Genesis 37:12-17
And his brethren went to feed their father's flock in Shechem. And Israel
said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? come,
and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I. And he
said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren,
and well with the flocks; and bring me word again. So he sent him out
of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. And a certain man found
him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked him,
saying, What seekest thou? And he said, I seek my brethren: tell me, I
pray thee, where they feed their flocks. And the man said, They are departed
hence; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after
his brethren, and found them in Dothan.
Only a short time ago, we saw in verse 11 that Jacob had just finished
rebuking Joseph about his dream of supremacy he had shared with the family.
Likewise, his brothers also reacted strongly over this dream and hated
Joseph all the more because of it. If there was ever a time for tension
to be in the air in the family, it was certainly now, amen? At this time,
Joseph finds himself in the position of being commanded by his father
to go seek after his brethren. Tell me ladies, how would you feel about
being put in that position after your family openly rejected you? How
willing would you be to submit to a father that reprimanded you for something
you had no control over?? How willing would you be to seek after siblings
that you knew without a shadow of a doubt hated you??
Joseph's dream was one where his entire family paid him obeisance and
he could have reacted to his father's request in a very prideful way,
but he did not! As some of us might have, Joseph could have held a grudge
against his Dad for unduly rebuking him. He could have turned arrogant
after his dream and declined to obey his father's present command based
on the promise of his future status. Focused on the deepened hatred of
his brothers, Joseph could have refused the job of checking up on them
and having to report back. Praise the Lord this young man's response to
his father was righteous! You see, Joseph didn't let his family determine
the kind of a Christian he was going to be - he let the character of God
determine his behavior. How readily we find that Joseph waits his father's
orders! As a matter of fact, Joseph's response as a son was parallel to
Christ's response to His heavenly Father - "...come, and I will send thee
unto them. And he said to him, Here am I."
Ladies, this ought to be our reaction in every sticky situation the Lord
has determined for us to be in! Certainly God's children ought to be the
most ready to obey, amen? We must prepare our hearts for whatever or however
the Lord might decide to use us. God may send us straight into the presence
of those who do not care for us at all and who are purposely against us.
God may send us straight into the presence of those who rebuke us unfairly
though we are blameless. Will you be willing and obedient to enter a situation
like that for the Lord and honor His wishes? Will you be willing to look
after those who won't return your love; even those who won't appreciate
you for faithfully caring for them? Or have you decided ahead of time
that you will not put up with that kind of treatment from people?? Just
how far are you willing to go today in obeying the Lord's commands?
Luke 22:33
And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison,
and to death.
In our main text today, the Bible says that Joseph wandered in the field
looking everywhere for his brothers… He even had to go so far as Dothan
to find them, which was not just around the corner, especially when you
are traveling on foot! Some may think the task too much trouble and a
waste of time knowing full well his brothers wouldn't be grateful for
his concern, but nevertheless, Joseph obeyed his father and finished the
work he gave him to do, in spite of the state of affairs. Now that is
faithfulness in action, amen ladies? Are we as faithful when our vocation
grows to be equally challenging?? Can you cheerfully endeavor to serve
others at all cost? Your initial mindset will make the difference every
step of the way…
1 Peter 5:2
Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof,
not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready
mind;
Joseph was a type of Christ; for though he was the beloved Son of his
Father, and hated by a wicked world, yet the Father sent Jesus to visit
us. In great humility and sacrificial love Christ came from heaven to
earth to seek and save us. Even still malicious plots were laid against
God's Son. His own not only rejected Jesus, but crucified Him! This calling
Jesus submitted to as a part of God's design to redeem and save us. So
too, God's plan was to make Joseph an instrument to save much people alive.
Certainly that is God's design for all of His children, amen? Who has
the Lord sent you to as an instrument of salvation? Have you submitted
to His plan?? Perhaps it is someone in your immediate family, someone
close to you who does not love you; someone who fails to appreciate your
sincere concern for their soul; someone who schemes against you and seeks
to destroy you… Will you be faithful to the Lord and let Him send you
straight into a challenging person's life, or will you run the other way??
Even in the midst of family strife and tension, Joseph maintained his
example of obedience before his father and brothers. Though he was not
guilty of any wrong doing, Joseph still humbled himself in the presence
of man and obeyed his father's command…
1 Peter 5:3
Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the
flock.
By Joseph's example we learn that it's our responsibility as a Christian,
placed as a particular member in our family, to see to it that all is
well with our brethren at home AND with the flock of God. Yes, even church
family must be closely looked after! Are you available to be called upon
for such a challenging mission? HOW we carry this responsibility out is
just as important as doing it, amen? The Lord always assigns the humble
to this kind of work, for He knows they can be trusted to give an accurate
report of others because they have first given an accurate report of themselves!
In the same way, Jacob trusted Joseph to bring word back to him about
the situation with his brothers, for he knew Joseph wouldn't distort the
truth. Likewise, must we watch over every family member and bring word
back to the Lord on our knees - pouring out the truth before God with
humble hearts. Are things well with your brethren today, dear lady? If
not, I hope you are faithfully praying for your family situation and humbly
pursuing loved ones whenever you see that things are not right! This is
the product of a "Here am I" attitude.
God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 2000 Pamela A. Iannello
Revised 2003
