Joseph – thwarted in the well
Series: Like you and me | Bible text: Genesis 37:12–30
His brothers threw Joseph into a well. There he sat, full of fear and with no prospects for the future. But God was already pulling the strings in the background. Joseph later says: «God has turned all the evil that you planned into good. In this way he wanted to save the lives of many people»(Genesis 50:20 NL). We are simply no longer used to dealing with pain, suffering and death. Yet it is the way God shapes us and makes us salt and light in this world. We must learn to embrace suffering.
A fortnight ago, in his sermon here, the speaker uttered the following sentence: «Expect extra difficulties when you are on the road and going down new paths! Miracles always bring extra difficulties.«I consider the greatest danger of Western Christianity to be that we are spoiled by prosperity, averse to suffering. Shoulder operations are considered very painful. In our modern medicine we have reached the point where two hundred times stronger drugs than morphine are fed through a pain catheter directly into the nerve going to the shoulder. If the pain still became uncomfortable, I could trigger a pulse once an hour that released an extra dose of painkiller. Ingenious! We are specialists in preventing pain – not just medically, but in all of life. And so we languish merrily along in our faith comfort zone – and trouble comes, we press the button that says «Jesus, make the problem go away!» We are simply no longer used to dealing with pain, suffering and death. The result is a well-behaved, boring life of faith and many disappointments because Jesus does not seem to intervene.
Joseph experienced what it meant to sit in the narrow cistern. We read from his story in Genesis 37:12–30. Joseph sat in the well. I need this as an image for situations of suffering, need and hopeless situations. In such events, there are always those directly and indirectly affected.
Ruben – indirectly affected
«When Reuben heard this, he wanted to help Joseph. «Let him live,» he said. «Do not shed blood! Instead, throw him alive into this cistern here in the desert. But do not harm him.» Secretly, however, Reuben planned to save Joseph and bring him back to his father»(Genesis 37:21f NL).
It is surprising that Reuben, of all people, fought for Joseph’s life. He was the firstborn and should have received the most beautiful dress and also the inheritance. Moreover, the first-born blessing was also in danger. In fact, Joseph’s two sons were equal to Reuben in terms of blessing (Genesis 48:5). Nevertheless, Reuben is the only one who stands up for the right and tries to save what can be saved. And this is no flash in the pan. Later, when Benjamin is in danger, he does it again (Genesis 42:37).
Many years later, someone comes along who is just as committed to helping other people in trouble. He would have had every reason not to come into this world and get his hands really dirty. He pulls it off and takes stock: «It is done!»(John 19:30).
It is divine to stand up for what is right in the face of the suffering of others. Reuben comes back and tears his clothes because he can do nothing more. Often those indirectly affected are powerless. Recently I came across a quote from Rajesh from India: «If someone comes and beats me or kills me, that’s fine. I am willing to endure it for Christ. But what if someone comes and beats my children?«Especially as parents it is hard to bear when the children suffer. One would gladly die oneself if it meant that the child would stay alive.. Often there is nothing else one can do but simply suffer in silence. That is difficult for us! And so we allow ourselves to be seduced by statements that hurt more than they build. For example, through optimistic prophecies that reflect our helplessness more than God’s speaking. Or we pretend to understand the suffering person. What a presumption. No one can understand the suffering of another!
It is so important that we stand behind not only those directly affected in suffering, but also those indirectly affected.
Joseph – directly affected
And how do you think Joseph is doing in the cistern? The brothers later said to each other: «All this happened only because of what we did to Joseph a long time ago. We saw his fear when he begged us for mercy, but did not listen. Now we must atone for it» (Genesis 42:21 NL). Joseph endured panic fear of death. In addition, there was the confinement, the pain, the hopelessness, the loneliness. He could barely breathe enough to plead for mercy.
Maybe you feel similar right now or know such constricting situations from days gone by. There may be a diagnosis with an uncertain future, physical or emotional pain, the nagging and unfulfilled desire for marriage or children, the relationship that is breaking up. A dark night of the soul. What then?
Peter describes what matters then: «There is great joy ahead of you, even if you have to endure much for a while. This is only to test your faith to see if it is truly strong and pure. It is tested as gold is tested and refined in the fire – and your faith is much more precious to God than mere gold. So if your faith remains strong after it has been tested through great difficulties, it will bring you much praise and glory and honour on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.»(1 Peter 1:6f NL).
The pivotal point is the sentence: «So if your faith remains strong.» When we are stuck in the well, we are first and foremost to make sure that our trust in God remains strong. Our inner reflexes do the opposite: they doubt whether God even exists, because we have been under the misapprehension that as baptised Christians we will no longer be caught in the cistern and that if it should happen, we have a helicopter God.who immediately rescues us from the predicament. That’s what he’s there for! Imagine a boy who locks himself in the toilet and despite desperate attempts can no longer open the door. He has panic attacks and screams for help. The father hears him and climbs in through the window into the narrow room. The boy is happy and has only one wish: that the father opens the door and he can continue playing with his Legos. The father, on the other hand, considers it more important to be with the son in his need and to spend fellowship with him. In the well, there is one question: Do we despair or can a spark of hope arise in us? Do I trust Him to do it well?
According to Peter, crises have a purpose. They test our faith so that it becomes more precious than gold. Don’t waste a cistern experience! We are then «work in progress» from God’s point of view. This reminds me of the statue «David» carved by Michelangelo. When asked how he could create such a wonderful statue from a block of marble, he replied: «I just knock away everything that doesn’t belong to David.» We need crises if we want to become the person God sees in us. Romans 5:3ff describes a cycle: through worries and problems we learn patience, patience makes us strong inside and that in turn makes us confident in hope and leads to love. The whole maturing process begins with the cistern. There we have to learn to embrace suffering.
God – where are you?
Is God trustworthy at all? Where is he in the story of Joseph? The following observation is my highlight in this story. At the behest of his father Jacob, Joseph came to the field where the brothers were to be. «As Joseph was wandering in the fields, he met a man. What are you looking for?» he asked him.» (V.15 NL). Joseph wandered around, so there was a delay. As a result, the well debacle also occurred later. «Then they sat down to eat. Suddenly they spotted a caravan coming towards them from Gilead»(V.25 NL). Thanks to the delay in the field, the timing was now perfect. If this caravan had not come, they would have left Joseph in the well. God has long since been pulling the strings in the background. Joseph felt nothing of this in the cistern. When we sit in the well, we can trust that God is pulling the strings. You can know: God is above all and has a plan for you and me. And if you are wandering around, the timing may not be right yet. In any situation, know that God has a plan and is not late.
Much later, when Joseph makes himself known to his brothers, he said: «I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. But do not reproach yourselves for that. God himself sent me before you to save your lives.»(Genesis 45:4f NL). In the well, Joseph was just pure fear. Only much later did he get a new perspective. Perhaps this will also happen to you at some point through time. A little later Joseph said to them: «As far as I am concerned, God has turned all the evil you have planned to good. In this way he wanted to save the lives of many people»(Genesis 50:20 NL). Joseph came out of the well differently than when he was thrown in. «The Lord helped Joseph and let him succeed in everything»(Genesis 39:2 NL).
A rabbi writes: «In a dream I took part in a strange trial. Three pious rabbis had decided to sit in judgement on God for the carnage among his children. In heated discussion, they bitterly leveled charges against God, who had consigned his people to oblivion and thus to murderers. God was criminally failing to fulfil his covenant obligations towards the Jews. In the course of the trial, God was found guilty on all counts. After the verdict, one of the rabbis said, in view of the setting sun, it was now time for prayer. And they bowed their heads and prayed.» The whole Bible tells us that we may accuse God out of the cistern. And God as the accused stands up to it, yes, that he defends himself and that he proves his omnipotence and loveHe does not let this accusation get him down, but rather challenges him to act divinely (cf. Isaiah 54:7–8). In Hebrew, God is called kabod (holy). Kabod means heavy with weight. God withstands this with his power, his weight, when we accuse him. He is the Holy One, nothing can knock him down. And because he is so weighty, at the end of this story the rabbis reverently bow their heads and worship God. They give him the honour and leave the last word, the final judgement to him. Everything they have previously served up in the indictment is prejudice. The Holy One, the Weighty One, has the last word. May this holy God bless you even in those moments when you only feel like complaining.
A former regional manager is waiting to die with pancreatic cancer. In an interview he tells how he confidently awaits his Saviour. His wish is that the song «Ruler of Eternity» be sung at the funeral service. Trusting God means worshipping Him after all hardships and prejudices. He is good and does it well!
Possible questions for the small groups
Read Bible text: Genesis 37:12–30; Romans 5:3–5
- How might Joseph have felt in the well? When and how did you also have such constricting feelings?
- There is a song that says «In you is joy in all sorrow». How can one rejoice in the well?
- What do you think about the statements in Romans 5:3–5? Why might well experiences be the key to a life of hope and love?
- What kind of thinking is important to trust God in the well?
- Who could you stand by who is in the well right now? What do you need to consider?
