On the way to the Palace 15-"the dreamer cometh 2

"They said one to another, “The master of dreams comes!"- Genesis 37:19 MEV Mounce English Version 

¹⁹ The brothers said to each other, “Here comes the big dreamer. ²⁰ Come on now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of the cisterns, and we’ll say a wild animal devoured him. Then we will see what becomes of his dreams!”²¹ When Reuben heard what they said, he saved him from them, telling them, “Let’s not take his life.” ²² Reuben said to them, “Don’t spill his blood! Throw him into this desert cistern, but don’t lay a hand on him.” He intended to save Joseph from them and take him back to his father.

²³ When Joseph reached his brothers, they stripped off Joseph’s long robe,²⁴ took him, and threw him into the cistern, an empty cistern with no water in it.  Genesis 37:19-24 CEB  Common English Bible 

Joseph’s brothers  were jealous  of him,mostly because of   his dreams. Unfortunately they did not deal with this deadly  emotion(Songs of Solomon 2:15;) which we see led them to consider  murdering him. And although we may read the story with shock, sometimes our actions are not very far from theirs.How many times have we killed someone by hating them or speaking words that  damage their reputation( Matthew 5:21;1 John 3:15 ) . While it may not be physical murder, the assassination of another’s character is on the other side of the same  coin as murder.

The primary reason for their wanting to get rid of him was because of his dreams.They not only plan to kill him but also have a plan for a cover up(Genesis 37:19-20).Somehow in the process of doing evil,there is always a need to do more than originally bargained for.They could not just kill him without thinking of a cover up, even if it meant deceiving their father whose love they were craving for.

The unanimous decision to get rid of Joseph this way by the group was challenged by  Reuben,who spoke against the plot(Genesis 37: 21 ). While it may seem laudable that he did this, it is still heartbreaking to see that he refused to take a full stand against evil( Genesis 37:22;1 Thessalonians 5:22 ).He suggested rather that  Joseph  be thrown into the cistern(pit). More light however is thrown into the reason for this suggestion when the writer of Genesis informs us that the intention of Reuben was to save him later(Genesis 37: 22), but alas good intentions have never saved anybody.

 It appears that it is  the values of the company which Reuben kept that eventually influenced him(1 Corinthians 15:33; Proverbs  13:20;22:24-25). It seems he was afraid to tell his brothers outrightly that no harm should be done to Joseph as  he tries to reason with them, reminding them of the fact that Joseph is their brother hence he  should not be  killed(Genesis 37: 23).In an attempt to save Joseph but still remain popular with the crowd,he offered the alternative of throwing him into the cistern ( pit). The man on the way to the Palace is one who will take a stand against evil and make it known(Exodus 23:2).

But if killing Joseph  was not an option, why keep him in the cistern(pit) as Reuben suggested. Would it ever be possible for the relationship to remain thesame if Joseph was rescued from the cistern( pit). Was Joseph not going to tell their father of how he had been thrown into the  cistern(pit) and could the rescue by Reuben not be his own way of getting back to his father’s favour considering that he had offended him greatly by sleeping with  his step mother( Genesis 35:22;49:3-4).

Although the other brothers seem to have taken Reuben’s advice initially, there is no record of a response to his suggestion which may indicate either a begrudging attitude towards his suggestion or a disregard   for their eldest brother.Or perhaps it could be that his brothers read in between the lines knowing that his declaration for the protection of Joseph was not entirely genuine.There is no need to remain in the company of people who do not encourage us to do good as we may find ourselves in a compromising position(Proverbs 12:26; 13:20).

The man on the way to the palace may sometimes seem to be at the mercy of others but God's sovereignty will prevail(Romans 8:28;).On the way to the Palace,we must be careful to ensure that we do not keep a company that makes it difficult for us to do right,rather it should be one that strengthens the gifts and callings of God on our lives(Proverbs 27:17;1 Samuel 18:1-3) . 

        

There is no need to remain in the company of people who do not encourage us to do good as we may find ourselves in a compromising position.Although Joseph's brothers thought his fate was determined by their actions,the hand of God was working behind the scene to bring his purposes  for Joseph to come to  pass(Genesis 45:7; Psalms 105:7) .

Yours in His Service,

Grace Tom-Lawyer.