Perspective: WK1 - WED
The Plot
Genesis 37:12-24
Soon after this, Joseph’s brothers went to pasture their father’s flocks at Shechem. When they had been gone for some time, Jacob said to Joseph, “Your brothers are pasturing the sheep at Shechem. Get ready, and I will send you to them.” “I’m ready to go,” Joseph replied.
“Go and see how your brothers and the flocks are getting along,” Jacob said. “Then come back and bring me a report.” So Jacob sent him on his way, and Joseph traveled to Shechem from their home in the valley of Hebron.
When he arrived there, a man from the area noticed him wandering around the countryside. “What are you looking for?” he asked.
“I’m looking for my brothers,” Joseph replied. “Do you know where they are pasturing their sheep?”
“Yes,” the man told him. “They have moved on from here, but I heard them say, ‘Let’s go on to Dothan.’” So Joseph followed his brothers to Dothan and found them there.
When Joseph’s brothers saw him coming, they recognized him in the distance. As he approached, they made plans to kill him. “Here comes the dreamer!” they said. “Come on, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns. We can tell our father, ‘A wild animal has eaten him.’ Then we’ll see what becomes of his dreams!”
But when Reuben heard of their scheme, he came to Joseph’s rescue. “Let’s not kill him,” he said. “Why should we shed any blood? Let’s just throw him into this empty cistern here in the wilderness. Then he’ll die without our laying a hand on him.” Reuben was secretly planning to rescue Joseph and return him to his father.
So when Joseph arrived, his brothers ripped off the beautiful robe he was wearing. Then they grabbed him and threw him into the cistern. Now the cistern was empty; there was no water in it.
Hostility between Joseph and his brothers had reached a boiling point. One look at the teen filled his siblings with suspicion, dread, and anger. Far from home and working in dangerous territory, their senses were heightened as they saw a figure approaching in the distance, wearing the long-sleeved coat of a prince. The identification was immediate. The tattletale had been sent to spy on them again. The crew of shepherds began brainstorming ways to get back at their brother until, finally, someone said it out loud. “We could kill him and end our troubles. Who would know he hadn’t been attacked by wild animals traveling out here alone?”
Several well-known studies on groupthink and group polarization show that groups of like-minded individuals often make more extreme decisions than any one individual would on their own. Does one of the brothers jokingly suggest violence, and, through the laughter, do things escalate? Ultimately, they settle on the most severe plan possible.
It appears that the oldest brother, Reuben, wasn’t present at the brainstorming session that led to this murderous plot. However, by the time Joseph arrived, the plan had already been hatched; Reuben heard of it and successfully derailed the group’s momentum. Upon his arrival, Joseph was attacked, stripped of his identity, and thrown into a pit while the brothers regrouped.
Let’s pause here to reflect on a couple of dynamics. First, Joseph’s mentality. His self-centered mindset causes him to miss all the cues that should have warned him of danger. This moment feels like watching someone run to hide in a shed filled with chainsaws in a movie called The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. How could he be so blind? Simple. He cannot see through the intoxicating hubris of pride.
Second, consider the courage it took for Reuben to stand up to the scheme of his nine brothers and de-escalate their bloodlust. Something in Reuben’s character speaks up and steps in. His actions remind us of an important principle from Proverbs 29:11:
Fools vent their anger,
but the wise quietly hold it back.
Genesis 37:12-24
Soon after this, Joseph’s brothers went to pasture their father’s flocks at Shechem. When they had been gone for some time, Jacob said to Joseph, “Your brothers are pasturing the sheep at Shechem. Get ready, and I will send you to them.” “I’m ready to go,” Joseph replied.
“Go and see how your brothers and the flocks are getting along,” Jacob said. “Then come back and bring me a report.” So Jacob sent him on his way, and Joseph traveled to Shechem from their home in the valley of Hebron.
When he arrived there, a man from the area noticed him wandering around the countryside. “What are you looking for?” he asked.
“I’m looking for my brothers,” Joseph replied. “Do you know where they are pasturing their sheep?”
“Yes,” the man told him. “They have moved on from here, but I heard them say, ‘Let’s go on to Dothan.’” So Joseph followed his brothers to Dothan and found them there.
When Joseph’s brothers saw him coming, they recognized him in the distance. As he approached, they made plans to kill him. “Here comes the dreamer!” they said. “Come on, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns. We can tell our father, ‘A wild animal has eaten him.’ Then we’ll see what becomes of his dreams!”
But when Reuben heard of their scheme, he came to Joseph’s rescue. “Let’s not kill him,” he said. “Why should we shed any blood? Let’s just throw him into this empty cistern here in the wilderness. Then he’ll die without our laying a hand on him.” Reuben was secretly planning to rescue Joseph and return him to his father.
So when Joseph arrived, his brothers ripped off the beautiful robe he was wearing. Then they grabbed him and threw him into the cistern. Now the cistern was empty; there was no water in it.
Hostility between Joseph and his brothers had reached a boiling point. One look at the teen filled his siblings with suspicion, dread, and anger. Far from home and working in dangerous territory, their senses were heightened as they saw a figure approaching in the distance, wearing the long-sleeved coat of a prince. The identification was immediate. The tattletale had been sent to spy on them again. The crew of shepherds began brainstorming ways to get back at their brother until, finally, someone said it out loud. “We could kill him and end our troubles. Who would know he hadn’t been attacked by wild animals traveling out here alone?”
Several well-known studies on groupthink and group polarization show that groups of like-minded individuals often make more extreme decisions than any one individual would on their own. Does one of the brothers jokingly suggest violence, and, through the laughter, do things escalate? Ultimately, they settle on the most severe plan possible.
It appears that the oldest brother, Reuben, wasn’t present at the brainstorming session that led to this murderous plot. However, by the time Joseph arrived, the plan had already been hatched; Reuben heard of it and successfully derailed the group’s momentum. Upon his arrival, Joseph was attacked, stripped of his identity, and thrown into a pit while the brothers regrouped.
Let’s pause here to reflect on a couple of dynamics. First, Joseph’s mentality. His self-centered mindset causes him to miss all the cues that should have warned him of danger. This moment feels like watching someone run to hide in a shed filled with chainsaws in a movie called The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. How could he be so blind? Simple. He cannot see through the intoxicating hubris of pride.
Second, consider the courage it took for Reuben to stand up to the scheme of his nine brothers and de-escalate their bloodlust. Something in Reuben’s character speaks up and steps in. His actions remind us of an important principle from Proverbs 29:11:
Fools vent their anger,
but the wise quietly hold it back.
- Name one of your pet peeves. Why do you think it bothers you?
- Who is someone who makes you angry? Why do you think that is? What have you done about it?
- What is going on in your relationships that God may ask you to de-escalate? How could you do so? What would you like to say to Jesus about this?
No Comments