to bring about the very rise they hated as much as they envied.

Man imagines in vain that corruption and violence will prosper. The brothers of Joseph did the same. They had planned to kill their brother and meant to cover their act with lies, yet they could say with complete confidence, "We shall see what will become of his dreams." They will indeed see. And it is a terrible thing for those who reject Christ. They too will see, for it is written: "Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of Him."

The evil heart of man is marked by corruption and violence. The brothers are ready to rid themselves of Joseph by violent acts. They are also ready to cover their violence with corrupt and lying words. "Let us kill him," they say, "and we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him." Violence and corruption are the outstanding marks of fallen man, and he is shameless in both. He is not simply overcome by some sudden temptation. Like Joseph's brothers, he can deliberately plan his violent act and his corrupt lies.

And so his sufferings begin. The Lord marks him out as the heir of glory. Joseph speaks of the goodness he had found, and of God's high purpose for him, and his brothers hate him. They envy him; and who can stand before envy? They had already begrudged him his father's favour, and now they hate him for God's. They hate him for his words and for his dreams. They are in the field together, as Cain and Abel had been long before. There they discuss whether to kill him, to throw him into a pit, or to sell him to strangers. And all this happened while he was serving them. He had come a long way to ask after their welfare ... and to carry them blessings from their father's house with their father's love. Such a moment was their opportunity.

He came into this world, which He had made along with everything in it, but what happened? He was hated. He was not wanted. So Joseph's brothers hated him... In the same way, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ sent His Son to be the Saviour of the world. When He came into the world men said, "This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours" (Mark 12:7). Joseph's brothers say, "Come now, let us kill him... and we will see what will become of his dreams." In other words, they plan to murder him, and then to back up their murder with deceit and lies. That was the proposal, but it was not carried out, because Reuben stepped in and Joseph was thrown into the pit. But with the Lord Jesus Christ the murder did take place. Men did kill Him.

Man imagines in vain that corruption and violence will prosper. Joseph's brothers had planned to kill their brother, and they meant to cover the act with lying. Yet they can say with complete confidence, "We will see what will become of his dreams." They will indeed see. And it will go badly for those who reject Christ. They too will see. Is it not written, "Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him"?

God sent Joseph's dreams, and they proved as real in the event as other people's realities are mere daydreams. His half-brothers were not brothers at heart. What a mercy it was for them that their cruel purpose only took effect in part! God's goodness, wisdom and power turned it into the very elevation they hated as much as they envied. Like Cain, they intended to kill their brother. And why? Because, underneath it all, their works were evil and their brother's were righteous.

The Jews did this nineteen hundred years ago. You and I, and every man, would do the same today if grace had not renewed us and we stood in similar circumstances.

Joseph was still some distance away when his brothers saw him coming. They plotted to put him to death (vv. 19-20). From the time the Lord Jesus was born, Herod was determined to kill Him (Matt. 2:13-16). But at this time God's sovereign protection was clear. Reuben, the oldest of the brothers, had some sense of responsibility for a younger brother, and he was able to persuade them not to kill him. In the same way, the Jews often tried to kill the Lord Jesus. But they could not do it until the time God Himself had set. In the meantime their fear of consequences restrained them (Matt. 21:45-46).

Reuben suggested simply putting Joseph into a pit from which he could not escape, intending himself to afterward liberate Joseph so that he could return to his father (v. 22). He evidently felt that, being the oldest, he would be answerable to his father for what the brothers did, for evil does not generally continue long without being discovered.

There may be different measures in the common enmity; but in a great moral sense they are all one generation. Reuben was Jacob's firstborn. We may suppose that he felt more answerable to their aged father for the boy than any of them did. He saves Joseph from the sword, and Judah proposes a sale of him to the merchants, instead of the pit. In ways like these there are measures in the common enmity… here, all are the guilty brothers of Joseph.

Many are like Reuben — they try to occupy a neutral place. He seeks, in a timid, half-hearted way to save the life of Joseph. If he knew Joseph did not deserve such treatment, why did he not step out and say plainly, "No; lay no hand on this defenceless boy. Why do you want to kill the child? I shall stand by him; and if you kill him, you must do it over my dead body." "Well said, Reuben!" we would all exclaim. But no; he is too cowardly. He tries in a weak way to save Joseph's life, but he makes sure it costs him no risk. And he suffers along with his wicked brothers, just as if he had taken the leading part, like Judah.

Joseph was in danger from his brothers, and Reuben, as the eldest, should have protected him. He does go so far as to say, "Shed no blood" — people like him hate the thought of blood, especially in theology — "throw him into this pit." He meant to rescue him; but something always happens to upset a Reuben's good intentions. He means to be an upright man, no doubt, but falls into the terrible sin of which his father accuses him.

His older brother Reuben comes to the rescue. He plans to get Joseph out of the pit they threw him into, and to send him back to his father. Joseph would have been glad to hear of Reuben's plan. But that kindness would have stopped Joseph's dreams from coming true, and so it failed.

Joseph is sent to see the welfare of his brothers, follows them to Dothan, and there the last errand of love brings out their deepest hatred. They determine to get rid of him. They will have this dreamer no more. Reuben sets himself against their plan to murder him. But the result is that, at Judah's proposal, he is thrown into the pit and given up for death. Yet he is taken out of it and sold to the Midianites — a wonderful picture of One greater than Joseph.

The inner garment is the kethoneth, a long tunic worn by men and women. It was made of wool, cotton, or linen. This was the garment God made of skins for Adam and Eve, and what Jacob made of many colours for Joseph. Gen. 3:21; Gen. 37:3, 23-33. It formed part of the priest's dress... It was this garment of the Lord's that was woven in one piece, John 19:23.

The name does not mean exactly "of many colors." Nor was it a seamless robe of one piece, the kind the Lord Himself usually wore. It is a "tunic of pieces," which suggests variety. I think it points to the many powers seen in the Lord in those mighty works which He called works "from the Father."

His brothers stripped him of his coat of many colours and threw him into the pit. The father had marked him out with that coat; the brothers degrade him by tearing it off. It happens again and again with Christ. Some special display of divine power, wisdom and grace sets Him above all others, and at once man strips Him of His coat of many colours. Man tries to drag Him down to the level of an ordinary man by asking, "Is not this the carpenter's son?"... With Joseph the stripping was only the first step toward the pit. So with Christ: man rejected every witness to His glory, and at last, with wicked hands, delivered Him to death.

Joseph here shows himself as the righteous or separated one, and so he stirs up the hatred of his wicked brothers. The light makes the deeds of darkness visible, and the darkness hates the light. In the same way the world later hated Joseph's Lord, because He testified that its deeds were evil. And the marks of divine favour placed on the righteous one only stir that hatred further... His brothers envy him. Later, out in the field together, they take counsel like another Cain, who killed his brother: shall they kill Joseph, throw him into the pit, or sell him to strangers?

They likely took pleasure in stripping Joseph of his coat of many colors, because of their jealousy toward him over his father's favouritism. All of this reminds us of men taking the garments of the Lord Jesus and casting lots for them at the time of His crucifixion (Matt. 27:35). Joseph's brothers calmly sat down to eat. In the same way, Matthew says of those who crucified the Lord, "they sat down and kept watch over Him there" (Matt. 27:36).

The many-coloured coat... was a mark of renown, of superior dignity or excellence... The persecutors of the Son of God were not satisfied until they had stripped Him, as far as they were able, of everything the many-coloured coat of Joseph stood for — His dignity, His moral excellence, His honour. They took everything they could lay their guilty hands on... Yes, they stripped Him. But like a sheep silent before her shearers, He did not open His mouth. He submitted without complaint to the mockery and humiliation, and because of this God has "highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name."

Enough was done, and enough is written, to show that the Holy One of God stood before the eyes of the One who knows how to carry out His deliberate counsel and foreknowledge. God did this not only despite the unbelief of the Jews who had turned away from Him, and despite the hands of lawless Gentiles, but through them. In their blind pride they did not know what they were doing. Yet they knew more than enough to leave both without excuse.

The father had distinguished him by a coat of many colours; the brothers degrade him by stripping him. So it is with Christ. On many notable occasions He stands out above all others by some special display of divine power, wisdom and grace. At once man strips Him of His coat of many colours. Man tries to drag Him down to the level of a mere man by asking, "Is not this the carpenter's son?" or "Is not this the carpenter?" As with Joseph, the stripping was only the lead-up to the pit; so with Christ, the rejection of every witness to His glory led men at last with wicked hands to hand Him over to death.

Isaac goes up to the mountain to be offered up. Joseph goes down to the pit. The mountain speaks of the glory of the Person offered up. The pit tells of the misery and degradation of those for whom He is offered up… If his brothers are ever to enter blessing and share in Joseph's glory, then Joseph must take their place — the place of distance and shame that the pit sets out. "Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins," and "unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies it remains alone."

Joseph may again take up the story of the cross as his brothers cast him into the pit. But for him "the pit was empty; there was no water in it." How different the cross of Christ! At God's word "Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son." That same God can now say, "Awake, O sword, against My shepherd, against the man who stands next to Me." Twelve legions of angels await His commands, yet He tells not one of them to hold back the sword of judgment. It is no empty pit into which He must go. He can say, "You have put me in the depths of the pit, in the regions dark and deep. Your wrath lies heavy upon me, and You overwhelm me with all Your waves" (Ps. 88:6-7).

Cruel as the treatment by Joseph's brothers was, he was not forsaken. But Jesus cried out, "My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?"… The sufferings of Joseph were against his will; but the death of Jesus was His own voluntary offering. "I lay down my life for the sheep."

At Dothan, then, Joseph's brothers are found, and at once they plan to kill him. In fact they cast him into a pit, but one that holds no water. "It is not lawful for us," the Jews said to Pilate, "to put any man to death." Then they draw him out of it and sell him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. So Israel handed the Lord over to the Gentiles.

He was rejected and cast into the pit. He passed, in figure, through the deep waters of death, and so reached the place of dignity and glory. He was raised from the dungeon to rule over the land of Egypt, and to keep his brothers alive and provide for them… A striking picture of Him who hung upon the cross, lay in the grave, and is now on the throne of the majesty of heaven.

Joseph did not speak of it; no one in Egypt knew of it; but conscience spoke inside them. It had been quiet for a time, but it could not be silent for ever. It now woke, and each of them remembered the very look of anguish on his face: "We saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us and we did not listen." Memory does not die, though it may sleep for a while.

Having cast Joseph into the pit, his brothers "sat down to eat bread." Nor was it otherwise at the cross. The presence of Joseph only reveals the evil of his brothers. In the same way, the cross exposes how deep the corruption of man's heart goes. The leaders of Israel hand the true Passover Lamb over to death, and then calmly sit down to eat the Passover feast. They are an evil and adulterous generation, like the adulterous woman of Proverbs, of whom it is written, "she eats and wipes her mouth and says, 'I have done no wrong.'"

None can teach like God. He alone can give the conscience the true sense of sin. He alone brings the soul down into the deep places of its own condition in His presence. Men run on in their life of guilt, taking notice of nothing, until the arrow of the Almighty pierces their conscience... Joseph's brothers had no idea of all that was to flow to them from what they did to him. "They took him and cast him into a pit … and they sat down to eat bread." "Woe to those … who drink wine in bowls and anoint themselves with the finest oils, but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph." (Amos 6:6)

The gum of the balsam bush, of great medicinal value. Gilead was noted for producing it. It is used as a proverb to describe the healing God had for His people if they really turned to Him. Jer. 8:22; Jer. 46:11; Jer. 51:8. It was carried by the merchants into Egypt and elsewhere. Gen. 37:25; Ezek. 27:17.

Meanwhile Joseph had gone "wrapped" with the myrrh and spices of the Ishmaelites to Egypt. Was it his fragrance that attracted Potiphar to buy him?

The traders on their way to Egypt at once suggest to Judah a chance of making a profit out of their brother. Why not sell Joseph and make a little money? If they are not going to satisfy their hatred by killing Joseph, why not satisfy their greed by selling Joseph?... "Profit" is the word that governed the actions of Joseph's brothers. Judah asks the question of the greedy heart — not "Is it right?" or "Is it wrong?" but "What profit is it?"

Yet in the middle of this heartlessness — toward the innocent sufferer, and toward the father who had sent him in love — a foreshadowing rises of Him who was to come. He is infinitely greater than Joseph. He too was the Beloved of His Father, and sent as Son of man in search of the lost. As the Faithful Witness, He drew out man's evil by divine good, and in everything He pleased God the Father.

Notice what Joseph's trial did. God's ordering kept it from anything that would hinder it. It was meant to frustrate God's purpose, and it looked completely against it. Yet that trial, and his righteous suffering in Egypt, only brought about the very thing they seemed to frustrate. It was the Egypt his brothers sold him to, and the prison Potiphar put him in, that brought him to the butler and the baker. That is what made him governor over all the land of Egypt. We cannot put God out of His way. It is better to trust Him.

The company of merchants on their way to Egypt at once suggests to Judah the chance of making a profit out of his brother. Why not sell Joseph and make a little money? If they are not going to satisfy their hatred by killing Joseph, why not satisfy their covetousness by selling Joseph? So they gave their brother up to the Gentiles, and gave themselves up to money-making… "Profit" is the word that governed the actions of Joseph's brothers. Judah asks the question of the covetous heart — not "Is it right?" or "Is it wrong?" but "What profit is it?"

A company of Ishmaelite traders appears, travelling towards Egypt. Judah is quick to see an ideal way to get rid of Joseph and make some money at the same time. So he points out to his brothers that killing Joseph and hiding it would gain them nothing. Selling him as a slave to the Ishmaelites would bring a profit — and leave them no dead body to get rid of. He also appeals to their sense of loyalty to their family relationship. Joseph was their brother. He seems to have a conscience against killing his brother, but no conscience against selling him as a slave!

There may be different degrees in the shared hatred; but in a deep moral sense they are all one generation. Reuben was Jacob's firstborn, and we may suppose he felt himself more answerable to the aged father for the boy than any of them. He saves Joseph from the sword, and Judah proposes selling him to the merchants instead of the pit. … The Judge of all the earth will surely do right. Sins will get their many stripes and their few stripes. But the world has cast out Jesus, and the world is the world. Here, all alike are the guilty brothers of Joseph.

How evident that in Jehovah alone can one boast, and that the objects of His choice are in themselves nothing and worse than nothing! Yet heartlessness towards the guiltless sufferer, and towards the father who had sent him in love, is not all we see. In the middle of it rises a foreshadowing of Him who was to come, One infinitely greater than Joseph. He too was the Beloved of His Father, and sent as Son of Man in search of the lost.

We may notice that it was not Reuben or any other of the tribal heads who proposed the sale of Joseph. It was Judah. In his own house he later showed the evil that brought curse after curse. In the end he had to admit that Tamar, whom he had sentenced to die by fire, was more righteous than himself. Yet through this guilty Judah, and through Tamar, came He who cleanses from all sin by His blood. He will reign over the universe to God's glory, far beyond all that Joseph pictured, for He went far lower in humiliation and suffering.

He had taken the lead in selling Joseph to the Midianites going to Egypt, speaking with much hardness of heart. Now he has to speak about Benjamin, and what a change is clear! Instead of hardness, great tenderness of feeling, especially for his old father, Jacob. Then it did not matter how Jacob would feel: now it mattered everything to him. Here we see the working of a repentance not to be repented of.

If they are not going to satisfy their hatred by killing Joseph, why not satisfy their greed by selling him? So they handed their brother over to the Gentiles, and handed themselves over to making money. "Profit" is the word that governed the actions of Joseph's brothers. Judah asks the question of the covetous heart — not "Is it right?" or "Is it wrong?" but "What profit is it?"

A company of Ishmaelite traders appear, traveling toward Egypt. Judah is quick to see an ideal way of getting rid of Joseph and gaining some money at the same time… He also appeals to their sense of some loyalty to their family relationship. Joseph was their brother (v. 27). He seems to have a conscience against killing his brother, but no conscience against selling him as a slave!

The same kindred: "you are my bone and my flesh," Gen. 29:14; "he is our brother, our own flesh." Gen. 37:27.

There may be different measures in the common hatred, but in a great moral sense they are all one generation. Reuben saves Joseph from the sword, and Judah proposes selling him to the merchants instead of the pit… The Judge of all the earth will surely do right, and sins will get their many stripes and their few stripes. But the world has cast out Jesus, and the world is the world. Here, all are the guilty brothers of Joseph; and, as the outcome of their plans and their shared hatred, he is sold to the merchants.

Judah sells him for a few pieces of silver, just as Judas sold the One he pictured — the same name, and a descendant of the same man. They kill him ("in a figure"). He passes to the Gentiles, where he is tempted, slandered, and numbered with wrongdoers.

Twenty pieces of silver is the price they get for him. This was just two-thirds the price of an average adult slave (see Ex. 21:32). Judas asked the chief priests what they would give for Jesus. Thirty pieces of silver is their offer… "Every man has his price" is a common saying of the world, and it is often untrue. But every soul that Satan cheats out of Jesus has its price. Some accept gold, others position or power. With some it is cheap pleasure, or lust, or some favourite secret sin.

Notice how Joseph's trial… meant to frustrate God's purpose, and looking completely against it — and his righteous suffering in Egypt — only bring about the very thing they seemed to prevent. It was the Egypt his brothers sold him to, and the prison Potiphar put him in, that led him to the butler and baker, and made him governor over all the land of Egypt. We cannot put God out of His way. It is better to trust Him.

Reuben's plan to save him from his brothers fails. True, they do not kill him. They strip him of his coat of many colours and throw him into a pit in the wilderness. And in Reuben's absence, it seems, they sell him to the Ishmaelites. Twenty pieces of silver is the price they get for him. This was just two-thirds the price of an average adult slave (see Ex. 21:32). Judas asked the chief priests what they would give for Jesus. Thirty pieces of silver is their offer. They valued Him at the price of a slave. Yet He was always God's delight. All angels adore Him, demons fear Him, and to the crowds of the redeemed He is the "all" and the "altogether lovely"... The sold and slighted Saviour may well watch it all and say, with what sounds like irony, "What a fine price they set on Me!" (Zech. 11:13).

The group of merchants on their way to Egypt at once gives Judah the idea of making a profit out of their brother. Why not sell Joseph and make a little money? If they will not feed their hatred by killing Joseph, why not feed their greed by selling him? So they gave their brother up to the Gentiles, and gave themselves up to making money... Judah asks the question for the covetous heart — not "Is it right?" or "Is it wrong?" but "What profit is it?"

In fact they throw him into a pit that holds no water. ("It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death," the Jews said to Pilate.) Then they draw him out of it and sell him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. So Israel handed the Lord over to the Gentiles.

Like Isaac in this picture, Joseph did not die; there was no water in the pit. But our precious Jesus sank in the deep mire... Isaac lay on the altar and was spared. Joseph went into the pit and was spared. But when Jesus hung on the cross, God did not spare His own beloved Son. Joseph's brothers treated him cruelly, yet he was not forsaken. Jesus cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"... Joseph suffered against his will. Jesus offered up His own life freely.

The famine was the immediate reason they went down to Egypt. But through the famine, and through the wickedness of Jacob's sons in selling their brother to the Ishmaelites (Gen. 37:28), God was simply carrying out His own purposes. Long before this He had said to Abram, "Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions."... So even human anger is harnessed to the chariot wheels of God's decrees.

Conscience connects their present trouble with their past sin. The prison has so far done its work. They not only say, "We are guilty," but "We are guilty concerning our brother." We saw the anguish of his soul, but we hardened our hearts. He begged us, but we shut our ears to all his pleading. "That is why this distress has come upon us."

God defeated their evil plan by touching the hearts of two of the brothers, Reuben and Judah. Of the two, Reuben appears in the better light. His purpose was to bring Joseph back to his father in the end. They stripped Joseph of the coat that showed the special place he had in his father's heart, and threw him into a pit with no water in it. Judah backed Reuben in this, but while Reuben was away he took the lead in selling Joseph to the Midianite merchants for twenty pieces of silver. So although Joseph did not actually die, he went down into the pit and was sold as a slave.

The tearing of his clothes was the outward expression of his indignation and grief (Gen. 37:29; Lev. 10:6; Judges 11:35; Esther 4:1).

Reuben was clearly not present when the brothers sold Joseph. When he returns to the pit he is shocked to find him gone (v. 29). His question to his brothers, "and I, where shall I go?" shows he feared being held responsible. Did he think Joseph had escaped and gone to report the whole matter to his father?

His elder brother Reuben comes to the rescue, meaning to get him out of the pit the brothers had thrown him into, and take him back to his father. Joseph would of course have been delighted if he had known Reuben's plan. But that kindness would have stopped Joseph's dreams from coming true, and so it failed.

Two other features stand out in Reuben's character. One of them is the constant misery of the undecided mind. It is never really repentant, yet it is always full of regret over its weaknesses and its missed opportunities. When Reuben returned to the pit and found Joseph gone, "he tore his clothes … and said, 'The boy is gone, and I, where shall I go?'"

All the brothers were guilty, but not to the same degree. Reuben was unstable, and morally corrupt, as we know from his history (Gen. 35:22; Gen. 49:3-4), but he was not cruel by nature. Like his brothers he has wronged his father, yet not all human affection has died in his heart. He would have spared Joseph's life, and his father's feelings.

Many are like Reuben — they try to take a neutral place. He tries in a weak way to save Joseph's life, but he is careful that it costs him no risk. And he suffers along with his wicked brothers, just as if he had taken the leading part, like Judah… You cannot take a neutral place between this Christ-rejecting world and openly confessing His name.

Reuben suggested just putting Joseph into a pit he could not escape from. He meant to set Joseph free later, so that Joseph could go back to his father (v. 22). He clearly felt that, as the oldest, he would answer to his father for what the brothers did. Evil does not usually stay hidden for long.

Reuben clearly was not there when the brothers sold Joseph. When he comes back to the pit, he is shocked to find him gone (v. 29). His question to his brothers, "and I, where shall I go?" shows he was afraid the blame would fall on him. Did he think that Joseph had escaped and gone home to tell his father the whole story?

Joseph was in danger from his brothers. Reuben was the eldest, and he should have protected him. He does go so far as to say, "Shed no blood… throw him into this pit." He meant to rescue him. But something always happens to upset a Reuben's good intentions.

While Zebulun and Naphtali were "risking their lives on the heights of the field," locked in a death grip with a strong enemy, Reuben stayed among the sheepfolds. He was searching his heart about what he ought to do — sitting on the fence. I expect he had almost made up his mind by the time the battle was over. Well, it is a convenient way. And he has left many descendants.

One feature that usually stands out in the Reuben character is the misery of the undecided mind. Such a mind is never truly repentant, yet it is always full of regret over its weaknesses or its missed opportunities. When Reuben returned to the pit and found Joseph gone, "he tore his clothes … and said, The boy is gone, and I, where shall I go?"

Perfect goodness brings out the guilt of everyone. But though all are guilty, there are different measures of guilt. The Judge of all the earth will take account of this in due time, giving one person few lashes and another many. We see hints of these different degrees of guilt in the story of Joseph. All the brothers were guilty, but not in the same degree. Reuben was unstable, and morally corrupt, as we know from his history (Gen. 35:22; Gen. 49:3-4), yet he was not necessarily cruel. Like his brothers he has wronged his father, but not all human affection is dead in his heart. He would have spared Joseph's life, and his father's feelings.

Joseph is sold into Egypt, and his brothers have got rid of him. Jesus is killed, and the world has got rid of Him. The lies and deceit of Joseph's brothers work so well and for so long that Joseph is almost forgotten. If he is ever remembered, it is only as the one who is dead, or "the one that is not."

They were guilty of cruel hatred both toward their brother and toward their father. They ask their father to examine the coat, to make sure it was Joseph's. Of course, in recognising it he assumed that a wild animal had killed and eaten his son. Apparently it did not occur to him to ask them if they found bones nearby or other pieces of clothing. A wild animal would not be so careful as to hide everything else and leave only a bloodstained coat.

His brothers avoided the telling of a plain lie, they only inferred it, and Jacob fell into their trap.

Jacob is only reaping what he had already sown. Thirty years before, Jacob had deceived his father with "the skins of the young goats." Now, after long years, his own sons deceive him with "a young goat." There may be long years between the sowing and the reaping, but at last the reaping time comes. The mills of God grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly small.

Esau's garment is called "fine clothing." As he was the elder, it may have been something very like Joseph's "coat of many colours." With fine clothing Jacob deceived his father; with fine clothing his sons deceived him. As he measured out, so it was measured back to him. God's government of His people works with great precision.

So when Joseph's brothers sell him into Egypt, they take his coat of many colours, kill a young goat and dip the garment into the blood. They show it to their father, who thinks a wild animal has killed his beloved son. In both these cases the deceivers used a young goat, not a lamb. We find goats' hair used the same way when Michal, Saul's daughter, tried to deceive her father. David had fled from him.

They dipped the favoured coat, the coat that the old father had put on Joseph, in blood. Then they sent it to their father with these words: "This we have found; please identify whether it is your son's robe or not." This is the language of Cain: "Am I my brother's keeper?" Cain was laying the burden of Abel's blood on the Lord, hinting that the Lord should have been Abel's keeper, since He had shown such respect to him and his offering. So these words of Joseph's brothers seem to lay the burden of Joseph's blood on the aged father. If he loved him as much as this coat seemed to say he did, he should have looked after him better than this blood seemed to say he had.

Do you remember that they stripped Jesus of His clothes? When Joseph's brothers stripped off his coat, they killed a little goat and dipped the coat in the blood... It was very, very bad to deceive their old father like that. Even so, God saw all those things, and did not forget. He says, "they do not consider that I remember all their evil." For more than twenty years they kept quiet about the goat's blood on the coat. Nobody knew about it — nobody but God.

How bad it is to try to cover up sin! God says, "be sure your sin will find you out." ... Now God has made a way to cover all the sins of those who confess them. There is no other way. Only the Lord Jesus' precious blood can cover people's sins.

Verses 31-35 recount the crafty way the brothers led Jacob to one conclusion: some evil beast had killed Joseph and eaten him. His brothers avoided telling a plain lie; they only implied it, and Jacob fell into their trap.

What depths there are in the corruption that is in us! Here they took the favoured coat, the coat the old father had put on Joseph, and dipped it in blood. They sent it to their father with these words: "This we have found; please identify whether it is your son's robe or not." This is the language of Cain: "Am I my brother's keeper?" Cain was laying the burden of Abel's blood on the Lord. By these words he hinted that the Lord should have been Abel's keeper, since He had shown such regard for him and his offering. So these words of Joseph's brothers seem to lay the burden of Joseph's blood on the aged father. If he loved him as well as this coat seemed to say he did, he should have looked after him better than this blood seemed to say he had.

They were guilty of cruel hatred both toward their brother and toward their father. They ask their father to examine the coat, to make sure it was Joseph's. Of course, in recognising it he assumed that a wild animal had killed and eaten his son. Apparently it did not occur to him to ask them if they had found bones in the area, or other pieces of clothing. For a wild animal would not be so careful as to hide everything else and leave only a bloodstained coat.

They played a heartless trick on their father, and it plunges the old man into the deepest sorrow. Then these hypocrites gather round to comfort him. No one can excuse the wickedness of his sons. Even so, this scene shows Jacob only reaping what he had already sown. Thirty years before, Jacob had deceived his father with "the skins of the young goats." Now, after long years, his own sons deceive him with "a young goat." There may be long years between the sowing and the reaping, but at last the reaping time comes.

Like the Lord, Joseph was in his measure a vessel of divine wisdom in humiliation that deepened into the shadow of death. He was rejected and scorned most by his brothers, and sold to the Gentiles. His father had sent him to them on an errand of love, and that very errand gave them the chance to vent their hatred on his lowly and blameless head.

It was very, very bad to deceive their old father like that. Even so, God saw all those things and did not forget... For more than twenty years they kept quiet about the goat's blood on the coat, so nobody knew it — but GOD.

They had once hidden their guilt under the lie they sent to their father. Now they are willing to hide their innocence about the cup under the confession they make to Joseph.

They ask their father to examine the coat, to make sure it was Joseph's. Of course, in recognizing it he surmised that a wild animal had killed and eaten his son. It seems it did not occur to him to ask them if they found bones in the area or other articles of clothing. For a wild animal would not be so careful as to hide everything else and leave only a bloodstained coat.

His brothers avoided telling a plain lie; they only implied it, and Jacob fell into their trap.

Thirty years before, Jacob had deceived his father with "the skins of the young goats." Now, after long years, his own sons deceive him with "a young goat." There may be long years between the sowing and the reaping, but at last the reaping time comes. The mills of God grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly small.

In Genesis 27 we read how Jacob deceived his blind father, Isaac, by wearing Esau's fine clothes. Since Esau was the elder, that clothing may have been very similar to Joseph's robe of many colours. By fine clothing Jacob deceived his father; by fine clothing his sons deceived him. As he measured out, so it was measured back to him. God's government of His people works with great precision.

That the word cannot mean the grave here is clear from this passage. Jacob believed his son Joseph was dead. The sight of his son's robe of many colours, dyed red in blood, deceived him, and he exclaimed, "Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces." So he had not the slightest hope of his own body being put in his son's grave, since he did not believe that grave existed at all.

Jacob says, "I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning." But of David we read that he "arose… and went into the house of the LORD and worshipped." Both men are facing the death of a child. One says, "I will go down to Sheol mourning." The other says, "I will go up to the house of the LORD and worship." Yet both were true saints. One looked no further than death and the grave. The other looked beyond death to resurrection.

Joseph's blood is on themselves, however much they try to hide it. The day is coming when their sin will find them out. Then this blood on Joseph's coat will be a swift witness against them.

For more than twenty years they kept quiet about the goat's blood on the coat, so nobody knew it — but God.

When Joseph made himself known to his brothers, he had been, as it were, dead for about twenty years. Twenty long years had passed since his father had said, "I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning." Jacob had torn his clothes, put on sackcloth, and wept for him. But now Israel said, "It is enough; Joseph my son is still alive." As a picture of Christ, death and resurrection are the two great points.

The other main garment was the simlah, a cloak or wide outer mantle, worn by men and women, who wrapped themselves in it at night… The simlah is the garment that was torn in grief. Genesis 37:34; Genesis 44:13; Joshua 7:6.

A rough cloth made of hair, used for sacks and coarse clothing. Anyone who put it on as a symbol of sorrow or repentance wore it next to the skin, and did not take it off at night. It was often used together with ashes.

In Genesis 27 we read how Jacob, by wearing Esau's garment, deceived his blind father, Isaac. Esau's garment is called "fine clothing." As he was the elder, it may have been something very similar to Joseph's coat of many colours. By fine clothing Jacob deceived his father; by fine clothing his sons deceived him. As he measured out, so it was measured back to him. God's government of His people works with great precision.

Thirty years before, Jacob had deceived his father with "the skins of the young goats." Now, after long years, his own sons deceive him with "a young goat." There may be long years between the sowing and the reaping, but at last the reaping time comes.

In the first instance he tore his clothes, put sackcloth on his body, and refused to be comforted. "For," he said, "I will go down to the grave to my son, mourning." But in the last he says, "If I am bereaved, I am bereaved" — in other words, "I submit." What a difference! What desolation, when the heart is wrenched and there is no resource in God! But what a contrast, when the Almighty God is a refuge… This is simple submission to the will of God, and it does for us what God so much desires — that we should find our resources in Him. The soul brought to this is never unsatisfied.

Jacob says, "I will go down to the grave to my son, mourning"; but of David we read that he "arose… and went into the house of the LORD and worshipped." Both men stand in the presence of the death of a child. One says, "I will go down to the grave mourning." The other says, "I will go up to the house of the LORD and worship." Yet both were true saints. One looked no further than death and the grave. The other looked beyond death to resurrection.

This is heartlessness toward the innocent sufferer, and toward the father who had sent him in love. Yet in the middle of it rises the foreshadowing of Him who was to come, one infinitely greater than Joseph. He too was the Beloved of His Father, and was sent as Son of Man to seek the lost.

Everything seemed to be against Jacob. But little as he knew it, the very things he thought were against him were working for the richest blessing, both for him and for his children… God used the loss of Joseph to preserve Jacob and his house, and also to preserve the lives of many more.

In Genesis 27 we read how Jacob deceived his blind father, Isaac, by wearing Esau's garment. That garment is described as Esau's "best garments," and since he was the elder son it may have been much like Joseph's "coat of many colours." Fine clothes were how Jacob deceived his father, and fine clothes were how his sons deceived him. He dealt out deceit, and it was dealt back to him. God's government of His people works with great precision.

Thirty years before, Jacob had deceived his father with "the skins of the young goats." Now, after long years, his own sons deceive him with a young goat. There may be long years between the sowing and the reaping, but at last the reaping time comes. The mills of God grind slowly, but they grind very fine.

His mourning for his son went on for a long time. All his sons and his daughters tried to comfort him, but he would not respond. Of course the comfort his sons offered was hypocritical, and we may be sure that Jacob's intense sorrow troubled their consciences all the more. He tells them that the agony of his mourning will not be relieved before he goes "down to Sheol" — the unseen state of soul and spirit that begins at death.

Jacob says, "I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning." Of David we read that he "arose ... and came into the house of the LORD and worshipped." Both men stand in the presence of a child's death, but one goes down mourning and the other goes up to worship. Both were true saints, yet one looked no further than death and the grave, while the other looked beyond death to resurrection.

The word cannot mean the grave here. Jacob believed his son Joseph was dead. He had been deceived by the sight of his son's coat of many colours, dyed red with blood, and he cried out, "Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces." So he had not the slightest hope of his own body being laid in his son's grave, when he did not believe that grave existed at all.

Jacob speaks of going down to Sheol to his son Joseph; and that has very little force if it means going down to nothing at all. David's words about his child make the point stronger still: "I shall go to him, but he will not return to me" (2 Sam. 12:23).

In the first instance he tore his clothes, put sackcloth on his waist, and refused to be comforted... But in the last he says, "If I am bereaved, I am bereaved" — in other words, "I submit." What a difference! What desolation, when grief tears the heart and there is no resource in God! What a contrast, when the Almighty God is a refuge, and the grieving one can say, "If I am bereaved, I am bereaved!"

When Joseph made himself known to his brothers, he had been, as it were, dead about twenty years. Yes, twenty long years had passed since his father had said, "I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning."... But now Israel said, "It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive."

The word "executioner" does not occur in the Old Testament text, only in the margin. In three places the text points out men as "captain of the guard," while the margin calls them "chief of the executioners or slaughtermen": Genesis 37:36; Jeremiah 39:9; Daniel 2:14.

Joseph's brothers plan at once to kill him. In fact they throw him into a pit — but a pit with no water in it. "It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death," the Jews said to Pilate. Then they draw him out of it and sell him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. So Israel handed the Lord over to the Gentiles.

Scripture says nothing here about how deeply Joseph felt the trauma of his ordeal. But we learn something of it from his brothers' later words to one another: "we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us and we did not listen" (Gen. 42:21). He was now taken to a far distant country and made a slave at the tender age of seventeen. How many must have been the hours of his painful agony!

Thus Joseph passes into the land of the Gentiles and is "brought" into Egypt. Egypt was a snare to Abraham, and his stay in Egypt brought him only sorrow and shame. With Joseph, however, it brought blessing and glory. Why this difference? Is it not that in Abraham's case he "went down into Egypt to sojourn there" (Gen. 12:10); but Joseph was "brought" into Egypt. One went there in unbelief and self-will. God brought the other there according to His own settled purpose and foreknowledge.

Notice how God's ordering kept Joseph's trial from anything that could hinder it. The trial was meant to frustrate God's purpose, and it seemed to run clean against it. Yet his righteous suffering in Egypt is the very thing that brought about the whole plan they seemed to be frustrating. It was the Egypt his brothers sold him to, and the prison Potiphar put him in, that brought him to Pharaoh's butler and baker — and that made him governor over all the land of Egypt. We cannot put God out of His way. It is better to trust Him.

But then God was in all this, as well as man; and it is His prerogative to bring good out of evil. Joseph's brothers might sell him to the Ishmaelites. The Ishmaelites might sell him to Potiphar. Potiphar might throw him into prison. But the LORD was above it all, and He was accomplishing His own mighty ends. "The wrath of man shall praise Him." The time had not yet come when the heirs were ready for the inheritance, and the inheritance ready for the heirs.