Passing Through the Tunnel of Suffering (Genesis 37:1-36)
Through the words of Genesis Chapter 37, human frailty and domestic conflict are starkly revealed in the relationship between Joseph and his brothers.
Jacob loved Joseph, whom he had in his old age, more than his other sons and clothed him in a “coat of many colors.” This garment was more than just clothing; it symbolized a special status, which instilled deep jealousy and hatred in the hearts of his brothers.
[Genesis 37:4]
“When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than them, they hated him and could not speak to him kindly.”
The brothers hated Joseph so much that their relationship deteriorated to the point where they could not even speak a single word to him kindly. This hatred eventually escalated into murderous intent. The brothers threw their younger brother into a pit and later made the heartless choice of selling him as a slave to foreign merchants.
This demonstrates how comparison and envy destroy relationships in life. It warns that if hatred accumulates, even family members can become worse than strangers.
God showed Joseph a vision of the future through two dreams. However, these dreams brought Joseph not immediate glory, but a time of severe refining.
The dream in which sheaves of grain bowed down and the sun, moon, and stars bowed down revealed God’s sovereign plan. This was not Joseph’s personal ambition, but God’s providence to save his entire family in the future.
Through Joseph, God showed that a long ‘tunnel of suffering’ exists between the moment a dream is received and the moment it is fulfilled. After giving the dream, God sent Joseph into the wilderness (Egypt) to mold him into a person capable of handling it.
[Genesis 37:19-20]
19 They said to one another, “Here comes the dreamer.”
20 “Come, let us kill him and throw him into a pit, and say that a wild beast devoured him. Then we will see what becomes of his dreams.”
His brothers mocked Joseph as a “dreamer” and ridiculed him, saying they would see what would happen to his dreams. Joseph was devastated when he was betrayed by his brothers, stripped of his clothes, and thrown into an empty pit.
However, the description that there was no “water” in the pit (verse 24) reveals God’s meticulous intervention in protecting Joseph from death. Furthermore, being sold to the Ishmaelites instead of being put to death at Judah’s suggestion was the beginning of God’s grand plan to send Joseph to Egypt in the future.
This suffering of Joseph was by no means a “failure,” but a process of “sending.” The process of having his coat of many colors (privilege) stripped off and wearing the clothes of a slave was a process of humility that God had him pass through before establishing him as a leader.
His brothers believed that if they eliminated Joseph, his dream would vanish as well, but God, instead, used their wickedness as a tool to turn Joseph’s dream into reality.
“His brothers were jealous, but his father kept the words” (Genesis 37:11).
Joseph steadfastly held his ground even amidst the sharp circumstances of his brothers’ jealousy. In our lives as well, when we face incomprehensible hardships or unjust situations, it is important to trust that they are not pits meant to destroy us, but rather pathways leading to the future God has prepared.
I believe that the God who led Joseph to Egypt is now guiding my steps toward the most righteous path. Although his brothers sold him to crush his dreams, paradoxically, that very act sent Joseph to Egypt and opened the way for those dreams to be fulfilled.
The vision or desires of our hearts given by God may sometimes come as trials rather than immediate blessings. However, we must believe that no human interference or difficult circumstances can stop God’s plan.
Genesis Chapter 37 concludes with the scene of Joseph being sold to the house of Potiphar, the captain of the guard in Egypt. While it may appear to be a tragic ending on the surface, this was actually “opening the door to God’s amazing plan.”
Even at the moment he was abandoned by his brothers and dragged away as a slave, God was with Joseph. The pit is not the end, but the starting point of a new mission. When circumstances worsen, it is easy for us to doubt the dreams God has given us, but Joseph’s life proves the fact that “God never makes a mistake.”
Lord, there are times when I feel as though my life has been cast into a dark pit. However, help me to believe that even there is a process through which You are guiding me.
May I not be consumed by the envy of others or the difficulties of my circumstances, but instead look to God, who gave me my dreams, and live out today steadfastly. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
By Rev.JAEWOONG CHANG
