Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“When some Midianite traders passed by, they drew Joseph up, lifting him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.”
NL Daily Devotion for Thursday, September 28, 2023
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
I had moments in which I would have loved to sell my little brother. We fought constantly. But we were also inseparable—we drew together, played together, did everything together. There was no middle ground. We were either thick as thieves in mutual creativity or beating the tar out of each other. I like to joke that we bonded like wolf cubs. (He is one of my best friends to this day). And no matter how many times I wish he would just go away with some Ishmaelites to far-away Egypt, the truth was that I would have missed him inconsolably. So I’m glad I never came across and Ishmaelites to sell him to.
Joseph’s brothers had no such compunction (other than Reuben, who only wanted to preserve Joseph so that he—Reuben—could be hailed by his father as a hero for bringing Joseph home safely). They were so jealous of Joseph and hated him so thoroughly that they didn’t think twice about shunting their brother into slavery in a distant country and never seeing him again. How much do you have to hate someone in order to do something like that?
Of course, God made it all turn out for the best. Joseph had to be sold into slavery in Egypt in order to rise to power and ultimately save his own family from a future famine. No one could have predicted this at the time, but it just goes to show that God can take even the most miserable situation and use it to bring love, healing, and reconciliation into the world.
When has something that seemed terrible at the time turned out to be a positive in my life?
