[26] And Judah said unto
his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his
blood? [27] Come, and let us sell him
to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother
and our flesh. And his brethren were content. [28]
Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up
Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces
of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt. [29]
And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit;
and he rent his clothes. [30] And he
returned unto his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, whither
shall I go? [31] And they took Joseph's
coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood;
[32] 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. [33]
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. [34]
And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned
for his son many days.
What profit is it if we slay our brother? - It will be
less guilt and more gain to sell him. They all agreed to this. And as Joseph
was sold by the contrivance of Judah for twenty pieces of silver, so was
our Lord Jesus for thirty, and by one of the same name too, Judas. Reuben
it seems, was gone away from his brethren when they sold Joseph, intending
to come round some other way to the pit, and to help Joseph out of it.
But had this taken effect, what had become of God's purpose concerning
his preferment, in Egypt? There are many devices of the enemies of God's
people to destroy them, and of their friends to help them, which perhaps
are both disappointed, as these here; but the counsel of the Lord that
shall stand. Reuben thought himself undone because the child was sold;
I, whither shall I go? He being the eldest, his father would expect from
him an account of him; but it proved they had all been undone, if he had
not been sold.
[35] 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. [36] And the Midianites
sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, and captain
of the guard.
He refused to be comforted - He resolved to go down to
the grave mourning; Great affection to any creature doth but prepare for
so much the greater affliction, when it is either removed from us, or embittered
to us: inordinate love commonly ends in immoderate grief.
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