Ten brothers sat down to a meal out in a field where they were working as shepherds.  As they were talking they saw a camel caravan coming from Gilead, loaded down with aromatic gum, balm and myrrh.  This caravan was going south, to Egypt.

A younger brother, Joseph, was in a pit where they had thrown him, intending to kill him.

One of the brothers, Judah, had a brilliant idea!
“What profit for us to kill our brother and cover up his blood?”  “Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.”

The others agreed with him.  As the traders passed by, they pulled Joseph up from the pit and sold him for twenty pieces of silver.  Joseph, the son of Jacob, was sold as a slave and taken to Egypt.  (Genesis 37:25-28)

Alternatives… the first intent was to kill this hated brother.  But Reuben had pleaded for them to spare Joseph’s life.
(Genesis 37:21-22)  It seems Reuben was not there when the traders went by.

Judah was a true leader, not the oldest of the brothers, but respected.  He came up with a plan not to have “blood on their hands” by killing Joseph, but to sell him as a slave.

Alternatives… when you and I make plans, alternatives come to mind.  What we ultimately choose affects others.

The ten brothers could not get past their hatred of Joseph.  Selling him was certainly better than killing him.  At least he would be — gone!

~ Take it to heart ~

We can ask ourselves:

  What decisions am I making and what are the alternatives?

  What motives are driving me to make decisions this day?

  Are my decisions based on hatred, jealousy, envy; OR love, compassion and mercy?