In the second part of his series on Joseph, the Very Rev Colin Sinclair considers Genesis 37:12-36 and the day Joseph’s life changed forever.

“WHAT were we thinking? How could we have done that?” Too often we act first and think afterwards. For Joseph’s brothers their smouldering resentment, fuelled by hatred and envy, led them to act in a way that changed their lives forever.

Temptation requires opportunity and desire. Sometimes our worst selves are kept in check because we have no opportunity, or no desire. However, if an opportunity presents itself and the desire is there, then we need to be very careful indeed. Joseph’s brothers had moved from their expected pastures to a more remote location, where they were not known. Then, in their eyes, Joseph “swanned up” to check up on them. They had bitter experience of past reports and probably expected a repeat performance. Suddenly their frustration boiled over and they acted together in a way none of them would have acted by themselves. Their plan was simple – remove Joseph and problem solved. Life is not that simple.

Plan A – “kill him” morphed into plan B – “throw him into the pit” and ended with Plan C – “sell him to the Ishmaelite traders”. Their philosophy was simple: “out of sight, out of mind”. While Reuben and Judah modified the original plan, there had been little thought of the consequences. There they were: alone, one down, with their sheep and twenty shekels of silver. They needed a cover story to present to their father. Goat’s blood splattered onto the dusty torn despised coat seemed sufficient – no DNA testing in those days. Problem solved – if only life were so easy!

“ As he was taken off as a slave to Egypt he would have had some serious time for thinking about his past life, his present predicament and his uncertain future."

They hadn’t taken into account three things. First, the future depended on them all keeping silent permanently – and would they? What if they fell out with one another? What if one of them drank too much and let the truth slip? What if they told their wives and the story spread? Could they trust each other? It must have been an ongoing torment. Living a lie is very hard work and exacts a heavy price.

Secondly, home life changed for the worse. True, Joseph was no longer in their face strutting around telling dreams. Instead there was a constant sadness which must have made communal meals very depressing. Jacob refused to be comforted, sullying the whole atmosphere and compounding their sense of guilt. Finally, the fact was that Joseph was still alive. What happened if he turned up one day? It didn’t bear thinking about. Choices have unintended consequences.

Meanwhile, Joseph must have been trying to process the day that changed his life for ever. Perhaps he had never realised how unpopular he was. As he was taken off as a slave to Egypt he would have had some serious time for thinking about his past life, his present predicament and his uncertain future. Did he use the time to cry to God? He was discovering that trusting God does not guarantee an easy life. Never forget that Joseph, unlike us, did not know how the story would unfold. He was simply caught up in the middle and had to live by faith, one day at a time. God, however, did know the end of the story and behind the scenes he remained present and active. ¤