Genesis 37:12-28

¹² Now his brothers went to tend their father’s flock near Shechem.

¹³ And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers tending the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.” And he said to him, “Here I am.”

¹⁴ So he said to him, “Go now, see if there is peace with your brothers and with the flock, and bring me word.” So he sent him from the Valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.

¹⁵ And a man found him wandering in the fields. And the man asked him, “What are you looking for?”

¹⁶ “I am looking for my brothers,” he said. “Tell me, please, where they are tending the flock.”

¹⁷ And the man said, “They have gone away, because I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.'” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.

¹⁸ They saw him from a distance, and before he came near them they conspired against him to murder him.

¹⁹ They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer.

²⁰ Come now, let us murder him and throw him into one of the pits. Then we will say that a fierce animal has eaten him, and we will see what will become of his dreams.”

²¹ But when Reuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.”

²² And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the desert, but do not lay a hand on him”- so that he might rescue him out of their hand to restore him to his father.

²³ So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his tunic, the long sleeved tunic that he wore.

²⁴ And they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.

²⁵ Then they sat down to eat. When they looked up, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt.

²⁶ Then Judah said to his brothers, “What gain is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?

²⁷ Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him.

²⁸ Then Midianite traders passed by. And they pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty silver shekels. They took Joseph to Egypt.

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rough paths

There are a number of elements of this story that lend themselves to the “what if” question. What if Joseph had not found his brothers? What if the Ishmaelites had not passed by? What if Reuben had not come up with the pit idea?

The LORD was working in Joseph’s life, in spite of the unbelievably hard road he had to take. It is encouraging for us to know that Joseph, who had a significant role to play in God’s plan, did not have a smooth path to obedience. No, God was glorified by the rough path that Joseph took, as well as by the outcome of his obedience.

LORD, forgive us for our complaints as we take rough paths. Give us insight into your plan for us, but when we do not have that insight, help us to follow in faith anyway.