A Journey Through The Old Testament - Elmer Towns

unmistakable. Someday, the rest of the family would honor Joseph and bow down before him.
To his brothers who already thought the worst of Joseph, his recounting the dreams must have
impressed them as little more than an expression of his arrogance. It was not long before his
brothers had a new nickname for their despised brother, “this dreamer” (37:19).
While the seventeen-year-old Joseph remained in the camp of his father, his brothers
tended the flocks and herds. Because of the prosperity of their father, caring for the animals often
meant herding them to another part of the country so as not to exhaust the area supply of feed
and yet still fatten the herds and flocks. Normally, such a journey would be taken without much
concern on the part of their father, but on at least one occasion, their father was concerned about
their safety.
Two reasons have been suggested for Jacob’s decision to send Joseph to check on his
brothers at Shechem. There was a marked difference in the character of Joseph and his older
brothers (cf. v. 2). Some commentators argue Jacob sent his son to learn of the evil deeds of the
brothers. A more probable reason for sending Joseph was the father’s concern for their safety. It
was at Shechem two of Jacob’s sons had killed all the men of the city prompting Jacob to flee the
area (34:1-31). Knowing his sons had returned to the area would naturally cause him some
degree of anxiety. This may also explain why the boys themselves moved on to Dothan after
arriving in Shechem (37:14-17).
As Joseph found and approached the camp of his brothers, they realized they had an
opportunity to deal with Joseph once and for all. They conspired to kill him. Had Reuben not
spoken on Joseph’s behalf, it is probable the others would have done it. Reuben convinced them
to throw Joseph in a pit. He probably hoped to later rescue him. Twenty years later, the brothers
were still haunted by the memories of Joseph’s anguish as he was cast into the pit (42:21).
Christians are sometimes guilty of determining the will of God largely by extenuating
circumstances, but sometimes circumstances can result in opportunities for evil men as well as
saints. As the brothers ate their food, the opportunity of a lifetime arose. A caravan of Midianites
(Ishmaelite merchants) passed by their camp on their way to Egypt. Seizing the opportunity, the
brothers sold their brother as a slave for twenty pieces of silver. Based on mid-twentieth century
exchange rates, the net profit to each brother in the sale was $1.28 U.S.
In selling their brother to the traders, they thought they were getting rid of Joseph once
and for all. What they failed to understand at the time was that God was sending Joseph to Egypt
to prepare for the family’s migration in fulfillment of the covenant to Abraham. The family of
Abraham was beginning to adopt some of the evil values of their neighbors, the Canaanites. This
was about to become very evident in the life of Joseph’s oldest brother, Judah (38:1-30). God
moved the family out of Canaan so they would not degenerate and fall under the severest
judgment of God. Also, God would allow the course of sin to run its natural course in the
inhabitants of the land before He judged them (15:13-14).
Like their father Jacob before them, the brothers were masters of deceit. They kept
Joseph’s coat, staining it with the blood of an animal. Later they showed it to Jacob without
explanation. Immediately Jacob jumped to the conclusion, “It is my son’s tunic. A wild beast has
devoured him. Without doubt Joseph is torn to pieces” (37:33). Jacob the deceiver was selfdeceived.
The family went immediately into mourning. Despite the efforts of others in the
family, Jacob continued to mourn and did so for fifteen years (45:27). And as Jacob mourned the
death of his son, Joseph was alive and being sold as a slave to a man named Potiphar, a leading
officer of the Pharaoh.