Genesis 37: 29-35
Reuben saved Joseph's life by talking them out of killing him as soon as he approached, so they threw him into the pit and had lunch. Now Reuben comes back from wherever he's been (taking care of the flock?), unaware that his brothers sold him into slavery.
(29) Now Reuben returned to the pit, and behold, Joseph was not in the pit; so he tore his garments.
He must have thought that they'd killed him anyway!
(30) He returned to his brothers and said, "The boy is not there; as for me, where am I to go?"
He's dreading facing his father Jacob without Joseph!
(31) So they took Joseph's tunic, and slaughtered a male goat and dipped the tunic in the blood;
Now here's what they did: they staged a show for their father.
(32) and they sent the varicolored tunic and brought it to their father and said, " We found this; please examine it to see whether it is your son's tunic or not."
Here they can claim that they didn't lie--but they did deceive him, so that he would come to a false conclusion.
(33) Then he examined it and said, "It is my son's tunic. A wild beast has devoured him; Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!"
Which he did, just as they wanted him to do!
(34) So Jacob tore his clothes, and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days.
Jacob went into deep mourning at the apparent loss of his favorite son. This is how his other sons loved their father, to break his heart like this! Their hatred for Joseph overshadowed everything else.
(35) Then all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. And he said, "Surely I will go down to Sheol in mourning for my son." So his father wept for him.
They all tried to console him, but the loss was just too great for Jacob. He concluded that he would never get over this grief, he would always miss this son of the wife he loved, and would die and go to the place of the dead (Sheol) still grieving. He didn't think it would ever get any better.
O my Father, I pray for all those who have lost a child. That must be the most grievous grief, as children are not to go before their parents. Jacob's heart was rent into tiny bits, and he didn't think it would ever mend.
But You are a God of comfort! You comfort the brokenhearted, and You were gracious and You gave Jacob another son by Rachel, the twelfth son.
O Father, Your ideal is for one man to have one wife for life, but when Jacob's double-dealing was turned back on him by Laban, he ended up with two wives, which wasn't fair to Leah. But, Father, this family's dysfunction is a lesson to all of us, that Your way is best, after all.
And this story of Joseph is a very interesting journey You led him through. You prepared him, even at the tender age of seventeen, to be able to spend many years of turns in the road, before his dreams came to pass.
My Father, You have given us the whole story, the whole Big Picture of Your great Plan of the Ages for Mankind, and You have given us Your Spirit to teach us Your Truth so we need not be surprised when we encounter what You have told us will come.
Strengthen us, Father, to persevere and endure as all the anger of the devil is unleashed against us, and as we stand and see Your wrath poured out on the world around us without touching us.
That is what You said would happen, and I see so much of it beginning to take place already. Keep me strong with my feet on the Rock, and I will not be moved.
Father, send us out while there is still time, to share with every living person how much You have loved us, and sent Your own Son to save us from ourselves!
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, forever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come swiftly, Lord Jesus!
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