Jacob, with his twelve sons, was clearly a dysfunctional family. The oldest son, Reuben, slept with his father’s concubine. This resulted in his losing his rights as the first-born son (I Chron 5:1). The next two oldest, Simeon and Levi, massacred the entire city of Shechem, resulting in the family becoming so unwelcome in the area that they had to move. Because of these events, the fourth-born son, Judah, would have been assumed to have been most likely to receive the birthright and the blessing normally given to the firstborn son. Then, Jacob gives a very special robe to Joseph, the 11th born. This robe plainly communicated status to the rest of the family and caused much jealousy among the brothers. And let’s not forget, Joseph began to have dreams about his brothers and his parents bowing down to him and the jealousy soared.
We pick up the story today in verses 12-14. The brothers have gone to graze their flocks near Shechem, the place where Simeon and Levi’s murderous actions have made the family unwelcome. To me, this location seems a poor choice for them to be, and it must have to Jacob also, as Jacob sends Joseph to check on them. He wants Joseph to see if everything is all right with the brothers and then bring word back to him.
Read verses 15-17. What happened when Joseph arrived at Shechem? Meeting a man while wandering around in the fields, Joseph is told that his brothers have left there and gone on to Dothan. My guess is that they arrived, learned they were unwelcome, and moved on. What Simeon and Levi had done would not have been soon forgotten. The name Dothan means ‘Two Wells’ or ‘Two Cisterns’. It was located on the route to Egypt and many trade caravans passed through there and stopped at the cisterns for water. It was a logical place for the brothers to have gone.
Verses 18-22 tell us what happened as Joseph’s brothers saw him approaching Dothan. They devised quite a plan. Still mad over Joseph’s dreams, they decided to kill him and throw him into a cistern, saying that a wild animal had devoured him. This is what happens when people harbor hate in their hearts. We must always obey God’s will and seek to find forgiveness for others, no matter how hard that may be. Brooding over anger and hate can become such a destructive force in our lives.
Reuben, the eldest, apparently was not part of this plan. When he hears it, he tries to find a way to save Joseph. He suggests they still throw Joseph into the cistern, but without killing him. His plan is to come back later and rescue Joseph, taking him back to his father. I often wonder about Reuben’s motives here. Was he concerned for Joseph or did he think this might be a way to get back into Jacob’s good graces and restore his rights as the firstborn son? I don’t know Reuben’s motivation, but he must have done a good job convincing his brothers because they did as he suggested. In verses 23-24, they do exactly what Reuben suggested and throw Joseph into the cistern without harming him.
In verse 25 we see the brothers sit down for their meal. While they are eating, they see a caravan of Ishmaelites approaching. And we can see from verse 28 that the caravan also contains Midianites. Midianites are Abraham’s descendants through his concubine, Keturah and Ishmaelites are Abraham’s descendants through his concubine, Hagar. The men in this caravan would have been second or third cousins to the Israelite brothers. The camels in this caravan were loaded with goods headed for Egypt to be sold. These men were traders.
Read verses 26-27. Judah comes up with an idea, which at first glance, looks like he is wanting to save Joseph’s life. But doesn’t it seem just a tad suspicious that the brother who was currently the heir apparent for Jacob’s birthright and blessing wants to get Joseph out of town? He could have concerns about killing his brother but, then again, he doesn’t seem to be overly worried about his welfare.
Judah tells his brothers that there is nothing to be gained by killing Joseph. He suggests that they sell him instead to make some profit out of the deal. And in verse 28, we see the brothers sell Joseph, as a slave, to the traders who take him on to Egypt, along with the other goods they have for sale.
In verses 29-30, Reuben returns to the cistern, with the intention of rescuing Joseph, and finds that he isn’t there. He is distraught. What will he do now, he wonders. As the oldest son, he may think that his father will hold him responsible for the boy’s safety or he may be genuinely upset about his brother. He turns to his brothers for advice.
But in verses 31-32, the brothers concoct a story to cover up their misdeed. And, to make this work, they have to kill one of the goats from the flock. Dipped in the goat’s blood, the brothers carry Joseph’s special robe back to Jacob and tell him that they found it and ask him to identify it. Lying to their father wasn’t such a hard thing to do after what they had just done to Joseph. Sin comes easier and easier, the more you do it.
Read verses 33-35. Jacob recognizes Joseph’s robe and assumes some wild animal has torn his son apart. He goes into a long period of mourning and no one is able to comfort him. Verse 36 tells us that Joseph was taken on to Egypt, by the traders, and sold to a man named Potiphar, an important one of Pharoah’s officials. Potiphar was the captain of the guard. But God has a plan for Joseph (Isa 14:24, Jer 29:11-13, Rom 8:28).
Responding to God: Praise God that He is in control at all times. Thank Him for directing our steps and leading our paths. Thank Him for siblings and ask that He help foster a spirit of brotherly love. Seek His forgiveness for any anger, hate, or jealousy you have been harboring in your heart. Ask forgiveness for any times you have done evil to another. Ask for contentment with whatsoever state you are in and for right motives, knowing that God is in control and has a plan for you.
Further Research: On the internet, research Potiphar.
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