“And they took him, and threw him into the cistern. The cistern was empty; there was no water in it.” (Genesis 37:24 NIV)
Sometimes what we perceive as empty places are actually overflowing with grace.
Consider Joseph’s story. The favored dreamer fuels his brothers’ hatred by sharing his hopes. They’re ready to kill the kid and cover their tracks when a pit (a cistern) comes into focus. Rueben, already fallen from his father’s graces, suggests the lesser violence to the younger brother, with a private plan in place to come back for a late night rescue.
Consider the trauma of being cast into a pit by ten men. I imagine Joseph hurling into the darkness with one hope: water to catch his fall. But instead the dry ground breaks his descent, and perhaps a few bones. Maybe this is the reason his sale into slavery is discounted so deeply. Perhaps our hero is injured by his plummet into the pit.
Consider, with me, Joseph whimpering in the dark, damp air, wondering how a favorite child could fall so far, so fast. He can hear his brothers carrying on above; laughing, even breaking bread together as they revel in their delicious wickedness. His cries go unanswered, their raucous words falling down the well with him, reminding him again how he and Benjamin have never benefited from their inside jokes.
Dinner is interrupted by passing nomads and a negotiation begins. Joseph could not imagine what business the brothers could possibly have with Ishmaelite traders until the rope camp down and a few knots of hope fell into his hands. Ten strong brothers pulled him out of the mouth of the cistern and thrust him into the hands of hairy strangers before his world goes black. He’d next awaken shackeled in a cart halfway to Egypt.
We only know that Joseph’s pit was filled with grace because we’ve gone ahead and read the next thirteen chapters. We know that dear old Joe’s story is written like a daytime tv drama; and yet, he still comes out on top. In fact, decades later, he even tells his brothers as much:
“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (Genesis 50:20 NIV)
Joseph had to get pretty far in his story before he could see that the empty pit was, in fact, full of grace. I’d imagine in the slow-motion moments of his fall, he preferred to find water, to drown in his sorrows and be gathered to his ancestors. But God knew that the empty pit was not the end of his story. Joseph had nowhere to go but up.
Perhaps today you feel that your pit is empty as well. You might, like Joseph, be a long way off from the safe and secure, favored life you thought you have. You may even hear the laughter of your enemies from above. But be reminded, the pit isn’t as empty as it seems. It’s always full of grace when we belong to God. And as long as there is still air in your lungs, there are pages in your story still being written. Hang on and hope up: God has a plan to bring you good and not harm. He’s putting you in position for a Kingdom comeback.
Lord, help us feel the grace in our pit today. Even when we feel the hatred of our brothers, may we remember the favor we hold with the Father. Give us the courage to keep showing up in our story. Help us lift our eyes toward You. Remind us that You write really well and we aren’t out of time or ink just yet. Amen.
Excellent! Thank you.