Day 9 – Genesis 37:29-30
The Empty Pit
Scripture Reading – Genesis 37:29-30
And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes.
Genesis 37:29 KJV
And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, whither shall I go?
Genesis 37:30 KJV
Scripture Review
Reuben returns to the pit and finds Joseph gone. He rends his clothes and cries, “The child is not; and I, whither shall I go?” His grief is real, but his question also reveals the trap of hidden compromise. He had tried to preserve Joseph without breaking openly with his brothers. Now the situation has moved beyond his plan, and he does not know where to turn.
An empty pit can mean two entirely different things depending on where I stand. To Reuben it looks like disaster. From God’s side, it means Joseph is still alive and already moving toward Egypt. Reuben cannot see the caravan. He sees only the place where his plan failed. I should be slow to declare that God has done nothing simply because the place I expected to find the answer is empty.
The brothers had removed Joseph, and Reuben’s quiet rescue plan collapsed before he could carry it out.
God had kept Joseph from the grave and moved him beyond the pit, though no one remaining at Dothan could see where he had gone.
What this asks of me
When my plan fails, I need more than panic and regret. I need truth, repentance, and the Lord’s direction. An empty place may show that I have lost control, but it does not show that God has. I should not confuse my inability to locate His work with the absence of His work.
Consider
- Am I grieving only because my plan failed, or am I willing to face the wrong itself?
- Could God be working beyond the place where I expected to see the answer?