Joseph - Part 3 - The Pit experience

We pick up from Genesis 37: 12-36. We see sibling rivalry at its worst. Even when Joseph was approaching the brothers, they conspired to kill him. The reason for the homicide - DREAMS. " Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.” Joseph's dreams had stirred a whole lot of emotions to make the brothers to consider murder as an option. Anger, jealousy and hatred were the three root causes of such a verdict. Galatians 5: 19-21 - The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;  idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. The question we need to ask ourselves is do these emotions raise their ugly heads in our lives. Then there is the tendency to clothe these as "holy anger" Do you get jealous when someone does the ministry better than you? Do you get offended when your work is not appreciated? Do you get angry when you think of someone who has offended you?  Mathew 5:21-22 - "You're familiar with the command to the ancients, 'Do not murder.' I'm telling you that anyone who is so much as angry with a brother or sister is guilty of murder. May God help us that we take his Word seriously.

The subsequent verses don't tell us what went on in the pit. It talks about all that was happening outside it amongst the brothers. What was it like for Joseph?, what was his feelings?, what was going though his mind?...we can only guess. But a few things are conclusive:

• He was at the rock bottom of his life. In a literal sense he was. He probably may have thought, or at least I would have thought, that was the end. There is no way out. This is not what his dreams had promised. It was just the reverse. He got into this mess because he shared his dreams? Why are his own flesh and blood doing this to him? He simply could not understand. If I was there I would be asking, Where is God? Why God? What now God? Is there a God? 
• There was no one to turn to. It was the pit and nothing else. Probably it was too deep for him to crawl out. Prophets like Jonah and Jeremiah would certainly understand his situation. When they went through such experiences they cried out to God. It was a moment of desperation.
• Now death looms on the horizon.   He probably was within hearing distance from his brothers and probably heard their plans to kill him. Even if he could not hear, their very actions of throwing him to the pit signaled death.The very people he trusted have now become his foes and were planning his destruction. 
• Dreams shattered.   Anyone in that situation, no matter who he is, will find his dreams and ambitions totally shattered.

What was God trying to teach Jospeh through this experience? This will become more apparent as we chronicle his life further. Two things stand out:

• Total dependance on God
• God will not leave nor forsake those who put their faith and trust in Him.

But I guess Joseph was not able to see the bigger picture at this point. If I was Joseph, I would have given up on God in that kind of a situation. You must remember that he was still a teenager, seventeen years old., how else would one react? Maybe you are in that kind of a situation and probably in the pit experience described above and ready to throw in the towel. But wait a minute. I wondered how did Joseph respond to his pit experience? As I searched the scriptures, I was pleasantly surprised. Joseph must have reacted differently.......