Genesis 37:29

Genesis 37:29 says, And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes.  When Reuben returned, Joseph was gone.  We should not be surprised when our plans made to compromise with sinful actions do not work out.  Reuben should have simply stood up against the plan instead of attempting to go along and undo it later.  When we see something sinful occurring in the world today, especially if it involves those closest to us, we cannot pretend to go along, but must stand firm against the action.  Though Reuben was sorrowful, this did not change what had happened.  Verse thirty says, And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, whither shall I go?  Since he didn't know where Joseph had gone, Reuben was at a loss as to what to do.  I believe that if we have had a part in a sinful plan, even if it was just by seeming to go along, once the plan is carried out, we are just as responsible, even if we weren't there.  Verse thirty-one states, And they took Joseph’s coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood;  The brothers had a plan for Joseph's coat.  It had represented their father's preference for Joseph, and now they were going to use it to bring him pain.  We should not be surprised if people who are jealous of us want to cause us to suffer, and if the jealousy is because of our relationship to someone else, we should not be surprised if they want the other person to suffer as well.  Verse thirty-two adds, And they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it be thy son’s coat or no.  The brothers first took the coat from Joseph, then soaked it in blood, and then took it to their father and said they didn't know if it was Joseph's or not.  They did not say their brother's, but said your son's.  I believe that they had separated themselves from any kinship with Joseph and just wanted to cause as much pain to their father as possible.  Verse thirty-three declares, And he knew it, and said, It is my son’s coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces.  Jacob, or Israel, recognised Joseph's coat, just as his other sons knew he would.  He concluded that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal, and his sons let him think so, even Reuben.  This was a lie that they would have to live with for years.  We need to realize that one sin often leads to another, and if we are only guilty by association, we will still be caught up in the lie.  Verse thirty-four adds, And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.  Jacob was distraught, and mourned for many days.  I have to wonder if any of his other sons ever felt like telling him the truth, or if they simply thought he deserved to suffer.  Even if we feel that someone may deserve to suffer we as followers of Christ know the truth that can set them free and that is the gospel of Christ.  The question is whether or not we will share the gospel or take joy in their suffering.  Verse thirty-five states, And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him.  It was hypocritical for his sons to attempt to comfort Jacob, since they were the cause of his suffering.  I believe they may have felt justified since he was mourning Joseph more than he was allowing his other children to comfort him.  Even if we feel slighted somehow, we should never be hypocritical in our sharing in someone else's suffering.  Verse thirty-six declares,  And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, and captain of the guard.  While his brothers were pretending to mourn, Joseph was sold once again, this time to Potiphar, a captain of Pharoah's guard.  I believe that by now Joseph was likely really questioning his dreams.  Once more, if we know that we are doing God's will, we should never allow circumstances to cause us to doubt.