“ Now when Joseph reached his
brothers, they stripped him of his tunic ,the {distinctive } multicoloured
tunic which he was wearing ; 24 then
they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty,there was no
water in it”- Genesis 37:23-24 AMP Amplified Bible
So
we see Joseph is thrown into a dry pit by his brothers and the very next verse
tells us that they sat down to eat food. It is very possible to be a few inches from where help is and encounter
no response. The action of Joseph’s brothers in this instance goes a long way
to show us how far jealousy and hatred had shut their minds against their
younger brother. Although they heard his pleas, they refused to listen and left
Joseph in a precarious situation in a bid to get rid of him and his dreams.
Contrary
to popular opinion on how our lives should be, we see that the life of Joseph
,a man who eventually got to the Palace was not without trouble (Psalms 34:19). He was not
constantly always on Cloud 9.He had his ups and downs and honestly, that is
just life. Between every mountain top experience are valleys. It is one of these
valley experiences that we find here as Joseph encounters a pit.
Joseph
is found in this pit because his brothers threw him inside. The man on the way to the Palace may encounter pits as a
result of the actions of others or even as a result of his own action. Some pit
situations may be self generated due to unwise decisions(Luke 15:11-32). It is important for the
man on the way to the Palace to distinguish
how he came about being in the pit as this may be a first step to coming out of
the pit.
The
second thing we see about the pit is that he is left alone by himself having
been stripped of his beloved coat and symbol of his father’s love. Physically
there is no one with him and emotionally, there is also a void. It is an age
long trick of the enemy while we are in the pit, to want us to believe we are
actually alone whereas the Scriptures make it clear that God never leaves
(physically ) or forsake us(emotionally ) Hebrews 13:5 .On the
way to the Palace, as we encounter several pits, it is of utmost
importance to remember we are never alone, irrespective of our external
circumstances.
The
third thing about Joseph in the pit is that we are made to understand is that
Joseph was not idle. He was not content to remain in the pit thus he lifted up his voice and cried, appealing to
his brothers to have mercy. It was certainly not a pit he could come out by
himself because if he could , he would have surely done so. But even his pleas
for mercy fell on deafened ears(Genesis 42:21). Joseph quickly found out that although help may
seem quite near, the only help we can really get is the help that comes from
God(Psalms 121:1),
The
man on the way to the Palace would encounter
pits. These may come in different sizes, shapes and seasons. We generally do
not choose to enter a pit but sometimes we may by our actions bring pit
situations to ourselves. But whichever way we get into the pit, we must remember
that we are not alone. A conscious awareness of both the presence of God and
continual meditation of the word of GOD are indispensable for the man on the Way to the Palace.
Yours Sincerely,
Grace Tom-Lawyer.
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