Thrown In The Pit

Even on the worst day of our lives, God is working all things together for our good. In this message titled, 'Thrown In The Pit,' we see how God uses the most painful moment of Joseph's life to bring about the best day of his life.

GENESIS 37:12–36

12 Now his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock near Shechem. 13 And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.” And he said to him, “Here I am.” 14 So he said to him, “Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with the flock, and bring me word.” So he sent him from the Valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. 15 And a man found him wandering in the fields. And the man asked him, “What are you seeking?” 16 “I am seeking my brothers,” he said. “Tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock.” 17 And the man said, “They have gone away, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan. 

18 They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him. 19 They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer. 20 Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams.” 21 But when Reuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.” 22 And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him”—that he might rescue him out of their hand to restore him to his father. 23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore. 24 And they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it. 

25 Then they sat down to eat. And looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. 26 Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? 27 Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him. 28 Then Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt. 

29 When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he tore his clothes 30 and returned to his brothers and said, “The boy is gone, and I, where shall I go?” 31 Then they took Joseph’s robe and slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. 32 And they sent the robe of many colors and brought it to their father and said, “This we have found; please identify whether it is your son’s robe or not.” 33 And he identified it and said, “It is my son’s robe. A fierce animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces.” 34 Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. 35 All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, “No, I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” Thus his father wept for him. 36 Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard. 

Cross-References 

4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him. (Genesis 37:4)

5 Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. (Genesis 37:5)

8 His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words. (Genesis 37:8)

11 And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind. (Genesis 37:11)

21 Then they said to one another, “In truth we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us and we did not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us.” (Genesis 42:21)

Discussion Questions

1. What were some of the highlights and lowlights of your week? What has God been teaching you? Be honest, be real.

2. Like the brothers felt about Joseph, sometimes there are people in our lives who deeply irritate or anger us by their very presence; people you just can’t stand. What provokes you to get angry and upset with family, friends, classmates, co-workers, etc.?

3. Because he was favored by their father, Joseph’s brothers became very jealous of him. What are some things that provoke students to be jealous of one another? Perhaps share what are some things that typically provoke jealousy within you?

4. The anger and jealousy of the brother led them to plot Joseph’s murder, and ultimately sell him into slavery. How have you seen unchecked anger and jealousy damage important relationships at home, school, and work? And how do you personally deal with your own anger and jealousy so that you don’t let it get out of control?

5. What was one of the hardest days of your life so far?

6. In tonight’s passage, Joseph has the worst day of his life; all hope seems lost as he’s taken from his father, thrown into a pit, and finally carted off by strange men to be sold in the slave market. Meanwhile, God is using every painful moment of that tragedy to do something amazing in Joseph’s life and the world.

The same was true for Jesus. He was betrayed, beaten, falsely accused, sold for a bag of money, and eventually crucified, yet God used that unjust tragedy to save the world. How can the examples of Joseph and Jesus help you during the worst days of your life?

RISEN is a ministry of the Sheboygan eFree Church for students in grades 6 - 12 that aims to transform lives by proclaiming the resurrected Jesus Christ in all of His grace and glory.

Would you like to join us? Find more information at our website.
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