Don’t Be Surprised by Trials – Genesis 37:1-36; Psalm 105:17-19
Genesis 37:1-36
37 Jacob settled in the land where his father had been a sojourner, namely, the land of Canaan. (2) This is the account of Jacob’s family. Joseph, who was seventeen years old at the time, was feeding the flock with his brothers. He was just a young lad with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives. Now Joseph brought the report concerning their bad conduct to their father. (3) Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because Joseph was the son born to him in his old age; so he made for him a multi-colored robe. (4) Joseph’s brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers; so they hated him and could not speak peaceably with him.
(5) Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers. Then they hated him all the more. (6) He said to them, I beg you, listen to this dream that I dreamed: (7) we were binding sheaves of grain out in the field, and my sheaf rose up and stood upright. Your sheaves came and bowed down to my sheaf. (8) His brothers said to him, Shall you, indeed, reign over us? Or shall you, indeed, have dominion over us? So they hated him all the more because of his dreams and because of his words.
(9) Joseph had still another dream, and he reported it to his brothers. Listen, I have had another dream. In this dream the sun and the moon and eleven stars bowed down to me. (10) He also told it to his father as well as to his brothers. His father rebuked him, and said to him, What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and brothers indeed come and bow down to the ground before you? (11) So his brothers envied him; but his father kept the thing in mind.
(12) His brothers went to graze their father’s flock near Shechem. (13) Israel said to Joseph, Are not your brothers grazing the flock near Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them. And he said to him, Here I am. (14) And he said to him, Go now, see if all is well with your brothers and with the flock; then report back to me again. So he sent him off from the valley of Hebron and he came to Shechem. (15) A certain man found him there, wandering in the field; so the man asked him, For whom are you looking? (16) And he said, I am looking for my brothers; please tell me where they are grazing the flock. (17) And the man said, They have moved on from here; I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. (18) They saw him from a distance. Before he came near to them, they plotted against him to kill him. (19) They said to each other, Look, here comes that dreamer. (20) Come, let us kill him and throw his body into one of these cisterns. We will say, A wild animal has devoured him; then we shall see what becomes of his dreams.
(21) When Reuben learned about their plot, he tried to deliver Joseph out of their hand. He said to his brothers, Let us not take his life.(22) Do not shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern here in the wilderness, but do not lay your hands on him. He said this so that he might deliver Joseph out of their hand and restore him to his father.
(23) When Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the multi-colored robe that he was wearing. (24) Then they took him and threw him into the cistern. Now the cistern was empty, there was no water in it.
(25) As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh; they were carrying their cargo down to Egypt. (26) Judah said to his brothers, What profit is there if we kill our brother and cover up our crime? (27) Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let us not lay our hands on him; for he is our brother, our own flesh. His brothers agreed with him. (28) So when some Midianite merchants passed by, the brothers pulled him out of the cistern and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. They brought Joseph to Egypt.
(29) When Reuben returned and saw that Joseph was not in the cistern, in grief he tore his clothes. (30) Then he returned to his brothers and said, The boy is not there; now what shall I do?
(31) So they slaughtered a he-goat, and then took Joseph’s robe and dipped the robe in the blood. (32) They took the multi-colored robe with them and presented it to their father, and said, We found this. Examine whether or not it is your son’s robe.(33) Jacob recognized it and said, It is my son’s robe. A wild animal has devoured him; without doubt Joseph has been torn to pieces. (34) Then Jacob tore his garments and put on sackcloth; he mourned for his son for many days. (35) All his sons and all his daughters came to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted. He said, I will go down to Sheol to my son mourning. So his father wept for him. (36) Now the Midianites sold him to Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officers, the captain of the guard.
Psalm 105:17-19
105 (17) He sent a man ahead of them. Joseph was sold as a slave. (18) They injured his feet with shackles, he was bound with chains of iron. (19) Until the time that Jehovah’s word was fulfilled, the word of Jehovah tested him.
Now proceed to the next section of this study, entitled, Exploring the Passage.
