This lesson is compatible with the "Joseph" Flash-A-Cards from Abeka Books.
Scripture References: Genesis 37: 12-36
“Hey! Let go of me! Wait until father hears about this! You guys are going to be in such big trouble!” Those were the cries of Joseph when they were dragging him to the empty well.
“I’m sorry! I’ll do anything you want! PLEASE! I promise not to tell father!”
I imagine those were the cries of Joseph as he was at the bottom of the well. It was dark inside because the brothers had replaced the large lid that kept animals from falling inside and getting stuck.
“I’m hungry. It’s past lunchtime. Let’s sit down and eat.” Said Judah. So that’s just what the 10 older brothers of Joseph did. They heard him crying and pleading, but that didn’t stop them from enjoying their meal. Maybe Reuben, the oldest, felt a little guilty, because he went away from his brothers to do something else. Maybe he decided to go think about how he was going to get Joseph out of that well and back home safely.
I’m sure the rest of the brothers were making fun of Joseph at their picnic lunch. “Aww…the lord of the dreams is crying.” Said one brother. “Oh no…what’s going to happen to dad’s favorite son, now?” sneered another. “The little baby is crying…ooooh, how sad” mocked another. All the while, Joseph must have felt more lonely and scared with each passing minute. It seemed he had been in there for days, but it had only been an hour! Nothing Joseph said would convince his brothers to let him out. And he was beginning to fear what they would do to him. They hated him, that was for sure. But enough to kill their own brother? He wasn’t so sure. I think Joseph cried out to God for help at the bottom of that well. Maybe he began to remember all the stories he had heard about God from his father. How God promised Jacob He would be with him and protect him. How God blessed Jacob with many sheep, even though Laban, his father-in-law tricked him and lied to him many times. How God had blessed Jacob and given him a new name…Israel. I think Joseph wondered if God would help him as he had helped his father.
Meanwhile, as the brothers were finishing up their meal, they saw a group of people coming their way. It was the Ishmaelites! These would be the grandsons and great grandsons of Ishmael, Abrahams son with the slave Hagar. They were distant cousins of the sons of Jacob!
“I have an idea!” said Judah. “What good is Joseph to us if we kill him? But here come the Ishmaelites. It looks like they are going to Egypt to sell their spices and oils. We can sell Joseph to them, and they will take him down to Egypt! That way his blood won’t be on our hands, AND we can get some money out of this!”
“Great idea! I love it!” said the brothers. They agreed. Joseph would be sold. They made the deal with their cousins and got paid 20 shekels of silver. That was how much a slave cost in that area!
Josephs brothers had just sold him as a slave! They sent a rope down into the well so Joseph could get out and handed him over to the Ishmaelites. As the large group of people, camels, and goods to be sold headed out to Egypt, Joseph must have looked back at his brothers in sadness. Would he ever see them again? Would he ever see his father or little brother? What about Bilhah, his stepmother who took care of him after Rachel died?
The 9 brothers definitely weren’t worrying about if they would ever see their bratty little brother again. Slaves never came back. They couldn’t! So, they went back to their herds of animals happy to be rid of such a pest as Joseph.
When Reuben saw his brothers were back to work, he knew it was safe to go to the well.
He got there and moved the lid to let down a rope. “Joseph, quick! Grab the rope and I’ll pull you up!”
Nothing happened. “Joseph! Hurry! We don’t have time for this!” Again. Nothing. Reuben looked down into the dark pit. “Joseph? Are you there?”
HE WAS GONE! Reuben began to panic. He was the oldest! If something happened to Joseph, surely, he would get the blame!
Reuben rushed back to the flocks. “Guys! We have an emergency! Joseph isn’t in the well! He’s gone!”
“We know he’s gone, Reuben. We sold him. Look at all this money we got!” said Judah.
“20 shekels of silver!” said Levi excitedly.
“WHAT?!” shouted Reuben. “Our little brother is gone. Now what’s going to happen to me?! Father will never forgive me!”
Someone had an idea. “I know how we can get out of this with NO ONE getting the blame! Let’s kill one of the baby goats and cover Joseph’s tunic in the blood. We can make it look like and animal tore it up as it ate Joseph!”
They all agreed. They would all be in on the lie. If an animal killed Joseph, none of them would get the blame, or the punishment! They thought they had the perfect solution.
The bible says that we reap what we sow, though. The 10 brothers didn’t know it yet, but one day they would suffer for their actions that day.
They headed home with the flocks and with the blood covered tunic of Joseph. I imagine the brothers argued the whole way home. “You tell father, Reuben. You are the oldest.”
“No way, Judah! This wasn’t my idea. It was your idea to sell Joseph. YOU tell dad.”
“Not going to happen! Let someone else tell dad.”
When they got home, instead of going to their dad to tell him the lie about Joseph, they decided to send a servant to tell him.
“Master, your sons have found this tunic and want to know whether or not it is your son Joseph’s tunic.”
Jacob cried out “It is JOSEPH’S tunic! A wild animal has killed him?! What will I do? My son is torn to pieces! He’s gone!”
Jacob tore his clothes and put on a rough, uncomfortable robe, and sat down and cried for his son. In those days, tearing your clothes was a sign of great sorrow. Putting on an uncomfortable robe was another sign of great sadness.
“My son. My son. He’s gone.” Cried Jacob.
All of his children tried to comfort him, but no one could.
“I will die from the sorrow I feel for my dead son. I will go and join him.” He said.
The 10 brothers thought getting rid of Joseph would make their lives better. But it didn’t. It just made things worse. Their own father sat and cried all day, for many days. Things were never the same after that.
Sin is never the answer to make things better. And the brothers sinned in selling their brother, and they sinned again in lying to cover it up.
Sometimes, we are tempted to sin, thinking it will help us get out of a bad situation.
But sin is never the answer. God is the answer. God can help us in any trouble we have.
And sometimes, God send trouble our way because He wants to teach us to depend on Him! God had big plans for Joseph, but first, he needed to teach Joseph to walk with God.
Come back next week to find out how God would use trouble to teach Joseph.
Now, let’s pray and ask God to help us depend on Him instead of trying to get ourselves out of trouble.