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Jacob Comes Home
127
Joseph arrived, not suspecting the danger. But instead of the
expected greeting, he was terrified by the angry and revengeful
glances that met him. His brothers grabbed him and stripped his
coat from him. Their taunts and threats revealed a deadly purpose.
He pleaded with them, but they refused to listen. Those hate-filled
men dragged him roughly to a deep pit, pushed him in, and left him
there to die.
Joseph Is Sold as a Slave
Soon a group of travelers approached—a caravan of Ishmaelites
on their way to Egypt with merchandise. Judah now suggested that
they sell their brother instead of leaving him to die. While he would
be effectively put out of their way, they would remain clear of his
blood, “for,” he urged, “he is our brother and our flesh.” All agreed,
and Joseph was quickly pulled up out of the pit.
As he saw the merchants, the dreadful truth flashed upon him.
To become a slave was more to be feared than death. In an agony
of terror he appealed to one and another of his brothers, but in vain.
Some were moved with pity, but all felt that they had now gone too
far to retreat. Joseph would report them to their father. Steeling their
hearts against his pleas, they delivered him into the hands of the
heathen traders. The caravan moved on and was soon out of sight.
Reuben returned to the pit, but Joseph was not there. When he
learned what had happened to Joseph he was persuaded to go along
with the attempt to conceal their guilt. Having killed a young goat,
they dipped Joseph’s coat in its blood and took it to their father,
telling him that they had found it in the fields. “Do you know,” they
said, “whether it is your son’s tunic or not?” They were not prepared
for the heart-rending anguish, the utter and unrestrained grief, that
they were compelled to witness. “It is my son’s tunic,” said Jacob.
“A wild beast has devoured him. Without doubt Joseph is torn to
pieces.” His sons and daughters tried to comfort him, but he “tore his
clothes, put sackcloth on his waist, and mourned for his son many
days.” “I shall go down into the grave to my son in mourning,” was
his despairing cry.