WHEN LIFE IS THE PITS: BITTER ANIMOSITY
A. Last week we began a new series on The Life of Joseph from Genesis 37-50 titled: “WHEN LIFE IS
THE PITS.”
1. We began this study by looking at how Joseph came from a very MESSED-UP FAMILY—some use
the word “DYSFUNCTIONAL”.
a. If you think your family is somewhat dysfunctional, Joseph’s family was off the DYSFUNCTION
CHART.
COMMENT:
Part of the PROBLEM was when there is 1 MAN who had 13 CHILDREN from 4 WIVES, there is going to be SIBLING RIVALRY. Especially when you PICK OUT one of those CHILDREN and make him so obviously the FAVORITE over all the others.
b. The FAVORITISM shown Joseph from his FATHER had created intense FRICTION between him and his OLDER BROTHERS—especially when Jacob gave him a ROBE typically WORN by nobility, ELEVATING Joseph above them—and “they hated him”- v. 4.
2. Then add to that the DREAMS that Joseph SHARED with his BROTHERS about how they will one day “BOW DOWN TO HIM”, you have the makings of BITTER ANIMOSITY brewing toward their LITTLE BROTHER. And that will be our FOCUS today.
B. To some extent, we have all been VICTIMS of ANIMOSITY—and maybe even BITTER ANIMOSITY.
1. Webster defines “ANIMOSITY” as “strong hatred, an active hostility.”
a. ANIMOSITY occurs when we FEEL someone has TAKEN SOMETHING FROM US that we
are POWERLESS TO GET BACK.
COMMENT:
We HOLD ON to the HURT in an attempt to REMIND ourselves and others of the INJUSTICE we’ve EXPERIENCED in the hopes that someone will SAVE US and RESTORE what we’ve LOST.
b. However, ANIMOSITY only makes our SENSE of the INJUSTICE grow.
COMMENT:
It does nothing to HEAL THE WOUND caused by the PERCEIVED INJUSTICE. In fact, it causes the HURT to become BITTER that only FESTERS and SWELLS and, unless DEALT with, has the power to DESTROY US FROM WITHIN and OTHERS FROM WITHOUT.
2. This is exactly what our TEXT reveals about the OLDER BROTHERS of Joseph.
MESSAGE:
I. ANIMOSITY SHOWN TOWARD JOSEPH
A. Jacob sends Joseph to CHECK ON his BROTHERS- Genesis 37:12-14a (READ)
1. Joseph’s BROTHERS are out doing what they normally do—in a FIELD somewhere CARING for
the LIVESTOCK.
COMMENT:
This was the family’s LIVELIHOOD. They had large HERDS of SHEEP and GOATS, that they had to take from PLACE to PLACE to find GREEN PASTURE to GRAZE and STREAMS of WATER to DRINK. In a given day, they could TRAVEL for MILES from HOME.
2. Did you NOTICE where 17-year-old Joseph is?
a. He is HOME while his OLDER BROTHERS are out WORKING.
COMMENT:
As I said last week, Joseph’s “ornamented robe” that COVERED his BODY to his WRISTS and ANKLES, was not CONDUCIVE to doing MANUEL LABOR.
So, he was allowed by his Father to STAY HOME and CHILL OUT—SLEEPING in his OWN BED, while his BROTHERS were out WORKING under the HEAT of the SUN and SLEEPING in TENTS as they took CARE of the LIVESTOCK.
b. You just know that the PRIVILEGES that has been given to their LITTLE BROTHER by their Father, is just adding to the ANIMOSITY that they already FEEL toward him
3. Jacob sends Joseph to CHECK ON his brothers, and then COME BACK and TELL him how
they are DOING.
a. Now, this give us FURTHER INSIGHT into what is said about Joseph in v. 2b- “…he brought
his father a bad report about them [brothers].”
b. Joseph is his father’s SNITCH. That is how his Dad has been using him—to SPY on his
BROTHERS and then come back and REPORT if anything is OFF.
COMMENT:
Jacob certainly had GOOD REASONS to wanting to KNOW what his SONS were up to—because they had PROVEN to be CONNIVING and RUTHLESS and IMMORAL on many occasions. But using Joseph to SPY on his BROTHERS has only created more DISTRUST and ANIMOSITY toward him.
B. “Joseph takes off looking for his BROTHERS and, after some searching, finally finds them near
Dothan, a small settlement about 12 miles from Shechem”- v. 17.
1. “As Joseph gets closer to where they are GRAZING the HERD, they SPOT him coming”- v. 18a.
a. Their ANIMOSITY toward Joseph has been SEETHING.
COMMENT:
They KNOW why he is there: “Daddy has sent his FAVORITE SON to SPY on us. He is coming to INSPECT US and TELL US WHAT TO DO and RULE OVER US, and then he’s going to RUN BACK HOME to Daddy and TATTLE ON US.”
b. But as Joseph gets CLOSER, the later part of v. 18 reveals something that is ABSOLUTELY
ABSURD, “…and before he reached them, they plotted to KILL him.”
COMMENT:
These GROWN MEN are planning to KILL their TEENAGE BROTHER! Yes, they may have reason to be UPSET with the whole FAVORITISM thing, but to RESPOND by KILLING
their LITTLE BROTHER. Why would they JUMP to such an EXTREME ACTION?
Why not just say something like, “Here comes the TATTLETALE DREAMER! Let’s TAUNT him a little bit. Let’s give him the WETTEST WET WILLY he’s ever had!” (DO YOU KNOW WHAT A WET WILLY IS?) Wouldn’t that be BETTER than KILLING him?
Now, I’m not saying that is RIGHT, but we might can UNDERSTAND a little bit of HORSEPLAY with their LITTLE BROTHER given the kind of RIVAL RELATIONSHIP that they had.
c. But how MORBID it is to respond to the RIVALRY between them with wanting to MURDER
their KID BROTHER.
COMMENT:
But they know this would not only GET RID of Joseph who they BELIEVE is wanting to be RULE OVER them, but it would be like a DAGGER in their Father’s HEART to LOSE his FAVORITE SON.
2. Then the BROTHERS begin to talk among themselves as to how they are going to PULL OFF the
MURDER of their LITTLE BROTHER- vv. 19-20 (READ).
a. Apparently some of the BROTHERS have been THINKING about this for a while.
COMMENT:
Undoubtedly, ever since Joseph unwisely told them about his DREAMS that one day they would “BOW DOWN” to him, the BROTHERS had been discussing among themselves as to how
they could PREVENT that from ever happening.
b. And now an unforeseen OPPORTUNITY presents itself.
COMMENT:
As Joseph gets CLOSER, they PLOT not only his MURDER but the COVERUP. “Listen, when this dreamer finally gets here, let’s all JUMP him and KILL him throw his BODY in this PIT. And we’ll just tell Dad that a FEROCIOUS ANIMAL devoured him.”
c. Friends, when BITTER ANIMOSITY consumes you, it will often LEAD you to SAY and DO some of the most HORRIFIC THINGS in an ATTEMPT to MAKE RIGHT the WRONG that you believe has been COMMITTED against you.
C. But in the middle of this MURDEROUS PLOT, a glimmer of ENCOURAGEMENT emerges-
vv. 21-22 (READ).
1. Reuben, the OLDEST of the BROTHERS, doesn’t want to see his little brother MURDERED.
a. So, he CONVINCES the others to just THROW Joseph into a PIT right out there in the middle
of the DESERT.
b. However, his PLAN is to come back later and RESCUE Joseph from the PIT and take him back to his FATHER.
2. So the BROTHERS do exactly what Reuben had suggested- vv. 23-25a (READ)
a. When Joseph finally arrives, the first thing they do is roughly GRAB him and STRIP him of
his ORNAMENTED ROBE.
COMMENT:
With CRUEL PLEASURE, they RIP from Joseph the SYMBOL of his Father’s FAVOR. This ROBE said to them, “Dad LOVES Joseph more than US. He is Dad’s FAVORITE SON, and we HATE him for it.”
b. They then THROW their little brother KICKING and SCREAMING into a PIT (a man-made
CISTERN to catch WATER in the DESERT when it RAINED) …and then have LUNCH.
COMMENT:
Do you see what BITTER ANIMOSITY has done to these BROTHERS—how HEARTLESS they have become? While their LITTLE BROTHER is AGONIZING in the PIT—possibly HURT, they are ENJOYING a MEAL together: “Hey, Levi, can you pass me the LAMB CHOPS?”
3. As they are ENJOYING their MEAL, a CARAVAN of MERCHANTS traveling to EGYPT passes
through, and Judah comes up with a BRILLIANT IDEA- vv. 26-27 (READ).
a. This is a way to GET RID of Joseph once and for all, and make FEW BUCKS in the process.
COMMENT:
Judah says, “Listen guys, instead of KILLING Joseph, let’s just SELL him as a life-long SLAVE to the Midianites. …After all, he is our little brother.” Can’t you just feel the LOVE?
b. “So, they LIFT Joseph from the PIT and SELL him as a SLAVE to the Midianites for 20 shekels of silver, who then take him down to EGYPT” – v. 28.
D. But then there was the matter of EXPLAINING to their Father what has happened to his FAVORITE
SON- vv. 31-35 (READ)
1. After EXAMINING the BLOODY ROBE, Jacob RECOGNIZED it immediately as being the
GIFT that he had given to Joseph.
COMMENT:
We can IMAGINE the PAIN and HEARTBREAK that this Father is going through. Although Joseph is ALIVE, his Father doesn’t KNOW that. He was led believe that his SON had been brutally KILLED by some WILD ANIMAL.
2. But look again at v. 35: “All his SONS and DAUGHTERS come to COMFORT him.”
COMMENT:
What HYPOCRISY? These SONS are pretending to COMFORT their FATHER as he deeply GREIVES the LOSS of Joseph, knowing good and well that it is all a LIE. Yet, not one of his SONS steps up and TELLS the TRUTH—not even Reuben.
II. ANIMOSITY SHOWN TOWARD US
A. Although we don’t have anyone who is PLOTTING to KILL US and THROW US into a PIT (at least, I hope not), I think it is ACCURATE to say that there are PEOPLE we KNOW who has SHOWN
ANIMOSITY toward us. (Maybe it’s someone you KNOW right now.)
1. There are many possible MOTIVES as to why one might hold ANIMOSITY toward us.
a. It could be the result of a WRONG that we COMMITTED.
COMMENT:
If so, it is our responsibility to try to RECONCILE with that person by CONFESSING our SIN and SEEKING his or her FORGIVENESS.
b. It could the result of a PERCEIVED wrong we COMMITTED.
COMMENT:
The person BELIEVES that we have SAID or DONE something AGAINST them, when actually we did not.
c. It could merely be a MISUNDERSTANDING.
COMMENT:
This happens when a person doesn’t COMPREHEND something correctly. An INNOCENT ACT or WORD or IMPLICATION creates an OFFENSE.
d. It could also be the result of a simple DISAGREEMENT—when there are TWO OPPOSING VIEWS on a given SUBJECT.
2. Whatever the REASON, someone has moved beyond mere ANGER (which is a God-given EMOTION that is not SINFUL within itself, but should be DEALT with QUICKLY) to BITTERNESS and ANIMOSITY, which often leads to RETALIATION in some FORM.
B. The apostle Paul tells us how we are to RESPOND to those who hold BITTER ANIMOSITY against
us- Romans 12:17-21 (READ).
1. “Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody”- v. 17.
COMMENT:
In other words, we need to be living like Christ before others. We are to be KIND and CARING and LOVING, and TREATING people the way we want to be TREATED. And by doing so, hopefully, we will not be ANGERING someone or creating an OFFENSE of some kind.
2. “If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone”- v. 18.
COMMENT:
Now, it is true that even though we are VERY CAREFUL as to how we RELATE to others, there will be those who will be OFFENDED by us anyway. Jesus lived a PERFECT LIFE, and
still had ENEMIES.
That’s why Paul understandably said, “IF IT IS POSSIBLE, live at peace with everyone”. He knows that no matter how are we TRY, there will be some people who will take OFFENCE to
us in some way.
But by saying, “as far as it depends on us”, Paul is pointing out that we are to be the ones to MAKE the EFFORT—to INITIATE the PEACE TALKS.
3. “Do not repay anyone evil for evil”- v. 17. “Do not take revenge”- v. 19.
a. We will learn in this study that Joseph is given an OPPORTUNITY to TAKE REVENGE out
on his BROTHERS—but DOESN’T- (Genesis 42).
COMMENT:
Even though they violently STRIPPED him of his ROBE, THREW him in a PIT, and then SOLD him into SLAVERY, “with him PLEADING and BEGGING his BROTHERS not to do it” (Genesis 42:21), Joseph shows nothing but LOVE and KINDNESS toward them.
b. Peter said that we are to “…repay evil with blessing…”- 1 Peter 3:9
4. “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good”- v. 21.
a. It is in our HUMAN NATURE to want to RECIPROCATE the HATE and ANIMOSITY that
someone has TOWARD us.
COMMENT:
But Paul wants us to UNDERSTAND that we cannot overcome HATE with HATE, BITTERNESS with BITTERNESS, ANIMOSITY with ANIMOSITY. All that does is make
MATTERS much WORSE.
b. In writing the Ephesian church, Paul tells us how we are to “overcome EVIL with GOOD”–
Ephesians 4:31-32 (READ & COMMENT).
CONCLUSION:
DEALING WITH SOMEONE WHO HAS ANIMOSITY TOWARD YOU, IS NOT EASY.
