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Judah said to his brothers, 'What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? Come, and let's sell him to the Ishmaelites, and not let our hand be on him; for he is our brother, our flesh.' His brothers listened to him. Midianites who were merchants passed by, and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. They brought Joseph into Egypt. Genesis 37:26 WEB

Very few of us had brothers as bad as Joseph did. They became so jealous over him, his dreams, and his coat of many colors, that one day when he came to them alone, they decided to kill him. 'Come now therefore, and let's kill him, and cast him into one of the pits, and we will say, 'An evil animal has devoured him.' We will see what will become of his dreams' (Genesis 37:20).

Reuben, the eldest brother, wanted to rescue Joseph. At first, they compromised by throwing Joseph into a cistern, and then they sat down and ate lunch. While they were eating their meal, and Joseph was scared and alone in a hole in the ground, a group of traders came by heading for Egypt. When Judah saw them, he had an epiphany and said 'Hey let's sell him! We will make nothing by killing him. After all, he is our own brother.'

So they sold Joseph for twenty pieces of silver, dipped his coat of many colors in goat blood, and brought it to his father, who had once used a goat to deceive his father (Gen. 27:16). They asked him 'is this your son's coat?' They did not even use his name or call him their brother (Gen. 37:32).

Joseph was carried to Egypt by the traders and sold to Potiphar, the captain of the guard. God was with him, he prospered and soon Joseph was in charge of Potiphar's entire household.

Potiphar's wife became attracted to Joseph and tried to seduce him day after day, but he refused. Joseph basically told her 'there is only one thing in this house that I cannot have, and that is you.' Unlike Eve, Joseph did not see the one forbidden fruit as a point of frustration and he left it alone.

As time passed, she grew weary of his rejection. She tried everything, but when Joseph would not give in and sleep with her, she finally accused him of trying to rape her and he was thrown into prison.

God was with Joseph in prison (Gen. 39:21). Joseph prospered and was soon taking care of the other prisoners. After some years passed, he was brought before Pharaoh and elevated to the second-in-command of Egypt.

Joseph had a dream, but after that he went down, down, down. Joseph went from a special son to a pit, from the pit to a slave, from a slave to a servant of prisoners, and then he was elevated to be ruler of Egypt. What a road to follow. Joseph was on the road to heaven, but it sometimes looked like hell.

If you would have seen Joseph trapped in a cistern, or as a slave, or as a prisoner, you would not have called him blessed, but he was. God was with Joseph as a young man, in the cistern, as a slave, as a prisoner, and later as a leader.

Your circumstances do not separate you from God for He is there to help you in the circumstance. Joseph was humbled and learned to be a responsible leader along the way. When the time came, God raised up the one that He had been preparing for years.

Though your life may have taken a turn for the worse, it will actually work out for the better. Because you feel abandoned in a cistern, does not mean that He is not with you, or that you are not on the right path. Be patient, while God works out the details. Stay sweet, stay loving, and be the greatest servant they ever met.

Prayer: Father, I thank You for bringing me this far. Help me see this situation through Your eyes and keep the big picture in mind. This will not beat me for I know that You have plans for me. I will not die, but live and declare the goodness of God in the land of the living. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray.

Note: Good morning! Another group announcement today: our "Haven of Hope" group, which supports people who are struggling with abuse issues, has been providing a weekly discussion topic. This week, the topic is, "What Does PTSD Feel Like?". If Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome is an area you have dealt with, please do join in with the conversation. If you are not already a member of the group, please note that Haven of Hope is a private group, so there will be a short delay until the group leader approves membership requests. Have a blessed day!