Genesis 37:19-28
19They said to one another, ‘Here comes this dreamer. 20Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; then we shall say that a wild animal has devoured him, and we shall see what will become of his dreams.’ 21But when Reuben heard it, he delivered him out of their hands, saying, ‘Let us not take his life.’ 22Reuben said to them, ‘Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but lay no hand on him’—that he might rescue him out of their hand and restore him to his father. 23So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the long robe with sleeves* that he wore; 24and they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.
25 Then they sat down to eat; and looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels carrying gum, balm, and resin, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. 26Then Judah said to his brothers, ‘What profit is there if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? 27Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.’ And his brothers agreed. 28When some Midianite traders passed by, they drew Joseph up, lifting him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.”
I have always been curious at what point in this journey, from beloved son tossed in a pit to a sold person journeying to a foreign land, did Joseph realize this was real? How far was the camel carrying him did he realize, yes, my brothers really did sell me. This was not a cruel prank. This was not a night away and he would return to his family with an exceptional story, no. His father was not coming over the next rise with an army to rescue. This was forever. The physical distance from the land of Canaan into Egypt is around 550 miles and would take a caravan 7-8 days. And Joseph journeyed so much further. And yet I am always consoled by the reminder that while he journeyed so far, he was never truly alone.
Prayer
Comforting God, hold us tightly too on those nights we feel we too have journeyed far from you, especially when it feels we have had no choice in that journey. We pray you will whisper comforting words that warm our hearts on such nights too. In Christ’s precious name we pray, Amen.
