“And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him. And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh. Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams. And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him” (Genesis 37:18-21).
Sibling rivalry is nothing new. Joseph’s brothers went to extremes with it. From the coat of many colors to the dreams he interpreted, Joseph definitely had conflict with his brothers. They wanted to kill him. Now there is a novel way to resolve conflict. Reuben stepped in, but was selling Joseph into slavery just as evil?
The battles didn’t end for Joseph. We see a picture of faith and trust in God. This was in spite of how bitter he could have become.
So many times we can become overwhelmed in the heat of the battle. If we’re not careful, we will find ourselves becoming bitter instead of better. More on Joseph tomorrow…
Sue Winchester
Missouri
PRAY TOGETHER: Pray for Richard Atwood, FWBHM director of missionary assistance as he seeks to encourage church planters.
