Cast into a Pit
Sermon Recording
Sermon Outline
Speaker: Rev. Scott Strickman
Sermon Series: The Joseph Stories
Genesis 37:12-36 (ESV)
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.
Sermon Outline
The consequences of our wrongs can be so terrible that God becomes our only help.
1. Impossibility
vv19-20 “Here comes this dreamer… let us kill him… we will say… and we will see what will become of his dreams.”
v22 “and Reuben said… that he might rescue him... to restore him to his father.”
v23 “So… they stripped him of his robe… and threw him into a pit.”
vv31-32 “please identify whether it is your son’s robe or not.”
2. Impact
vv26-27 “Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it… Come, let us sell him… for he is our brother.”
vv34 “Then Jacob tore his garments… and mourned for his son many days… but he refused to be comforted”
Gen 42:21-24 “In truth we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul…. So now there comes a reckoning for his blood.”
3. Imagination
v36 “Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh
Prayer of Confession
Who is like you, O God, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love? You do not treat us as our sins deserve. We admit we take your patience for granted so much that we neither resist sin as we ought nor rest, with gratitude, in your kindness. We live as though sin is inevitable. We handle our sin with excuses rather than repentance. We are sufficiently caught up in this broken world that doing true good feels impossible. Forgive every sin. Forgive us for harboring sin in our hearts so that its influence remains in our lives. We know that change is impossible through us alone, so we look to you, for whom nothing is impossible. Cleanse us, pardon us, renew us, and grant us grace. Help us, we pray, through Jesus, Amen.
Questions for Reflection
Is it possible to live a perfect life (morally)? Why or why not?
Do you want to do good? Do you see the desire for good in you? What keeps you from consistently and thoroughly following through?
How do you understand your sinful desires? Where do they come from? What influence do they have? How do you deal with them?
Are you holding on to anything that has a negative influence in your life? What is needed to let go and move forward? What will happen if you don’t? How can Jesus help you now?
Do you live in fear of judgment? Do you have a lot of guilt?
How does it work that we are offered true and full forgiveness through the death of Jesus for us? How is the invitation to grace through Jesus the means of deeper change, and on going growth?
How does the gospel speak to on-going or present failures? What do you need to believe? What do you need to do? Is there anything you should be doing to fix something? What does it look like to receive grace and walk in it?