*not a transcript, but a manuscript*
If you want to make the perfect Reuben sandwich, you will need rye bread, corn beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and thousand islands dressing. Spread the thousand islands dressing over the bread, throw the sauerkraut in the trash, and then put the rest of the stuff between the bread. Toast it until the cheese is melted. Delicious.
Now, if your name is Reuben and you are a person caught between doing the right thing and keeping the peace, that is a completely different sandwich. That is what happened to Reuben in our passage today.
Genesis 37:18-30(CSB)
The brothers saw Joseph in the distance, and before he had reached them, they plotted to kill him. They said to one another, “Oh, look, here comes that dream expert! So now, come on, let’s kill him and throw him into one of the pits. We can say that a vicious animal ate him. Then we’ll see what becomes of his dreams!”
When Reuben heard this, he tried to save him from them. He said, “Let’s not take his life.” Reuben also said to them, “Don’t shed blood. Throw him into this pit in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him”—intending to rescue him from them and return him to his father.
When Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped off Joseph’s robe, the robe of many colors that he had on. Then they took him and threw him into the pit. The pit was empty, without water.
They sat down to eat a meal, and when they looked up, there was a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying aromatic gum, balsam, and resin, going down to Egypt.
Judah said to his brothers, “What do we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? Come on, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay a hand on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh,” and his brothers agreed. When Midianite traders passed by, his brothers pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him for twenty pieces of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took Joseph to Egypt.
When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes. He went back to his brothers and said, “The boy is gone! What am I going to do?”
This is the Word of God.
For the people of God.
Thanks be to God.
Sticking with the sandwich analogy, that would make these brothers the sauerkraut. In verse 19, the brothers see their younger brother Joseph, and said, “Look, here comes that dream expert!” This is an expression that exposes the hate in their hearts towards Joseph.
Why do they hate Joseph so much? First, Joseph was their father Jacob’s favorite because Joseph was the firstborn of Jacob’s favorite wife. Second, Joseph had recently shared a dream, a prophetic vision, in which his brothers came and bowed down at his feet, meaning Joseph would rule over them. Joseph was bold or ignorant, not sure which, enough to share this with the brothers. As we read in verse 19, the brothers were deeply angered at this vision.
When they see Joseph off in the distance, the brothers united in their hatred to form a sinister plot. “Let’s kill him and throw him into one of the pits,” they say in verse 20. They were so full of hate that they were willing to kill their brother.
There were twelve brothers altogether. Joseph is coming up the road, Benjamin the youngest is not in this part of the story, and nine others that want Joseph dead. This leaves Reuben, the corn beef of the story. He is not like the rest of his brothers. While they all want Joseph dead, Reuben wants to save him. Reuben wanted to save his brother because murder is evil. And there is also the fact that Reuben was the oldest, making him responsible for Joseph. Of course, Reuben was already in trouble for sleeping with his dad’s concubine, so that was added motivation.
Reuben wants to do the right thing, but the problem is speaking out would bring great risk. The brothers were plotting one murder, and Reuben could easily become a target. Instead of standing up for Joseph, Reuben says, “Don’t shed his blood. Throw him into this pit.” To the brothers, it would seem like Reuben wanted to let starvation and cold kill Joseph, but this was a deception to buy Reuben time to come rescue Joseph.
Now we are to the Swiss cheese in our story, Joseph. He comes to check on his brothers, unaware of the horrors awaiting him. They immediately seize him, stripping Joseph of his multi-colored robe gifted to him by his father. The coat represented Joseph’s status and privilege to the brothers. With no regard for life, the brothers toss Joseph into a waterless pit. This pit was a cistern, not designed with a person needing to escape in mind.
Verse 25 might be the most disturbing in the entire passage, it says, “They sat down to eat a meal.” Joseph is screaming and pleading for his life, and his brothers sit down to eat. No remorse, only self-satisfaction. This is when Judah notices the traveling traders and gets a better idea. Is it because Judah wants to save Joseph or make money? Who knows. But Judah suggests that they sell their brother as a slave to the Ishmaelites. A modern way to say this is Judah wanted to traffic Joseph to make a profit. No blood would be spilled, and no guilt of murder would be on their conscience.
For twenty pieces of silver, the brothers sold Joseph. Reuben was not around for this transaction. Did the others intentionally wait until he was gone? Regardless, Reuben wanted to do the right thing but without conflict, but he returns to discover Joseph was sold to Egypt. His father Jacob would hold him responsible. The only option Reuben felt he had left was to go along with the ruse his brothers would tell his father.
If you know the entire story of Joseph, being sold to Egypt ultimately leads to good things for Joseph and all the family. The brothers tried to prevent Joseph’s divine vision, but their actions seemed to directly contribute to its fulfillment. God still used Joseph for His divine purposes. Since God still worked it all out for good, does that make everything that happened good and God’s will?
We must avoid two traps in reading this story or we develop some wonky understanding. First, if we attribute everything in this story to God’s will, then we end up calling sin good and reducing God to being less than holy. Second, we believe that God’s plan was completely at the mercy of the people involved in these events. There is a paradox between God’s will and the free will of man. Yes, God was able to continue in His plan, but the sin of the brothers did not need to take place.
This means that Reuben was sandwiched between choosing to do right and avoiding conflict. Rather than stand up to his brothers, meeting the clash head-on, Reuben chose the less confrontational route. Fear had a lot to do with it. Reuben deciding to play puppet master opened the door for Joseph to be trafficked. And the discovery of his failure led Reuben to believe that joining in the cover-up was his only option.
God’s way, the right thing, will not be free from conflict. If you and I are going to live for Jesus, we will need to be willing to face conflict. In Romans 12:18, the Apostle Paul does tell us, “If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” Meaning, we do not carry around a stick for stirring pots. We do not go looking for conflict, the devil is the one who stalks around like a lion seeking someone to devour. But we are told to suit up in the Armor of God because our faith journey will lead us into conflict. Sometimes the conflict will be in the Church, other times it will be from the outside. Either way, while we do not go looking for the conflict, we do not shy away from it.
Now, God’s way may not be free from conflict, it will be free from something. It will be free from sin, and it will be free from having to fear those who stand against you. If it is with those in the Church, you know those involved love Jesus and love the Church (hopefully). Should it be with those outside the faith, Jesus told His disciples, “Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body but can’t kill the soul. Instead, be afraid of the one who can destroy both body and soul in hell.” (Matthew 10:28, CEB) This is not an invitation for us to respond as others respond, but to remember in which Kingdom our citizenship lies.
Whatever it is you are not wanting to face, Jesus is with you. Whatever you have been avoiding, God is with you. If you are shackled in fear, the Holy Spirit is with you. And yes, God can work all things together for the good of those who love Him, but God can also help you take the right path now. Do you trust God to have your back?