Camel Caravans and Tents of the Sons of the Eastby KandD
37:26Genesis 37:26
And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?
After stripping Joseph of his hated coat, his brothers thrust him into the dark, empty pit to perish slowly and then sat down to eat, and while they were eating they saw a company of Ishmaelites approaching. Judah then opposed killing Joseph and concealing his blood as bringing no profit or gain, and proposed selling him instead because he was their brother and their own flesh. His proposal was moved by beginning regret at leaving Joseph to die in the pit, by desire for money as better than letting him die, by wish to avoid bearing responsibility for his blood, and by intent to get rid of him entirely by removing him from them and getting him out of their way. Troubled by the thought of Joseph dying slowly in the empty pit, Judah asked what they would gain by killing their brother and concealing his blood and hiding the evidence of his death.
All the brothers agreed to Judah's proposal, drew Joseph up out of the pit, and heartlessly handed him over to the traders and sold him as a slave for a small sum despite his terrified pleas for life and compassion. He was thus spared immediate death yet still enslaved as a slave. In settling on killing and then on sale, the brothers meant to keep Joseph from becoming greater than themselves and rising above them, to be no more troubled by his dreams, and to make their fulfillment impossible. God overruled the very course meant to prevent Joseph's exaltation so that by being sold into Egypt Joseph gained dominion over his brothers and became a savior to his father's family, yet this overruling did not lessen the brothers' guilt.
In the same way the chief priests and elders condemned Christ and put him to death, crying for his crucifixion, to keep him from becoming higher in authority and king, but by murdering the Son of God they brought about his becoming the Redeemer of mankind, the Savior of the fallen race, and ruler over the whole world, while their crime remained just as heinous. The episode belongs to Joseph's experience of being persecuted and treated as a criminal despite his virtue and strong character, showing that his suffering did not mean God had forsaken him, for God ultimately gave him victories. Simeon and Levi were among the most guilty in the sale, linking the act to the prophecy that they would be divided and scattered in Israel. Simeon became the smallest tribe holding only a small portion within Judah's territory, while Levi's curse was turned to blessing when the tribe stayed faithful to God and was appointed to sanctuary service.
After stripping Joseph of his hated coat, his brothers thrust him into the dark, empty pit to perish slowly and then sat down to eat, and while they were eating they saw a company of Ishmaelites approaching. Judah then opposed killing Joseph and concealing his blood as bringing no profit or gain, and proposed selling him instead because he was their brother and their own flesh. His proposal was moved by beginning regret at leaving Joseph to die in the pit, by desire for money as better than letting him die, by wish to avoid bearing responsibility for his blood, and by intent to get rid of him entirely by removing him from them and getting him out of their way. Troubled by the thought of Joseph dying slowly in the empty pit, Judah asked what they would gain by killing their brother and concealing his blood and hiding the evidence of his death.
All the brothers agreed to Judah's proposal, drew Joseph up out of the pit, and heartlessly handed him over to the traders and sold him as a slave for a small sum despite his terrified pleas for life and compassion. He was thus spared immediate death yet still enslaved as a slave. In settling on killing and then on sale, the brothers meant to keep Joseph from becoming greater than themselves and rising above them, to be no more troubled by his dreams, and to make their fulfillment impossible. God overruled the very course meant to prevent Joseph's exaltation so that by being sold into Egypt Joseph gained dominion over his brothers and became a savior to his father's family, yet this overruling did not lessen the brothers' guilt.
In the same way the chief priests and elders condemned Christ and put him to death, crying for his crucifixion, to keep him from becoming higher in authority and king, but by murdering the Son of God they brought about his becoming the Redeemer of mankind, the Savior of the fallen race, and ruler over the whole world, while their crime remained just as heinous. The episode belongs to Joseph's experience of being persecuted and treated as a criminal despite his virtue and strong character, showing that his suffering did not mean God had forsaken him, for God ultimately gave him victories. Simeon and Levi were among the most guilty in the sale, linking the act to the prophecy that they would be divided and scattered in Israel. Simeon became the smallest tribe holding only a small portion within Judah's territory, while Levi's curse was turned to blessing when the tribe stayed faithful to God and was appointed to sanctuary service.