Gn. 21 But Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands, and said, “Let us not kill him.” 22 And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit which is in the wilderness, and do not lay a hand on him”—that he might deliver him out of their hands, and bring him back to his father. Reuben thought he could rescue Joseph from his brothers without standing up against their evil intent. As the story unfolds, we see that his plan failed. Before he could rescue Joseph, the brothers would sell him into slavery—a fate that in many cases could be worse than death. We might be tempted to applaud Reuben for his effort, but the bigger question remains, “Why didn’t he stand up against his brothers?” By feigning complicity with their schemes, Reuben didn’t prevent the calamity after all. There’s really no bargaining with righteousness. We either do what’s right or we allow evil to prevail. Trying to live on the edge of either doesn’t work. Many men stay silent when evil is afoot. They convince themselves of their own innocence as they watch wrongdoing unfold before them. The Bible reminds us that he who “knows to do right but doeth it not,” well that’s sin too. We don’t have to be obnoxious in our pursuit of right living, but we should let those around us know where we stand—especially those we call family. When we stand up for what is right, we may even find that others will choose to stand with us. But if we remain silent, nothing good can come.
Posted on: Tue, 08 Oct 2013 11:33:43 +0000
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