At the church I went to as a child whenever we produced a poster or a leaflet we always quoted the event, the time and date, the place and included DV Deo volente meaning God being willing, or God willing. I guess just in case there was a catastrophe and the event never happened. God willing is a mysterious concept. Take Joseph for instance, you could say, and many would say, that it was God’s will for him to be sold into slavery. Maybe he even asked the question, “what are you doing Lord?” Are we just being moved around like pieces on a chess board as some sceptics have said?

The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps” Proverbs 16:9

“The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord” Proverbs 16:33

Paul said,

But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills” 1 Corinthians 4:19

“For I do not want to see you now just in passing. I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits” 1 Corinthians 16:7

“And I trust in the Lord that shortly I will come also” Phil 2:24

We are in Genesis 37:31 and the brothers have taken Joseph’s colourful tunic from him. The question could be asked as to why he was wearing it on such a long journey? Was he flaunting it? Did he wear it to antagonise his brothers? The brothers invent the story that the wild beast had killed their brother and the blood stained coat makes it all the more plausible. Interestingly they slaughtered a goat, the irony being that earlier in Genesis we read of Jacob deceiving Issac with the skin of a goat. You notice what I mean about providence, it’s not as easy to see as we think.

The power of suggestion can give people a false picture and we can use it to get what we want. Truth and truthfulness is always the best way. Here the sons ask their father, “is this your son’s tunic?” They mean him to draw his own distorted conclusion, it’s deliberate and purposeful.

The tunic covered in blood sent Jacob into a spin. Again, interestingly, Jacob uses the words, “evil beasts” a reference to one of God’s agents of punishment along with, sword, famine and pestilence. (Have a read through Ezekiel). Is God punishing me? Am I under the judgement of God? Joseph has met a tragic and violent end and it’s my fault.

If you are a Christian, then God never punishes you. How can you be sure? Christ has already been punished for your sins. For all of your wrongdoing, God poured out his wrath onto Jesus as he hung on the cross. Romans 8:1 definitely says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” As believers, we are united to Christ when we put our faith in him. When this occurs we trade our sinful life for his perfect one. He takes our sins and in return gives us his righteousness. What an incredible deal! When God looks at us now he sees the flawless obedience of Christ, therefore he will never condemn or punish us.

Jacob is devastated. His mourning is greater than Reuben’s who only tore his clothes. Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and mourned for many days (vs 34). How many days exactly we are not sure. Joseph himself would mourn for his father for seven days (50:10). Aaron and Moses got 30 days of mourning and Joseph was mourned for seventy days (50:3). What we see today is that the act of mourning a loss has been lost in our very fast world, we just move on sometimes too quickly. We expect people to get over it maybe too soon.

It’s the sons and daughter of Jacob that wind me up a bit! (vs 35). One thing to me is clear and that is that these children, who previously despised Joseph, are very good at putting on a show and are skilled at putting up a facade. They attempt to comfort their father, when in truth inside they are jumping around with delight that Joseph has been removed from the family.

People frequently deceive in order to gain an advantage over others that would rarely, if ever, occur had they chosen to be honest, forthright, and humble. This power-grab may be in the form of authority in the local church or a promotion at work or prestige among one’s peers regardless of age or context. So why is such power that appealing when it would prompt one to deceive to gain it? Simply because we’ve bought into the false belief that personal value and worth is based on the perception of others and the sort of achievement that wins the applause and approval of society at large. If our identity were more wholly wrapped up in Christ and who we are in him, we would be less tempted to deceive.

Jacob would not receive their comfort and puts out a wild statement (vs 35). I will go and join my son in the underworld. He seems to believe there is an underworld and seems to believe that’s where he will find his son. There are probably many that could interpret this verse, I am not one of them but let’s look at the simplest interpretation, Jacob’s loss and the shock and intensity of that loss caused him to say some extreme things (haven’t we all)!

I once sat in a football changing room getting out of my training kit when our manager approached me. To be honest, I thought I had got something wrong. He opened his mouth to speak but then suddenly collapsed on top of me in a heap and died. We as a team attended the funeral and a little while later I met the man’s widow in town. “How are you doing?” I asked her.  In my mind this seemed the best thing to say. She replied in an expressionless tone, “some of our friendships went down into the hole with him.” Things had changed. People did not know how to interact with her like before. Some gave her acres of space whilst others posted cards with written platitudes in them to drop in her letterbox as they hurried past the uncomfortable scene of the front door. “I have never felt more alone than when I needed our friends the most,” she sighed. I had not got a clue what to say in reply. My inadequate response was to say, that I was sure many wanted to be helpful, but they also didn’t want to make her suffering worse by doing or saying the wrong thing.

CS Lewis said this after his loss.

“I’m aware of being an embarrassment to everyone I meet. At work, at the club, in the street, I see people, as they approach me, trying to make up their minds whether they’ll “say something about it” or not. I hate if they do, and if they don’t… I like best the well brought-up young men, almost boys, who walk up to me as if I were a dentist, turn very red, get it over, and then edge away to the bar as quickly as they decently can. Perhaps the bereaved ought to be isolated in special settlements like lepers.”

So, like Jacob, sometimes people will say things that are a little over the top. But let’s bravely draw near with compassion. Luke 10:

He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’…

So Joseph arrives as a slave into the house of Potiphar, Pharaoh’s courtier and Captain of the Guard.  A new chapter of the life of Joseph begins.