Genesis 37d. In the pit
Last Sunday we looked at the fact that there was a great animosity on the part of the brothers toward Joseph. That animosity steamed from rivalry among the mothers.
That bitterness was very obvious that weather they meant it or not the boys developed that, toward Joseph as well.
That animosity toward Joseph came also from the fact that Jacob showed unequal parental love toward Joseph. Joseph was the pet of the family and Jacob made sure that everyone knew about it.
Rivalry and favoritism were not the only reasons for which the brothers hated Joseph but above all we said that Joseph was hated because of his righteous life.
The moment that we will be out of step with everyone else, the moment that we will do that which is right before God rather than that which is popular with the people we are sure to be regarded as narrow minded. We are sure to be looked upon with contempt.
Peter talks about that in 1Peter 4:3-4. “For we have spent enough of our past life time in doing the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties and abominable idolatries. In regard to these they (people) think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you”
That is exactly what happened in Joseph’s case. Joseph would not join in with his immoral and deceiving brothers and they were speaking evil of him.
However, in Joseph’s case the brothers’ inner bitterness gave way to an outward expression. I said to you the last time that if we don’t deal with the roots of bitterness in our lives, they can give birth to shoots of bitterness which in turn will produce fruits of bitterness.
The sequence of the events was this.
Step 1. In v.4 they hated him
Step 2. They could not speak to him.
Step 3. They threw him into the pit.
Do you notice the sequence? From the heart it traveled to the mouth from the mouth it traveled to the hands.
Last time we centered mainly on the brothers’ attitude toward Joseph but this evening I want us to look at Joseph in the dark empty pit.
For this reason I want us to look at vs.24-25.
If you notice, these verses say nothing about how Joseph felt or what he said as his brothers mercilessly dumped him in that pit. But to understand how Joseph felt we must turn to Genesis 42:21.
In the midst of a scene that took place twenty-two years later from the moment he was thrown in that pit, the brothers remembered Joseph’s feelings as they dumped him in that pit.
We will see later on that as the brothers go to buy grain from Egypt, Joseph treats them as spies and put them all in prison for a few days.
But then he said “I’ll let you go if you bring the younger brother with you” – explain.
Here is what they talked among themselves in Gen.41:21
This means that here in Genesis 37:24, as the brothers were dumping Joseph there, he pleaded with them for his life, he begged them to have a heart; he begged them to listen to him.
I guess that the things that hunted the brothers most was expressed by them in Gen.41:21 “for we saw the anguish of his soul when he pleaded with us and we would not hear”.
I guess the subject that I want to talk to you about, tonight, for a few minutes, is the whole area of indifference to suffering, to injustice, to hurting people.
I want to talk about two things: About some feelings that some times we can have about and some facts that we need to know.
1) Feelings that we have.
I said that when Joseph was thrown in that pit his brothers were totally indifferent to his pleas. Not only that but the brothers actually sat down enjoying a meal, undisturbed by their brother’s tears. They were as unconcerned as the lily of the valley.
I found this account profoundly moving and rich in comfort for those, who, like Joseph, have suffered much injustice and indifference.
Have you ever experienced, human cruelty?
Does no one seem to care that you are suffering?
Are others indifferent to the damage done to you?
Do you feel that your tears aren’t noticed?
If you’ve answered positive to these questions then you can identify with Joseph as he cried out to his brothers.
I guess the worst thing about being in trouble, as Joseph was, is to find out that no one cares, which is usually the case in a sinful world.
When you are at the top of the pyramid and everything is going well, most people do care, but when in troubles sometimes people take the Levite’s attitude in the parable of the Good Samaritan – pass by on the other side.
Mum always said to me that sometimes the world is funny. When in business, all people want to do business with you. When in bother no one bothers.
The world is notorious for its indifference.
Several years ago newspapers carried the story of a young woman who was murdered on the streets of New York City while at least thirty people in nearby houses heard her cries, looked at the tragedy and did nothing about it.
Shortly after that a story came from the Midwest about a woman who gave birth to a baby on the side walk of a poor area of the city while a dozen people watched from the inside of a nice restaurant.
This is the world, but what about the church of Jesus Christ?
What about those in our fellowship or brothers and sisters in the Lord from other churches, whom we know and are crying for help.
There are those who may not be like Joseph in a literal pit but there are those who are in the:
a) Emotional pit - struggling with various personal, work, school family problems.
b) In the spiritual pit - struggling with sin and sinful attitudes
c) In the physical pit – struggling with health problems
People with all these kinds of problems sometimes are crying very visibly and sometimes are crying very subtly, needing someone to listen to them.
There are those people in our lives who cry for help and they don’t need sermons or they don’t need us to display our theology. All they need is a listening ear. Someone that will not treat them with indifference.
The point with Joseph’s brothers is not that they did not hear Joseph’s cry – they did. The only problem is that they heard Joseph with the ears of their heads and not the ears of their hearts. If they had heard Joseph with the ears of their hearts they would have done something about his plight.
It took a split second for Joseph’s cries to get to the brothers’ eardrums but it took twenty-two years for that cry to go from their eardrums to their hearts.
Is there anyone in our fellowship, whose cries stop in our eardrums but don’t travel to our hearts?
Let me tell you this: When you see people in whatever kind of pit just open your heart and listen to them. Do you know why?
The next step in life that you take could lead you into your pit and you will be glad of someone listening to you.
I want to read to you something that I read sometime back. It, in a sense describes all kinds of attitudes that people have with regard to those that are in the pit.
A man fell into a pit and could not get out.
A subjective person came along and said, "I feel for you, down there."
An objective person came along and said, "It’s logical that someone would fall down there."
A Pharisee said, "Only bad people fall into a pit."
A mathematician calculated how he fell into the pit.
A news reporter wanted the exclusive story on his experience.
An IRS man asked if he was paying taxes on the pit.
A self-pitying person said, "You haven’t seen anything until you’ve seen my pit!"
A charismatic said, "Just confess that you’re not in a pit."
An optimist said, "Things could be worse."
A pessimist said, "Things will get worse."
Jesus seeing the man, took him by the hand and lifted him out of the pit.
Let’s be like Jesus to those around us whose cries are not heard by others.
2) Facts that we should know
I said that when we are in the pit sometimes we feel that we are alone.
Sometimes we say does anyone care about my situation? Does anyone know what I am going through?
I am sure that as Joseph hit the bottom of that pit he felt a dreadful sense of loneliness. Rejected by his brothers, far from his house, with a very uncertain future, and in the bottom of a dark and deep pit.
Not a nice situation to be in. Maybe in a different context, Joseph’s reality is your reality and you wonder, does anyone care for me?
If we look at the verses that we read, the brothers did not care for him because they sold him, the Midianites did not care for him for they sold him to Potiphar.
Even though no one seemed to care for Joseph there was one who cared for Joseph: it was his father. Look at his father’s reaction when he heard what happened to his son vs.34-35.
Let me tell you this: when you find yourself in the pit, rejected by people, misunderstood by loved ones always remember that our Father in heaven cares for you.
Unlike Joseph’s father who did not know where his son was or what had happened to him, God our Father knows where you are and what is happening to you.
Peter was able to encourage the believers who were going through some very difficult times by saying in 1Pet.5:7 “cast all your care upon Him for He cares for you”.
I don’t know at what point in life David wrote Ps.23, but I know that David went through a lot of pits in his life. Chased by Saul, cursed by
Shimei, driven from Jerusalem by his own flesh and blood.
David had his fair share of pits and valleys in his life.
Yet in spite of all those difficult moments, as he reflects on God and his presence in the midst of troubles, he is able to write, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me”
God has a special way of providing comfort for those who are in the valley.
Not only that God cares for us and comforts us when we are in valleys
but God preserves us and reaches out to save us in his own proper time, as it happened in Joseph’s case.
The thing about Joseph is this: He wasn’t rescued in his time; he was rescued in God’s time. Had God listened to his cry and had the brothers taken pity on his plight Joseph would have never made it to the palace.
This gives me a lot of strength and encouragement knowing that God sometimes uses:
Pits as foundation for palaces
A cross that leads to a crown
Tears that lead to triumph
Valleys that lead to victories
Looking at Joseph’s situation I thought that sometimes we as Christians reject some of the most wonderful gifts that God has for us. Do you know why we do that? Because they don’t come packed in a wrapping paper that appeals to us.
Joseph’s palace came wrapped in rejection, betrayal, slavery, false accusations, a prison sentence.
Let me tell you this and I’m telling myself this, as I need it.
Don’t reject difficult situations off hand. Our disappointments are many times God’s disguised blessings.
Not only that but our pain is many times used by God as our preparation for higher service.
Had Joseph not been in prison, had the butler not forgotten about him, Joseph’s ability to forgive him would not have been tested. Joseph may not have been able to forgive his brothers.
Had Joseph not managed the smaller affairs of Potiphar’s house, he may not have been able to manage the higher affairs of Egypt.
Do you see the pattern? Faithful in small things appointed over bigger things. God through some difficult situations tested Joseph’s ability to handle future, higher situations.
Let me say this to you, “a faith that cannot be tested cannot be trusted”. That’s why God tested Joseph.
