It seems Jacob believed that by living on the outskirts of the city and erecting an altar there he was really obeying the Lord. Jacob had honestly wanted to meet God with personal and outward purification of his life. He had collected and buried all of the strange gods he had found among the members of his company. To be blessed of the true God of Israel idolatry had to go. His faith was greatly renewed amid the sorrow of Rachel’s death. He now had to assume the care of an infant son. Lying on a couch in the dim light of evening, a woman saw her little daughter approach unaware of her mother’s watchful eye. The child took a bunch of grapes from a dish on a nearby table. Then she quietly departed. While the circumstances grieved the mother she kept still. Within five minutes, the child returned and put back the fruit she had wrongly taken. She exclaimed, “ That’s one time you got left out, Mr. Devil!” Not always are we that victorious. The next thing that we find is Satan’s attack against Jacob’s son Joseph (Genesis 37:17 ff), whom he believes to be the promised seed. A t the age of 17 Joseph was a superior character with high intellectual qualities. He had the faith of Abraham, the spiritual piety of Isaac, the patience of Jacob and the good looks of his mother Rachel. The young man had so endeared himself to Jacob’s heart that his brothers were extremely jealous; a tool Satan siezed upon.
You remember the story of how the others hated him because of his dreams which represented him as receiving their obedience. Jacob had every right to be concerned for the welfare of his sons as they pastured their stock in the far Shechem fields. Joseph was sent out to bring back a report of how they fared. Knowing how he would face dangers, Joseph willingly set out (vrs. 17-36). The older brothers made up their minds to kill him. Their devilish envy could only be satisfied with blood. Like Esau, they relished the thought of it. Joseph was stripped and silenced. While he was sold into slavery, he was not killed as the devil wanted him to be. Reuben was the one who suggested putting Joseph into the pit. He prevented the others from killing him. Of course, he should have gone much further to defend him. Being unstable and unreliable, Reuben wandered far away at a critical time. Joseph trusted his fate to the hands of God. A company of the descendants of Ishmael came along the way. They were heading for Egypt. The devil’s plan for Joseph’s death by starvation was upset completely. The evil reasoning was that if Joseph were a slave he could not be their master. The brothers agreed that he should be sold as a slave. Because of the rigors of work in Egypt they thought Joseph would die soon anyway. He was sold to Potiphar, who was a man of high rank and the chief executioner for
Torrey Memorial Conference January 30-February 4
Page 53
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