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In the last article we learned that Jacob's sons had decided to sell their brother Joseph into slavery, instead of leaving him to die in that pit of darkness. We also learned that Reuben the oldest out of the ten, had planned to return after his brothers had left and rescue Joseph in order to take him back home to their father Jacob. Now personally I hold the viewpoint that Reuben wanted to use this event to try to regain a favorable position between him and his father Jacob. For we must remember that Reuben had lost what little favor that he had with Jacob after he had slept with his stepmother, Bilhah. But when Reuben had made it back to the pit (cistern) in which Joseph had been thrown in... he would soon learn that Joseph was no longer there. Because of this, Reuben would become frantic and upset as he tore his clothes. Afterwards he went and sought out his brothers as they were making their way back home: "The boy isn't there! Where can I turn now?" He said while confronting them. Reuben knew that with him being the oldest, Jacob would be looking at him to provide the answers, when it came to Joseph and why he wasn't with them and demand that Reuben tell him about Joseph's whereabouts. But leave it to his brothers, for they had a plan on how to deceive their father and it involved the richly ornamented robe that Jacob had given to Joseph. The plan included that they were to take one of the goats from their herd and slaughter it. Next they would take Joseph's robe and dip it in the goat's blood, making it to look like Joseph had been killed by some kind of rapacious animal, or predator. Next it's unclear depending on your Bible translation, for either they had paid a messenger to take the robe (coat of many colors) back to their father, or they themselves had taken the robe back. For me personally, it doesn't matter how the robe made it back to Jacob. What's important, is the fact that the robe did make it make to Jacob in some type of fashion: "We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son's robe." They asked of their father and much to Jacob's surprise, he recognized the robe. After seeing the robe, Jacob would speak these words: "It is my son's robe! Some ferocious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces." Jacob was now distraught and he cried out as he tore his clothes. Afterwards, Jacob would put on sackcloth (a coarse thick garment used for mourning or penitence) and mourn for his son Joseph for several days. This depressing behavior would lead to all of Jacob's sons and daughters (Dinah, daughter-in-laws and their daughters) to come and try to comfort him. But nothing positive would come from their efforts, as they tried to console their father: "In mourning will I go down to the grave to my son?" Jacob would say, as he wept for Joseph. Can you possibly imagine the thoughts that were going through Jacob's head and the pain that was rippling through his heart? Here he sends his favorite and most responsible son Joseph, out to see about the safety of his brothers. In return, he's led to believe that Joseph himself had been killed and fears that he has been lost forever. One could not blame Jacob, if he had started to second guess his actions when it came to his sons, most importantly, thinking he should have kept Joseph home that day. But unfortunately that didn't happen and now Jacob finds himself falling into a terrible emotional state. He would now find himself in a position of having something that he held dear to his heart, ripped away, perhaps for good, for the second time in his life. First it was Joseph's mother Rachel, the woman whom he loved with all his heart. She would eventually die during the birth of her second child Benjamin (Jacob's youngest son of the twelve). In a previous article I pointed out, how I believed that the closeness and bond between Jacob and Joseph had grew stronger, because of Rachel's death. For Jacob, Joseph was a piece of Rachel's memory that he was able to hold on to, and touch, and be proud of, as the child that she longed for grew into something special. Now that piece is no longer there in Jacob's life and so therefore, he must now deal with the pendulum effect of once having a great affection for someone, to now having to endure a great affliction because they were ripped from his life. That's the experiences that life brings sometimes, just as the giant sway of the pendulum goes from one direction to the opposite, from immeasurable love to unmeasurable grief. I personally find it hard to try to encourage someone to battle these types of emotions and often times, these are the type of experiences that leads them to question God's love for them. Sometimes we have to step back while we let a person be and hope and pray that their heart won't be harden by their current ordeal. For we must believe that God will lead them safely through their emotional storm that they now find themselves battling. But I will say this one thing before I end this article. I will never doubt the love that God has for us, no matter what. For the mere fact that He has allowed us to live in his wonderful creation as representatives of Him, through His image and likeness, is a claim no other creature can make. It doesn't matter if it's for one quick moment, or a hundred years. The fact that I was allowed to experience life in such a way brings joy to my heart and mind. Oh, what a honor of having such a privilege to be God's ambassador within His awesome creation. For us to be able to hold this privileged position that's been granted to us, through the blood of Jesus Christ and by the Most High God, are benefits that are invaluable, to say the least. The scriptures takes us for a moment away from Joseph to touch on something Judah (Jacob's fourth born) did. This is important - so we will visit this account briefly (maybe two articles) and then head back to the Sacred Account of Joseph. Jacob - The Path of Uncertainty **YOUR CURRENT BIBLE STUDY ONLINE SERIES WOULD BE HERE**
69) Joseph the Interpreter of Dreams 71) Joseph & The Pit of Darkness 72) <-CURRENT BIBLE STUDY ONLINE PAGE-> 73) The Importance of Judah's History 76) Tamar's Revenge 78) Joseph the Servant of Favor 79) Potiphar's Wife Pursues Joseph 82) The Dreaming Cupbearer & Baker 84) Joseph's Dark Dreams Interpretation 85) Joseph the Overseer of Egypt 
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