Stripped: Trusting God When He Allows Others to Hurt Youনমুনা

After the brothers threw Joseph into the cistern, Judah channeled his inner Laban and, whether out of fear of killing his brother, or out of greed, he seized the opportunity to make a profit.

He suggested that instead of killing Joseph, they sold him to a caravan of Ishmaelites (also called Midianites) that was heading their way with camels, spices, balm and myrrh, on their way to Egypt. The brothers must have tricked Joseph into believing they were repentant of throwing him into the cistern. It’s not in the story, but if you knew you were going to be pulled out of the cistern to be sold as a slave, would you have climbed out when they lowered a rope or a means to get out? They must have lied to convince him it was safe to come up, but once he was out of the pit, their real intentions were revealed. His hands and feet were probably bound by the Ishmaelites with the help of the brothers, who had no remorse for what they were doing to Joseph.

Did he cry? Did he scream? Did he fight his new owners? We can only imagine. I would have probably tried to bite, kick, or punch anyone to escape by any and all means. Wouldn’t you? But one bruised man against more than 10 is not a fair fight.

Apparently, it happened quickly because when Reuben came back Joseph was gone.

Instead of going after the caravan and getting their brother back, they conspired to lie to their father, making him think Joseph was killed by a ferocious animal. They took the symbol of their father’s disdain, the ornate robe, and made sure they never saw it again. They covered it in blood and gave it to Jacob, a decision that set the course of their lives down the guilt-ridden path that comes with hidden sins.

Devastated with the news of Joseph’s death, Jacob “tore his clothes, put sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son for many days” (Genesis 37:34, CSB). In those times, tearing one’s clothes was a sign of mourning, grief, pain, or anger. Like a domino effect, stripping typically begets more stripping. Joseph was stripped, then Reuben stripped his own clothes, and Jacob, in grief, stripped his too.

I wish there would have been a hidden camera to capture the brother’s faces as the consequences of their actions unfolded. It must have been unbearable to watch their father mourn. This wasn’t an innocent prank they played on their father. Jacob had already lost the love of his life, Rachel, and losing her firstborn son was devastating.

The brothers exchanged glances as they watched Jacob sob. Some may have walked out of the room and argued amongst themselves in hushed whispers. Did any of them want to tell the truth? Did they meet in secret afterwards to swear an oath of secrecy? We don’t know what went on in each of their minds or lives, but we know they kept the secret for years.

I think we might be telling a slightly different story if Rachel had still been alive. As a mom, I have no doubt she would have sent a search party orgone out to the desert herself to look for her son’s body or evidence of his death. After all, a bloody robe could mean anything! But blindsided by the brother’s ruse, Jacob accepted it as a confirmation of death.

The brother’s choices didn’t hurt only Joseph, those choices hurt each of their lives, and those of their future families. Meanwhile in Egypt, Joseph was sold to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard.

JUDAH (CHAPTER 38)

As we wrap up chapter 37, there’s a seemingly odd pause in Joseph’s story and a switch to cover Judah’s dramatic life (chapter 38). Then, in chapter 39, we go back to Joseph’s storyline, except by then he’s already been in Egypt for a bit. Ahhh! That’s like skipping an entire episode in your favorite series. What about the journey? What happened en route to Egypt? We skipped that episode. Don’t worry, I’ve got some ideas…but first, chapter 38. Oh, boy. Ahem. This is quite the footnote.

Chapter 38 is the spin-off, Judah: The bad, the worse, and the ugly.

This chapter offers a rare glimpse into the life of the ‘stripper.’ We don’t always get a clear look of what happens to people that strip others, and while we don’t have details about the other brothers, Judah got his own chapter. At some point, Judah left his father’s house (maybe because he couldn’t stand to look at his mourning father) and married a Canaanite woman, another bad idea based on previous family history with Canaanite women. They had three sons, two that were so wicked, the Lord put them to death. Read the story, it’s wild.

This side story exposes the consequences of Judah’s behaviors and the devastating impacts they had on his life. Judah deprived his father of one son, and lost two of his, as well as his wife. He wronged his daughter-in-law and attempted to shame her for “behaving like a prostitute,” only to carry the shame of being the one who responded to her prostitution. His decisions set off a chain reaction of loss and disaster that warranted a full chapter in the family’s and, subsequently, in the nation’s history documenting his mess ups.

When someone hurts us, we could be deceived by the appearance that their lives continue as usual. But we don’t know the aftermath they deal with as a result of their actions. The Biblical principle is that we reap what we sow, and that eventually all of us will have to give an account of what we did here on earth. What we don’t always see is the dark side of the ‘strippers’ life.

It doesn’t always happen overnight, but eventually those poor choices catch up to people. It may seem like those who stripped you are living large while you struggle to get yourself together, but you really don’t know how hard their life is or will be because of their actions. This is not an invitation to eagerly wait for and celebrate the misfortunes of your oppressor, rather a reminder to not focus on what may outwardly seem like the triumph of injustice and a reason to be angry with God and everyone on the planet. In fact, it is the complete opposite.

As believers, Jesus teaches us not only to forgive those who hurt us, but also to pray for them.

Interestingly, in Jesus’ genealogy, you might recognize some of his ancestor’s names: “Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar…” (Matthew 1:3, NIV). This is yet another display of God’s mercy and sovereignty at work to redeem havoc and bring about His purposes in the world, even when we mess up big time, like Judah.

God’s desire is for us to heal, forgive, and if we witness the downfall of those who stripped us, to find compassion in our hearts towards them. But this is not an easy thing, and it does not happen overnight. Tomorrow, we’ll go back to Joseph and the caravan.