So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe – the ornate robe he was wearing – and they took him and threw him into the cistern. The cistern was empty; there was no water in it.
Genesis 37:23-24
Pride definitely came before the fall.
Let me first say, we all make mistakes. As we read through the Bible we see example after example of characters making mistakes and learning from them to become the most faithful, God-fearing ever to live.
So, Joseph, I see you!
I get that your 17-year-old self wanted to prove that you were important, so you pridefully bragged to your family about the dreams God had given you.
The only problem is, pride may feel good for a minute, but the fall that happens afterwards will hurt for much longer.
Pride goes before distraction, a hottie spirit before the fall.
Proverbs 16:18
Joseph, being the favorite son of Jacob, the one Jacob made the beloved coat for, dreams a dream that can only be from God.
He said to them, “listen to this dream I had: we were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.“
Genesis 36:6-7
Joseph’s brothers knew what he was trying to say… One day soon you all will bow down to me. All this did for his brothers was make them hate him even more. So you’d think he’d learn his lesson not to say anything else, but Joseph had a second dream.
Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers, “listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and the moon and 11 stars were bowing down to me.“
Genesis 37:9
Now, not only did Joseph claim his brothers would bow down to him, but his mother and his father too.
The 11 brothers had had enough of Joseph’s arrogance, so when he was sent out to visit them in the field, his brothers plotted to kill him. The oldest brother, Rueben, new fault would fall on him, so he encouraged them to just throw him into a cistern to die, so Joseph’s blood wouldn’t be on their hands. Thinking this was a good idea, they threw Joseph into the empty cistern, and Rueben planned to come back and save him. But while Rueben was away, a caravan of Ishmaelite’s we’re heading to Egypt and the other brothers decided to sell Joseph into slavery.
Joseph went from being the most prideful of the brothers to being the most lowly as a slave. He went from having hope to being a hopeless trade for a mere 20 shekels. Joseph took a dream from God and held it over his families head, and God used that pride to teach him a lesson and lead him into the fulfillment of the dream. God was going to finish what he had planned, no matter what Joseph had done.
God doesn’t let pride interfere with the work He needs accomplished; He uses the fall of pride to work humility into a person.
What God did with Joseph, he does with us as well. As soon as sin entered the garden, God‘s plans for humans on this earth didn’t change. But now he had to work into each of us another way to fulfill his plans. He would use the sins of each person and their consequences to grow us closer to him and his likeness. He uses our pride and every other sin within us to teach us how to be more like him.
The gift of his promise is great but we have to humbly walk in it by love, not lord it over people with pride. He wants us to use his words to encourage and lead one another into a deeper relationship with him, not to push people away.
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
Micah 6:8
If we don’t walk humbly with the gifts he gives us, whether they be dreams, intelligence, athleticism, parenting, whatever gifts it may be, we will be susceptible to the fall. But let me encourage you friend, after every fall, he will help us up out of the ashes to Glorify Him.
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord‘s favor and the Day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion – to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of morning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.
Isaiah 61:1-3
So, go ahead, Rise up, not in pride but in humble gratitude for what the Lord has done for you. Swallow your pride and Glorify the Lord alone. Do not let pride be your downfall, instead, allow humility to strengthen you for the path ahead.
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