I have to say I don't always have a great deal of sympathy for Joseph when I read his story, for there is no doubt that in his teenage years, he comes across as an arrogant, pompous, spoilt brat who liked nothing better than telling tales on hos half brothers to get them into trouble and then coming out with all sorts of stories which basically said how much better he was than any of them. But I guess there were a few extenuating circumstances that maybe excuse some of his behaviour. For a start his mum Rachel died when he was quite young so I guess he didn't have that motherly touch and love for long enough. Also his dad had children to four different women so, apart from Benjamin, everyone else was really just a step brother or sister. thirdly, and probably because he was born to the one woman his dad really loved, so late in life, he was the firm favourite with Jacob as the notorious coloured coat suggested. And fourthly, while the rest of the boys were out working, he seemed to be often excused such hard labour in favour of a more dreamy lifestyle. I reckon if any arrogant, spoilt half brother had constantly carried stories about me to my parents and consistently reminded me that he would end up so much greater than I, ill thoughts of him would certainly have crossed my mind. So I can understand the rest of the gang's thoughts when they saw the opportunity arise of putting him firmly in his place, in this case a dry well. But you've got to hand it to Reuben, as oldest son, for bringing some reality to the situation, for without his intervention, Joseph wouldn't even have seen the well alive, though I imagine Reuben's consternation when he came back to help Joseph escape, only to discover the other brothers had sold him off to some passing merchants for the salve trade.
Form then on Joseph's life is a series of lows and highs, of personal struggles and triumphs as he moves from pit to Potiphar, to prison to Pharaoh to prime minister to paternity to peace wit his brothers, all part of the greater P that was God's plan for his life.
For Joseph, some things never change. He always spoke what he considered to be correct, regardless of how others might have perceived it. Sometimes it landed him with enemies, at other times made him a hero but always God used his words to great effect and blessed others through the gifts He had given to Joesph. But I often wonder how that pit experience at the tender age of seventeen changed him for the future. For there is no evidence of the arrogant, boastful, proud nature in his dealings with Potiphar's wife, the prison guard, Pharaoh, even his brothers when they came to Egypt and there is clear evidence that everyone who met him was attracted by his magnetic personality and his honesty. Maybe after all, his brothers did him a favour that day and gave him the time he needed to think and to grow up.
But one thing that Joseph said, right at the start of this lifelong adventure was in reply to his father's statement that he was sending him to his brothers. Joseph answered "I'm ready to go."
God may be ready to use us or to send us to do a job for Him even when He knows that we have still much to learn, but isn't it our reply to His order that matters, not our perceived readiness. If God calls you today, are you prepared to say "I'm ready to go" and, like Joseph, discover the adventure that will change you for ever.
