Joseph could not shake the falling sensation in his stomach after falling through the thick darkness into which he had been tossed by his brothers a few hours before. He also couldn’t tell which was sorer, his aching body or his bruised heart. Hearing their cruel laughter just beyond this horrible pit, silent sobs racked Joseph’s body as his face fell defeatedly into his hands.
Joseph could no longer hear the low, intense tones of Reuben’s voice pleading urgently on his behalf. It was a different, slightly younger voice that was speaking now, although he was only able to extract a few words intermittently. It sounded like Judah! It must be Judah! Joseph struggled to slow his racing thoughts enough to decipher a few of his beloved brother’s words beyond this pit. He thought he was able to make out talk of Ishmaelites, merchants, profit, and Egypt.
Egypt? What? No! The words were paralyzing. How could he be hated this much that Egypt would be the only appetizing means of intervention to satisfy the fury of his brothers? The favoritism of his father had yielded Joseph a beautifully-colored coat, but also their vengeful jealousy.
Overhead, Joseph began to hear the distant rumblings of what must be a company of Ishmaelite merchants weighed down with the spices and balms of Gilead to trade with the Egyptians. Oh, the irony of traveling to his demise on the same caravan as the widely-heralded healing balm of Gilead. Being betrayed and almost murdered by his very family in this way would be a perpetually open wound. Joseph sighed deeply in resignation and waited to be pulled out of this pit, afraid he would never recover.
Anyone that has found themselves pushed into a pit of hopelessness can identify with Joseph in Genesis Chapter 37. Though Joseph’s journey is far from over, these particular moments yield what I believe are revealing principles for any murky, dark pit of life. The spiritual parallels, drawn from the pit of Joseph are readily woven into our own personal narratives to remind us to be “…confident of this very thing, He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it…” (Philippians 1:6 KJV).
The spiritual parallels, drawn from the pit of Joseph are readily woven into our own personal narratives to remind us to be “…confident of this very thing, He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it…” (Philippians 1:6 KJV).
Kara Moses
“And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.” (Genesis 37:4 KJV.)
This moment in Joseph’s story still shouts loudly down the painful pathways of disappointment that the called of God are currently walking. For Joseph, favor was hard and meant trouble, separation, and isolation. To be highly-favored by God was to exist highly-opposed in the world. If you have favor with God, it will be impossible for some people to “speak peaceably” to you, as it was for Joseph, no matter how close their proximity, and that struggle can be heartbreaking.
To be highly-favored by God was to exist highly-opposed in the world.
Kara Moses
The Bible also tells us in Genesis 37:15-17 about “a certain man” that “found” Joseph wandering in Shechem, looking for his brothers. There is no other description of this messenger or indication of his origin anywhere else in this passage. Some scholars suggest that it could have been an angel of the Lord. The directives of this unknown messenger strongly indicate that the pathway to Joseph’s pit was paved in invisible purposes!
Further, the two voices that advocated for Joseph in this emotionally-charged conflict are very worthy of note. It was Reuben that first spoke up in the struggle. He pled with his brothers not to “shed the blood” of Joseph and urged them instead to throw him into the pit. Reuben was the firstborn of Jacob and carried the birthright – the promise of inheritance from his father. When we find ourselves thrust into trouble beyond our control, we plead the blood of Jesus and remember the enduring promise of eternal life we have beyond the difficulty of the present moment.
John 10:28 tells us, “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand” (KJV). You may not be plucked out of your personal pit just yet, but you can remind yourself with complete certainty that you will never be plucked out of the promises of God!
You may not be plucked out of your personal pit just yet, but you can remind yourself with complete certainty that you will never be plucked out of the promises of God!
Kara Moses
The second voice vying to intervene on Joseph’s behalf was that of Judah, one of Reuben’s younger brothers and Joseph’s older half-brother. Acting upon what he knew to be their greedy nature, Judah wisely asked them what profit they would receive if they slew Joseph? Judah’s tribe is famous for ushering the children of Israel into battle, their praises mobilizing the other tribes into victory.
At the time of Judah’s birth, Leah, who had experienced her own personal sequence of life’s disappointments, declares, “Now will I praise the LORD: therefore she called his name Judah” (Genesis 29:35). It was Judah’s voice that pulled Joseph from the pit and made the pit profitable. Albeit the profit for Joseph from this excruciating encounter would take years to be realized. It is praise that will pull us out of despair and redirect our focus to the hope and future before us!
It was Judah’s voice that pulled Joseph from the pit and made the pit profitable. Albeit the profit for Joseph from this excruciating encounter would take years to be realized. It is praise that will pull us out of despair and redirect our focus to the hope and future before us!
Kara Moses
Remember our promise from 1 Peter 2:9, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:” (KJV). Every moment that we are praising God, even in the pit, has us to fulfill the very purpose for which we were designed, making even our “pit-falls” profitable to the kingdom of God.
It was Reuben’s voice that redirected Joseph from the grave to the pit and it was Judah’s voice that pulled Joseph out of the pit and into purpose. Giving voice in our own lives to the promised hope we have in Jesus and to the praise for which we were created by Him, will raise us up from the pits life would throw us into!
The road to suffering in the life of a believer is one that will never be traveled alone. In the years following his journey from the pit, Joseph is seen as a type of Christ in Egypt as he brings salvation and deliverance in a time of great famine. Joseph’s pit was not the end of his story, but the portal by which he would access the power of God and become the divine provision necessary for God’s people. In his own words, Joseph conclusively puts the pit experience in perspective for us all, “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive” (Genesis 50:20 KJV).
Joseph’s pit was not the end of his story, but the portal by which he would access the power of God and become the divine provision necessary for God’s people.
Kara Moses
Whatever hopeless situation you might be facing today is not one of which God is unaware. The pit is not the destination for a child of God, but a divine designation. Keeping the right perspective in the pitfalls of life can yield positional authority in the Spirit to deliver others out in times of crisis.
The pit is not the destination for a child of God, but a divine designation.
Kara Moses
“Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy (1 Peter 4:12-13).
By: Kara Moses
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