HealingStrong's Around the Word

Episode 2 - The Joseph Series: Betrayal to Blessing (Genesis 37:12-36, Romans 8:28 NIV)

• HealingStrong • Episode 2

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Explore the pivotal moment in Joseph's story when his brothers' jealousy leads them to sell him into slavery. Through their discussion of Genesis 37:12-36 and Romans 8:28, the group examines how God transforms what was intended for evil into something good in Joseph's life.

This quick episode covers:

• Joseph's father sends him to check on his brothers, unwittingly setting up the betrayal
• The brothers initially plot to kill Joseph but instead throw him into an empty cistern
• Reuben secretly plans to rescue Joseph but leaves temporarily
• The brothers sell Joseph to Ishmaelite traders for 20 shekels of silver
• The significance of 20 shekels matching the price in Leviticus for dedicating a young man to the Lord
• The brothers deceive their father with Joseph's blood-stained coat
• How one sin leads to more complicated deceptions and lifelong consequences
• God working behind the scenes to fulfill His purposes even through others' evil intentions

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Suggested Resources:

BIBLE PLAN - Trusting God's Plan in the Waiting: Lessons from the Life of Joseph

PODCAST - Genesis to Revelation Bible Reading

TOOLS - Refresh Your Spirit through God's Word




Speaker 1:

What you intended for bad, the Lord used for good. Kind of appropriate that the Lord was going to take this bad thing that they did and make it into something good.

Speaker 2:

Hey, my name is Cheryl and you're listening to Healing Strong's Around the Word. We're friends sitting around the table who love the Lord and we love digging deep into His Word. Each day I'll read a Bible passage and then we'll chat about what we're learning from it. Today's episode is from day three of our Bible plan called Trusting God's Plan in the Waiting Lessons from the Life of Joseph. You can find that Bible study for free on the YouVersion Bible app. Today I'll be reading Genesis 37, verses 12 through 36, and Romans 8, 28,. All from the NIV version of the Bible. So join us Around the Word Genesis 37, 12 through 36.

Speaker 2:

Now his brothers had gone to graze their father's flocks near Shechem, and Israel said to Joseph as you know, your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem. Come, I am going to send you to them. Very well, he replied. So he said to him Go and see if all is well with your brothers and with the flocks and bring word back to me. Then he sent him off from the valley of Hebron. When Joseph arrived at Shechem, a man found him wandering around in the fields and asked him what are you looking for? He replied I'm looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks. They have moved on from here. The man answered. I heard them say let's go to Dothan.

Speaker 2:

So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. But they saw him in the distance and before he reached them they plotted to kill him. Here comes that dreamer. They said to each other Come now, let's kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we'll see what comes of his dreams. When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. Let's not take his life, he said. Don't shed any blood, throw him into the cistern here in the wilderness, but don't lay a hand on him. Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father. So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe the ornate robe he was wearing and they took him and threw him into the cistern. The cistern was empty. There was no water in it.

Speaker 2:

As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt. Judah said to his brothers what will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? Come, let's sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him. After all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood. His brothers agreed so. When the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for 20 shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.

Speaker 2:

When Reuben returned to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes. He went back to his brothers and said the boy isn't there. Where can I turn now? Then they got Joseph's robe, slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. They took the ornate robe back to their father and said we found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son's robe. He recognized it and said it is my son's robe. Some ferocious animal has devoured him. He recognized it. He said I will continue to mourn until I join my son in the grave. So his father wept for him. No-transcript, and now Romans 8, 28. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. So that was our Bible reading for today. Now let's take a listen in on the discussion Susie, angie Maren and myself had around the table and around the word. This is where he sold. Joseph is sold by his brothers. Maren, what kind of stood out in your mind whenever you read this?

Speaker 1:

Well, I was looking at what the brothers were doing at the time. Reuben didn't want to kill him, but he, for some reason, takes off. The other brothers see a caravan coming his way and their way and they decide oh well, let's sell him instead of kill him. That's what I noticed in the shuffle.

Speaker 3:

You know I was thinking about the dad I was thinking about. You know he sent Joseph to go check on his brothers, and so we know how it all ends, and Joseph is actually sold into slavery, but the father thinks he's dead, and so he's the one that sent his child to go check on the other brothers. So I can't imagine just for himself the guilt he must have carried until way later on when he discovered that Joseph was alive. But there was so much more to this, because he's the one that you know sent his, sent his son off. So I was just thinking about his father I just noticed too.

Speaker 2:

This time, when we were reading what it said, when he was still a little way off, his brothers noticed him, said oh hey, there's that dreamer. And I'm like, have you ever been like alienated when god gave you a dream or a purpose or something but nobody else understood it? It's good. I don't know if he knew at the time. It was a word from the Lord. He just had two powerful dreams and he had on the coat. They could see that darn coat. That darn coat has gotten them into some problems. That just really riles their anger, I guess I would say.

Speaker 1:

They were fit to be tied.

Speaker 2:

So they end up what? They throw him in a pit, a cistern. That would have been like an empty well, and it's desert.

Speaker 3:

There they all sat down to eat their meal, while Joseph is in the cistern Screaming, screaming or crying, or not quite understanding why his brothers are doing what he's doing and they're sitting around having a meal conspiring to kill. I mean, this is sad, that's very sad. I think your family's bad. This is really sad.

Speaker 2:

I noticed another thing too in this passage about the 20 shekels and God always is specific when he puts numbers in there. There's a reason for it. So funny story. I was a part of a thing called Around the Word in 80 Days. It's a program that Healing Strong does where they have people all around the world reading the Bible one hour a night and I just happened to be on one night reading Leviticus and I noticed in the passages that night that they kept on saying the word shekels, shekels, shekels, shekels. I was like a whole lot of shekels going on.

Speaker 2:

Well, anyway, I want you to read I want to read this part here, leviticus 27.1, because I found it very interesting. The Lord said to Moses speak to the Israelites and say to them if anyone makes a special vow to dedicate a person to the Lord by giving the Guys how old was Joseph? 17. He's 17. And so it was like I felt like God was showing me this was a dedication of people to the Lord and I feel in a weird way the brothers were dedicating Joseph to the Lord and they didn't even know it.

Speaker 1:

What you intended for bad, the Lord used for good.

Speaker 2:

Kind of appropriate that the Lord was going to take this bad thing that they did and make it into something good and Joseph had a major, major purpose in his life, and if this had not happened, he would have never gotten to where he needed to go.

Speaker 1:

When Reuben comes back he notices the child is gone and then he says where shall I go now? He wept to his brothers. Then the brothers killed a goat and splattered its blood on Joseph's coat and took the coat to their father and asked him to identify it.

Speaker 2:

They've got a secret. They know the truth of what happened to him, at least that they sold him off. They don't know where he is now, but they're having to see their dad's face every single day and he had a pretty strong reaction, obviously. He tore his clothes, I believe, and was just in mourning.

Speaker 3:

Well, sin is complicated, and so when? And this is a really good example of one sin leading to another, leading to a lifetime of lies- Wow, that was some really interesting discussion.

Speaker 2:

Lies, deception, everything, my goodness. Thank you for joining us for Healing Strong's Around the Word podcast. We hope you were encouraged to dig deeper into God's word. Consider visiting us at healingstrongorg, where you can find out more about our mission and community groups. Until next time, remember faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.