Who or what in life encourages you to be self-centered? Selfishness comes
in many forms, a few of which we'll see today as we look again at the
life of Joseph. At times, selfishness can motivate us to hoard food or
other items; it prevents us from helping the poor, the needy and suffering;
it can drive us to totally disregard the rights of others and even become
indifferent to lost people as we put our own desires first. Only a selfish
person could sit down to eat with a clear conscience while sitting near
to a suffering individual! Such was the case with Joseph's brothers, for
while he was nearby perishing in the pit, they sat down to eat bread without
any remorse…
Genesis 37:25-28
And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked,
and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels
bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt. And
Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother,
and conceal his blood? Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and
let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And
his brethren were content. Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen;
and they drew and lifted up Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces
of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.
Let's put ourselves in Joseph's place for a moment… Imagine sitting in
a damp pit all alone, perhaps hungry, and a bit cold after having been
stripped of your coat, definitely thirsty and very heavy hearted. Directly
above the opening of the hole in the ground, the sounds of your loved
ones having gathered for a meal drifts down to your ears… Shamefully,
they are conversing and eating as if nothing were wrong with you at all!
Considering the fact that they were the guilty ones who cast you into
the pit to begin with, this type of cold-hearted selfishness would positively
break the tenderest of hearts! Undeniably, Joseph had a tender heart toward
his family and toward doing right in general. He always seemed to set
aside his own needs to meet the needs of others and yet we find in our
text today that his brothers could care less about Joseph! You would think
that God would protect tenderhearted people from selfish monsters like
this, but in His infinite wisdom we find that the Lord oftentimes uses
gentle hearts to chisel away at hearts of stone. He uses the fragile to
shame those that are the sturdiest! You see ladies; the purpose for God's
preference is to put to silence the wisdom of man…
1 Cor. 1:27-29
But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise;
and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things
which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised,
hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things
that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence.
Yes, the Lord chooses and uses the weak to confound the mighty, and so
it is even in unsettling family situations. Which end of the pit are you
on today, dear lady, the top or the bottom? In other words, who do you
most often behave like in the midst of family problems when all hell breaks
loose at your house - Joseph or his brothers?? Can God call on your humble
example to teach others their profound need for His grace? When it comes
to your personal desires, are you usually willing to lay them aside and
become a nobody, or do you perform your utmost to see your wishes fulfilled
as if you were a somebody?
Philip. 3:8
Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the
knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of
all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
It is an interesting thought, but it is possible for a group of people
to all share the same experience, yet interpret it differently. Joseph's
brothers interpreted their circumstances as an ideal opportunity for them
to profit at their suffering brother's expense and planned to sell him
into slavery. However, we need God's wisdom to interpret any circumstance
correctly. In challenging situations, the tender hearted, like Joseph,
must understand they have before them the opportunity to learn how to
trust the God they have submitted themselves to. They must remain surrendered
to His will in every difficulty! The selfish, like Joseph's brothers,
must understand they have before them the opportunity to lay aside their
personal desires and learn how to submit to the Lord as God! Consequently,
there IS a lesson for everyone all the time in every quandary we face.
1 John 1:8
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is
not in us.
Incidentally, have you ever purposely left a particular family member
in a pit, determined not to lift a finger to help them out? We are not
to foolishly interpret family problems as an appointment for one particular
member to "learn their lesson". Wives, that means it's not just our husbands
that need to learn in the midst of marital conflict, it's us too!! It
is also not just the parents that have something to learn in the midst
of domestic quarrels, it's the children too! Both Jacob and his wife,
and Joseph and his brothers all had something they needed to be taught
in the midst of the problems that existed in their home. Scripture says
that no flesh is to glory, but God alone! A truly happy home is only guaranteed
as the glory of God shines forth in the life of each family member. It
is a work entirely of grace and the world needs to witness more of the
difference it can make in our families! What will you choose to display
- selfishness or surrender?
If you'll notice in our main text, Joseph's brothers, driven by envy,
chose to be selfish having made the decision to sell their younger brother
to the traveling merchantmen to try to rid themselves of their family
problem. Visualize Joseph having to clasp the hand of a family member
that had just betrayed him and be drawn out of the pit and sold into slavery
for twenty pieces of silver. Another clear reminder that he is a type
of Christ… In spite of the heartache and the rude treatment he received,
Joseph yielded himself to the conditions God had permitted that day and
though he was not speedily delivered from his family dilemma, God accompanied
him every step of the way until HIS purposes were worked out. What a rich
testimony! May we all be as surrendered as Joseph was to God's supervision
of our family problems!
God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 2000 Pamela A. Iannello
Revised 2003
