In focusing on Genesis 37 today verses 5 – 11 has challenged me to ask The Lord to show me how to share truthfully and boldly the things He has taught me, but also how to be sensitive to my hearers, so that I don’t needlessly antagonise the very people who most need to hear the truth that I have to share about Him.
I also found verse 11 a prompt to pray! “But while his brothers were jealous of Joseph, his father wondered what the dreams meant.” This is a time to ask God to make us receptive to the prophetic word you hear from those He sends to teach us. Pray for wisdom and discernment to recognise teaching from God as opposed to false teaching.
I found it quite something when I read verse 21 “But when Reuben heard of their scheme, he came to Joseph’s rescue. “Let’s not kill him,” he said.” Then verse 22 tells us what Reuben was thinking, “22 “Why should we shed any blood? Let’s just throw him into this empty cistern here in the wilderness. Then he’ll die without our laying a hand on him.” Reuben was secretly planning to rescue Joseph and return him to his father.”
Look at his reaction in verse 29-30
“29 Some time later, Reuben returned to get Joseph out of the cistern. When he discovered that Joseph was missing, he tore his clothes in grief. 30 Then he went back to his brothers and lamented, “The boy is gone! What will I do now?”
This then made me focus for the first time on Reuben what was it about him that made him identify with the grief and sorrow that Joseph would encounter.
It has never crossed my mind before, but suddenly I thought of his mother at his birth and the words she had spoken over him, Genesis 29:32 “So Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben,for she said, “The Lord has noticed my misery, and now my husband will love me.”
Reuben means “Look, a son!” It also sounds like the Hebrew for “He has seen my misery.”
I sense so strongly that at this time we should join in prayer for peace rather than rivalry among family members. Pray that God will soften our hearts so that we will regard each other with love and compassion, helping and lifting rather than destroying each other because of our own desires for power and position. May we not leave it to late because of compromise like Reuben by just going for a partial rescue! I declare all out war for deliverance for our lost loved ones.
Genesis 37:33-35 Calls for intercession for those who have lost a child to illness or accident. Pray that they will experience peace that goes beyond human understanding and joy in knowing God despite their loss.
good teaching! Everything about Joseph is so teachably rich…..it talks about jealousy, envy, favoritism….is nt this just as it is in our churches sometimes…and families….Rueben had a concience and felt really bad abt. what had been done to Joseph, he knew it was wrong., but didnt dare be bold enough to activate his feeling of unjustice…..When he did, it was too late…But, GOD had other plans for Joseph that were much better….(we must always remember that in the negative, God has something much better that would not have happened had there not been a change..)..Joseph shows a man who is completely honest in his heart (only God can really know our hearts) In every situation Joseph
always wanted what was right. His brothers did not have this kind of heart and even Rueben didnt, cause he was more concerned with his own life, not wanting to have any battle with his brothers , he actually had a “coward” heart by not acting instantly…we must remeber that when brothers and sisters are treated unrighteously, and it is in our power to speak out and we dont do it, it is sin! God is always looking for real people with real hearts, honest to the very root, depending on HIM alone and not the opinions of men! only this will bring us to victory in JESUS!