Genesis 37:25-3525And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt. 26And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood? 27Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content. 28Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt. 29And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes. 30And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, whither shall I go? 31And they took Joseph's coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood; 32And they sent the coat of many colors, and they brought it to their father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it be thy son's coat or no. 33And he knew it, and said, It is my son's coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces. 34And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days. 35And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him. (Genesis 37:25‑35)
WHILE the brothers were eating their dinner, they looked up and saw some people coming along. As the people came nearer, they saw camels and men riding on them. I will tell you who these men were.
They lived in a country a great way off, and had been to some hills where very sweet things grew, called spice and balm. They had plucked these sweet things, and had put them in large bundles on the backs of their camels. They were going to carry them to a country a great way off, and to sell them for money.
This was their way of getting their living, and it was a good way; yet they were wicked men, as you will see.
One of the brothers, called Judah, said, "Let us sell Joseph to those men; for it would be better to sell him than to kill him. We shall get some money if we sell him; and it would be very cruel to kill Joseph, as he is our brother.”
Yet was it not very cruel to sell Joseph? This brother was not really kind. The other brothers said that they thought it was a good plan to sell Joseph. So they called to the men, and asked them if they would buy a young boy.
And the men said "Yes." This was wicked.
"How much will you give us for him?" said the brothers.
"We will give you twenty pieces of silver," said the men.
Then Joseph's brothers pulled Joseph out of the pit. Perhaps he thought they were going to let him return to his father.
Ah! poor Joseph! He soon found that his brothers were not going to be kind. The men and the camels were waiting outside the pit. The men paid the money to the brothers, and then took Joseph and carried him away with them.
When Joseph was gone, the brothers said, "What shall we tell our father when he asks us where Joseph is? We will not say we have seen Joseph, but we will say we have found his coat on the ground.”
Then the brothers killed one of their young goats, and dipped the pretty coat in the blood, "We will show our father this bloody coat," said they. So they carried the coat home, all covered with blood, and the money for which they had sold Joseph.
Do you think they were happy in their hearts? Oh, no! The wicked cannot be happy.
God had written down their wickedness in His book. Poor Joseph with the wicked men was not so unhappy as they, for God was his friend.
Old Jacob had been thinking of his sons while they were gone. How glad he must have been when he heard the bleating of their sheep, and knew they were come home! He must have looked to see whether Joseph was with them. But no. His sons came up to him. In their hands they held a bloody coat. They showed it to Jacob, and said, "We have found this. Do you think it is your son's coat, or not?”
Jacob knew that coat, and said, "It is my son's coat; a lion or bear has torn Joseph to pieces, and eaten him up.”
How Jacob wept for his darling child! How sorry he was that he had sent him alone to seek his brothers! The wicked brothers tried to comfort Jacob, and said, "Do not weep so much," but Jacob would not hear.
"No; I shall die; and then I shall be with Joseph; for I shall never be happy any more.”
How sad it was to see this poor old man, leaning on his stick, his hair gray, and his face full of sadness, while he thought that his dear boy was eaten up by the lion or the bear His little Benjamin was a comfort to him. Jacob would never let him go away, nor would he trust him with his brothers, though he did not know how wicked they had been. These brothers first had envied Joseph, then they had sold him, and then they had told a lie to hide their sin.
Children sometimes try to hide their faults by telling lies, and so they make God more angry than He was before. My dear children, remember that God always sees you; and that He hates liars, and will not let them live with Him in glory.
Hymn 10
What anguish once poor Joseph felt,
When he before his brethren knelt,
And loud for mercy cried!
Refusing still to hear his prayer,
In blood they dipped his garment fair,
And sought their guilt to hide.
Now by the heathen-stranger band,
Away from his dear native land,
The weeping youth is borne.
His father shall feel bitter pangs,
When he shall hear some lion's fangs
Those tender limbs have torn.
A precious load the camels bear
Of balm, and myrrh, and spices rare,
Which scatter Sweetness round;
But: sweeter than the sweetest spice,
True piety, beyond all price,
In Joseph's heart is found.
Blessings shall rest upon his head
Where'er his wandering steps are led,
For he to God is dear; And this same
God shall with him go,
With heavenly comforts soothe his woe,
And chase away his fear.