And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.
The pit at Dothan into which Joseph was cast was empty, with no water in it, a deep and dark pit with no way for him to escape, and this casting was part of the events that led to his being taken toward Egypt as a slave. He had arrived glad and joyful at finding his brothers, though weary and hungry from his journey, but instead of welcome he was met with scorn, abuse and terrifying looks. He was immediately seized and stripped of his hated coat amid taunting remarks, and he expected to be killed at once.
Helpless in the hands of pitiless men who were deaf to anguish, he entreated for his life to no avail. Even as he pleaded he was thinking of his home and father and the parting blessing, and of his father's sorrow and his murderers' guilt. He was thrust into the pit and left there without food or rest to perish from hunger by a lingering, slow death of starvation, while his brothers sat down to eat their meal.
Though virtuous and strong in purpose, he was maligned, persecuted and treated as a criminal. Yet he was under the eye of God, and his cries of distress reached God's throne. His suffering did not mean God had forsaken him, and God brought signal victories from it.
Judah was troubled by the brothers' cruelty and Joseph's helplessness and regretted the deed, thinking he would die slowly there of starvation. He proposed selling him for money as better than leaving him to perish, since he was their own flesh and could be removed entirely from them. The brothers then drew him up out of the pit and heartlessly sold him as a slave.
The brothers had first intended to kill him and then sold him to prevent his rise and becoming greater than themselves, to be rid of his dreams and make their fulfillment impossible. God overruled the very course they took to bring about what they meant never should happen, that Joseph should have dominion and authority over them. By being sold into Egypt he became savior to his father's family, yet God's control of events for His own glory and the good of man did not lessen their guilt.
Joseph's experience illustrates Christ: as Joseph's enemies sought to prevent his authority but his being sold made him the redeemer of his family, so Christ's enemies sought to prevent His authority but His death made Him the Redeemer of mankind. Christ came to His own and His own received Him not, and He was sold to His bitterest enemies by one of His own disciples. His murder by them made Him Redeemer of mankind, Savior of the fallen race and ruler over the whole world, while their crime remained heinous even as God brought good through it.
The pit at Dothan into which Joseph was cast was empty, with no water in it, a deep and dark pit with no way for him to escape, and this casting was part of the events that led to his being taken toward Egypt as a slave. He had arrived glad and joyful at finding his brothers, though weary and hungry from his journey, but instead of welcome he was met with scorn, abuse and terrifying looks. He was immediately seized and stripped of his hated coat amid taunting remarks, and he expected to be killed at once.
Helpless in the hands of pitiless men who were deaf to anguish, he entreated for his life to no avail. Even as he pleaded he was thinking of his home and father and the parting blessing, and of his father's sorrow and his murderers' guilt. He was thrust into the pit and left there without food or rest to perish from hunger by a lingering, slow death of starvation, while his brothers sat down to eat their meal.
Though virtuous and strong in purpose, he was maligned, persecuted and treated as a criminal. Yet he was under the eye of God, and his cries of distress reached God's throne. His suffering did not mean God had forsaken him, and God brought signal victories from it.
Judah was troubled by the brothers' cruelty and Joseph's helplessness and regretted the deed, thinking he would die slowly there of starvation. He proposed selling him for money as better than leaving him to perish, since he was their own flesh and could be removed entirely from them. The brothers then drew him up out of the pit and heartlessly sold him as a slave.
The brothers had first intended to kill him and then sold him to prevent his rise and becoming greater than themselves, to be rid of his dreams and make their fulfillment impossible. God overruled the very course they took to bring about what they meant never should happen, that Joseph should have dominion and authority over them. By being sold into Egypt he became savior to his father's family, yet God's control of events for His own glory and the good of man did not lessen their guilt.
Joseph's experience illustrates Christ: as Joseph's enemies sought to prevent his authority but his being sold made him the redeemer of his family, so Christ's enemies sought to prevent His authority but His death made Him the Redeemer of mankind. Christ came to His own and His own received Him not, and He was sold to His bitterest enemies by one of His own disciples. His murder by them made Him Redeemer of mankind, Savior of the fallen race and ruler over the whole world, while their crime remained heinous even as God brought good through it.