Scripture to Read: Genesis 37:29-35
As we continue in Genesis 37, we see two themes that describe life in a fallen world: the pain of loss and the hard-heartedness of sin. First, we read of the pain of loss as Reuben, the oldest brother who saved Joseph from death, returned to the pit to find Joseph was gone (Genesis 37:29). We also see the pain of loss in Jacob’s (Israel’s) mourning as he weeps over the death of Joseph, for his sons told him wild beasts killed Joseph. Jacob (Israel) even refused to be comforted. So also, we must weep over our sin but find hope and rest in the death of our Savior as we trust in Him. For our Lord Jesus Christ gives us eternal life, peace, and comfort. Our hope only comes when we surrender completely to Christ, which leads to the second theme found in Genesis 37 today. Amid the mourning, Jacob's (Israel's) sons seek to comfort him. This comfort they didn't need to offer but did so to save their skin. They are the ones who deceived their father into thinking wild beasts had killed Joseph. Joseph's brothers knew the truth, but they fed their father a lie. Since they knew the truth, they offered false comfort for their benefit. That is what the hard-heartedness of sin does. Sin makes hearts calloused to what should break our hearts, and sin causes us to oppose the truth that we should share. May our lives never be characterized by the hard-heartedness of sin, but may we abide in the truth of the gospel even as we face loss.
Challenge & Application
1. How does God show us, here in Genesis 37, how life in a fallen world includes both suffering and sin?
2. How does the gospel speak both to the pain of loss and to the hard-heartedness of sin?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!