(Genesis 37:12-36)

Brothers and sisters, today we turn our hearts to the story of Joseph—a young man, chosen and favored, yet cast down by those closest to him. In Genesis 37, we find Joseph, a seventeen-year-old boy, sent by his father to check on his brothers as they shepherd their flocks. Innocent in his mission, unaware of the jealousy festering among them, Joseph walks into a storm he did not see coming.

Scripture tells us that when his brothers saw him from a distance, their hearts burned with envy. “Here comes that dreamer,” they said, plotting in whispers. They did not see Joseph as a brother but as a threat, a symbol of everything they resented. And so, in their bitterness, they conspired to rid themselves of him.

Now, Reuben, the eldest, had a flicker of mercy. He suggested they throw Joseph into a pit rather than shed his blood. Perhaps he planned to rescue him later, to return him to their father. But before he could act, Judah saw an opportunity. “What will we gain if we kill our brother?” he reasoned. And so, they sold him—twenty pieces of silver, the price of a common slave—to a caravan of Ishmaelites traveling to Egypt.

Joseph was stripped of his robe, the symbol of his father’s favor, and cast away like an object. His brothers dipped that robe in the blood of a goat and took it to their father, Jacob, who wept bitterly, believing his beloved son was dead.

Oh, church, how often do we see betrayal at the hands of those who should love us most? How often does the enemy whisper that we have been abandoned, discarded, and forgotten? But hear me today: even in the darkest pit, God is still working.

Joseph may have been sold, but he was not forsaken. The plans of men cannot override the purpose of God. What they meant for harm, the Lord would use for good. This moment of betrayal was not the end of Joseph’s story—it was only the beginning of the greater work God had in store.

Some of you may feel like Joseph today. You have been betrayed, overlooked, or cast aside by those you trusted. But I tell you, God sees. God knows. And God is moving. The pit is not your final dwelling place. The betrayal is not the end of your story.

Even in the hands of your enemies, God is guiding the journey. Even in Egypt, His purpose remains. Stand firm in faith, for He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it.

Let us pray. Lord, remind us that even in our lowest moments, You are still in control. Help us to trust in Your purpose, even when we do not understand. And give us the faith to believe that what the enemy meant for evil, You will turn for good. In Jesus’ name, Amen.