While the brothers tend to the flock, Joseph, the loved son, stays home with his father. This too, would stir envy and hatred among the brothers. Jacob, clueless father that couldn't see what was happening in front of his nose, asks Joseph to go check on his brothers.
The older brothers have been tending their father's sheep under the hot blazing sun, sleeping on the ground and here comes their pesky little brother, fresh like a lettuce, wearing his colorful royal robe, the sight of which probably irritates the brothers to no end. They were certainly not happy to see Joseph.
Envy, greed and jealousy are really bad feelings to carry in a human heart. "The tenth commandment requires that envy be banished from the human heart... Envy can lead to the worst crimes. Through the devil's envy, death entered the world." (Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 2538) The news is filled daily with reports of people murdering each other, there's robbery, vandalism... All of these crimes usually generate from envy, greed or jealousy.
And that is what happened to Joseph's brothers. When envy, hatred and jealousy took control of their hearts, they lost their minds and decided to kill Joseph. And to add another sin to their sinister plan they planned to lie to their father by telling him that Joseph had been devoured by wild animals. These were the great-grandsons of Abraham. Their hearts had been hardened by envy.
When Joseph arrives, they strip him out of his special robe and they toss him down into the pit. They showed him no mercy. Have you ever been down in the pit like Joseph? Maybe you are in the pit right now. Maybe you have health issues or someone you love is battling a serious illness. Joseph was thrown in the pit because he was hated. Maybe you were thrown into the pit by your own spouse who wants a divorce or by your self-centered children who rarely come to visit you or by a close friend or relative who has betrayed you. Maybe you have lost your job and are having a hard time making ends meet. Whatever your personal situation, we have all been down at the bottom of the pit at some time in our lives. When the world turns its back on us, there is only one way out of the pit. We have to look up and ask God to come to the rescue.
I am sure that as Joseph sat by himself at the bottom of the pit, he had time to think about what he could have done differently. Maybe he should have kept his dreams to himself. Maybe he shouldn't have been a tattletale. He screamed for help but his brothers' ears had been shut just like their hearts. I'm certain that he prayed. After all, Jacob was a man of great faith which he had to pass down to his sons. As Joseph was about to give up hope, he hears a commotion coming from above. A group of merchants with their camels have arrived. While Joseph is hopeful down below, his brothers decide to make a profit out of Joseph. Joseph's life is about to become much worst. When he sees one of his brothers being pulled down into the pit with a rope and his brother grabs him and pulls him up, Joseph probably thought that they had a change of heart and they were giving him a second chance. The last thing he imagined was that they would sell him into slavery.
I have been down at the pit like Joseph many times. Just when I thought it couldn't get any worst, it did. I have felt many times that God has abandoned me. But all the time, God had a plan. He also has a plan for you just like he had a plan for Joseph. As his life takes a turn for the worst, Joseph never loses his faith. Don't give up on your faith. Be patient. God will reveal His plan for you soon enough.
No comments:
Post a Comment