Genesis 37:19-22 "And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh. Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams. And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him. And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again."
Joseph’s brothers were tending the flocks at Dothan. Israel sent Joseph to check on their welfare. Even though Joseph was coming out of concern for their welfare, they could not put aside the jealousy and hatred they had for him. They wanted to do things their way. Bowing down to Joseph (even though, so far, it had only been in a dream) was not something they intended to do.
The word translated as dreamer has two sources: one is simply “dreamer” and the other means “master.” They were so against the prophetic dream that foretold their bowing down before Joseph that they were willing to kill him rather than be humbled before him. Joseph’s brothers had already concocted the lie they would tell about what happened. Reuben prevailed in persuading the others not to kill Jospeh and even intended to return Jospeh to his father unharmed…but that was not God’s will.
Jesus came unto His own, and His own did not want anything to do with Him. They had heard the prophecies all their lives about the coming of Messiah, but they had not planned to bow down to Him. Rather, they thought that He would come to lift them above other men. They conspired against Him to take His life, although this was something they could not do. Yes, He died, but He declared that He laid down His life and He would take it up again. No man would take it from Him (John 10:17-18).
Like Reuben did with Joseph, Pilate looked for a way to set Jesus free. Also, like Reuben, Pilate did not understand that the events that were unfolding were God’s will and would not be interfered with. As the brothers came up with a lie to explain what happened to Joseph, even so the Jewish leaders in Jesus’ day came up with a lie to explain try and explain away His resurrection from the dead. Through all this conniving, God’s will and promise was steadfast.
Dear ones, God is still the same today. Even though there are those who rebel against Jesus being Master and Lord, He still is. The world can make up all kinds of lies about who Jesus was (or was not). However, it is God’s will that His children know not who Jesus WAS but who Jesus IS. His will, His promise, and His love for you are as steadfast today as they ever were, and they always will be!