Reuben's Response

When Joseph’s brothers conspired against him, there was one brother who tried to stop it.  When they were deciding what to do to Joseph, “Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him.”  He stopped them from slaying Joseph’s blood and gave them a different idea: “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.”  It appears that he was trying to get his brothers to throw him into the pit so that he could return later and save his life.  This was while Joseph was walking towards them, and for some reason it appears that Reuben left the group for a grief period during which time the others “took him, and cast him into a pit.”  They then observed the “company of Ishmaelites” going down to Egypt and “sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver” and Joseph was sent off into Egypt.  At this point in the story Reuben apparently came back and was not happy about what had happened, “And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes. And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, whither shall I go?” (Genesis 37:21-30).  Cleary Reuben was trying to do what was right and preserve his younger brother, and yet he failed to do all that was in his power. 

               While Reuben certainly helped to preserve Joseph’s life, my sense is that he could have done more if he had really been devoted to saving him.  Reuben was the oldest of the brothers and certainly should have had the largest influence on the others.  When he found out that the others were planning to kill Joseph he seemed to have taken the easy way out: instead of firmly standing up for Joseph, he tried to save Joseph’s life without having to admit to the others that he was opposed to their action.  When they had announced their plans to kill Joseph he could have put his foot down and simply said no, risking his own reputation and possibly life in defense of his younger brother.  But, it seems to me, that he was trying to stay in favor with his brothers while still looking out for Joseph.  This is further evidenced by the fact that he let his father suffer in grief without telling him that Joseph was still alive (albeit in Egypt).  He was presumably not willing to let his brothers see that he was willing to stick up for Joseph.  It reminds me a bit of the story of Nicodemus coming to Jesus “by night” to learn from Him (John 3:2).  Clearly Nicodemus treated Jesus better than most of the other Sanhedrin of which he was a part, and yet he wasn’t quite willing to give his complete support to Jesus in front of the others.  Like Reuben, it seems that he wasn’t willing to be seen by his contemporaries as supporting one whom they despised.  I think that Reuben regretted not standing up for Joseph more firmly, and he spent the next two decades thinking about it.  Twenty years later Reuben still was upset about what had happened.  When they were in Egypt trying to get grain and were being put to the test by Joseph (still not knowing it was him), he exclaimed to his brethren, “Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear?” (Genesis 42:22)  Obviously the Lord had His hand in the whole affair because He needed Joseph to be in Egypt, but perhaps one of the lessons we can learn from this story is the need for courage in standing up for right and truth amidst those who oppose us.