Genesis 37:12

Genesis 37:12 says, And his brethren went to feed their father’s flock in Shechem.  This tells us that the brothers went to feed the sheep at Shechem, but as we will see, Joseph was not with them.  Verse thirteen states, 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.  Israel, once Jacob, asks Joseph if his brothers were feeding the flock in Shechem.  Maybe he was getting forgetful, or maybe he just wanted to see if Joseph knew.  Israel told Joseph that he would send him to his brothers, and Joseph was ready to do what his father wanted him to do.  If God, our heavenly Father, ever asks us where we are, as He did Adam in the Garden, then we like Adam then and Joseph with his earthly father now can only reply, "Here am I."  If God is sending us somewhere or to someone, we must be ready to go.  Verse fourteen declares, 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.  Israel basically sent Joseph, not to help his brothers, but to check up on them and see if they were doing what they should be doing.  Israel should have known that this would not go over well, since Joseph's brothers already hated him.  We should never attempt to use one Christian simply for the purpose of judging the actions of others.  Verse fifteen says, And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou?  Joseph evidently didn't know exactly where his brothers were, and a man saw him wandering around in the field and asked him who he was looking for.  Sometimes, we may need the help of someone else to get us back on the right path spiritually if we start to wander around lost.  This does not mean that God cannot do this for us, but sometimes He works through others to accomplish His will.  Verse sixteen declares, And he said, I seek my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks.  Joseph was willing to accept  help.  We also should be willing to accept help from others when we need it and not just rely on our own understanding out of pride.  Verse seventeen says, 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.  His brothers were not where Joseph expected them to be, but he was told where they went.  Joseph was willing to go farther, though he had gone where Israel had sent him, and he found them.  Sometimes we may have to go a little farther than we expected to carry out God's directions to us.  Verse eighteen states, And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him.  Joseph's brothers saw this as an opportunity to kill him.  They were far away from home so may have figured no one would ever know.  We can never get so far away from God that we can do whatever we want to do and He will never know what we have done.  Verse nineteen adds, And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh. Then verse twenty concludes, Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.  The brothers had a plan, and were still resentful of Joseph's dreams among other things.  They were going to kill him, throw him in a pit and say animals had killed him.  They said they would then see what came of Joseph's dreams.  If we attempt to act superior to others around us, we may make them feel the same way.  Verse twenty-one says, And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him.  Rueben, the oldest brother, stepped in to keep Joseph from being killed, but did not totally stand against his brothers plan.  If we hear of some evil that is to be done, we cannot act simply to placate those who are planning to do it, but must stand against the whole plan.  We cannot compromise with sin and be successful.  Verse twenty-two adds, And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again.  Rueben planned to save Joseph once he was out of the hands of the other brothers.  He should have just stood up against them instead.  So must we stand against evil plans and not just attempt to find a way to compromise with them.