We are told that his brothers wanted to kill (slay) him and then throw him in a pit. Maybe you’re beginning to see that this person wasn’t being heartless and hateful. David describes himself as being in a “horrible pit.” The word “horrible” means “roar, din, crash, uproar, tumult.” “Pit” refers to “a dungeon.” When I put myself into Joseph’s situation, the only feeling I seem to have is this feeling of hopelessness. (emphasis mine). God moves us, when he comes, from a sense of desperation to a sense of security. So, I say to you today, don’t let a pit hold you down, keep you from dreaming, or cause you to give up hope. I want to tell you, no matter what you’re going through, no matter how unsuccessful you feel, that the Lord doesn’t look at His children by the same standards that the world will look at you. Pampered and spoiled at that. Sign up today to receive new sermon, bible study, and other site notifications! Agreed, getting sold into slavery was a far better option than starving to death in the bottom of the cistern. God will work this out for the good. Nevertheless, the struggle of prolonged suffering surely weighs on Joseph in the darkness. Sometimes we believe that if we truly trusted God then we would not lament. There is a bottomless pit on earth that when opened is … I believe this hope, this faith, was very key to who Joseph was as a person. Summary: OVERCOMING DISCOURAGEMENT 1. Come join the conversation on our blog! God wouldn't have put it there if he wasn't going to bring it to pass. So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt. 5. Their rope of hope was the same one that’s available for you—God’s Word. GOD'S WORD® Translation He pulled me out of a horrible pit, out of the mud and clay. For example: You may be someone who has been going through the same tiring, and maybe even boring, daily routines. Called the “beast coming up out of the sea” in Revelation (13:1), its origin is the abyss or bottomless pit (11:7). He has delivered us… He will deliver us. I begin to wonder if the dreamer could still see those dreams and whether or not Joseph held on to those dreams in this situation. Longs to be gracious. “How will I get out of this situation?” we may ask ourselves. Now you may not have this problem in your life. Don’t be the kind of person who starts off on the path to victory and then when things get tough, you quit and have to start all over again. We’re told that the Ishmaelites “bruised his feet with shackles, his neck was put in irons.” Don’t forget, Joseph was only seventeen. They figured they’d ally with Egypt and she would deliver them. While he was kicking and screaming in the waterless bottom, his brothers looked up from their picnic lunch and, saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Praise, keep thanking God, keeping encouraging yourself, you'll not only come out of the pit, you'll come out stronger, into new levels, new relationships, new opportunities. Knowing all we are, all we feel, and all we hide, God overflows with love and willingness to deliver us. Why don't you stir up that gift? This act was an act of hatred, but we will get into my thoughts behind that in a moment. Maybe that someone was you. David said, "I waited patiently for the Lord... and He heard me. Some people dream solely of having a lot of money, but I tell you that you ought to dream even higher than that! When we come out of a pit, if our idea of stability is standing on another human’s shoulders, his clay feet will inevitably crumble and we’ll take a tumble. Take a look at the life of the patriarchs of the faith (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob) – their life was not easy. You see, it’s bad when a follow man won’t help you out or do right by you. The Bible provides a map to guide us out of any and every pit that we find ourselves in. Day after agonizing day goes on, as Joseph wonders if and when salvation will come. Intro: This notice appeared in the window of a coat store in Nottingham, England: We have been established for over 100 years and have been pleasing and displeasing customers ever since.We have made money and lost money, suffered the effects of coal nationalization, coal rationing, government control, and bad payers. Pits could also be used as a dungeon or a prison, which seems to be the case here for Joseph. “I waited patiently for the LORD; He turned to me and heard my cry. Check out these helpful resources Biblical Commentary Sermons Children’s Sermons Hymn Lists. David said, "I waited patiently for the Lord... and He heard me. The trouble comes when we insist upon someone equally human becoming our deliverer. Rueben got him in, but Judah got him out I don't care how you got in the pit, I don't care who it was or what it was. Is this to say that is what awaits all believers? Excerpted with permission from Get Out of That Pit by Beth Moore, copyright Thomas Nelson. Dream to make an impact on someone’s life, on your community, and in this world! Maybe you come from a dysfunctional home where chaos reigned. It is also the testimony of every person who has come into a right relationship with Jesus Christ. Sadly, the focus of our sermon today opens with Joseph’s blood brothers stripping him of his coat (tunic) and then throwing him into a pit. … I still will tell you that this faithful man was highly favored in the eyes of God. Sermon Week Seventh Sunday of Easter Cycle B. Scripture Summary John 17:18. She needed God. That’s what former pit-dwellers like me must have. It’s the pit that King David speaks about in Psalm 40. Joseph, again, rose through the ranks of Egypt and only Pharaoh held a position over him. But a kind soul will give the brothers too much credit for their compassion without Psalm 105:18 to round out the picture. Close your eyes and imagine being in this deep and probably dark pit. Helen was very worried when Tom told her he was moving to the Big city. Past. And the pit was empty; there was no water in … Our times in “the pit” are testing times. — Isaiah 30:18. This, you may say, doesn’t sound “good” and you’re right – nothing sounds good or a “blessing” yet. FaithGateway is brought to you by HarperCollins Christian Publishing and is dedicated to helping you grow and share your faith. But here’s the catch: you can’t get yourself out. 24 Then they took him and cast him into a pit. Psalm 34:19 says, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all” (NKJV). But Pharaoh’s protection will be to your shame, Egypt’s shade will bring you disgrace… everyone will be put to shame because of a people useless to them.” — Isaiah 30:1-3, Isaiah 30:5, Israel didn’t need Egypt. In the pit of prison, Joseph waits. The job’s too big for him. Jesus says, “It doesn’t matter if you created your pit. Stir up what's in your heart. Man, who may begin a good work, wears out too fast to finish it. Notice that this pit was empty, but because the pit was probably used to store water or catch a wild animal, Joseph could not climb out of the pit or even jump his way out of the pit. Scripture tells us plainly, “the Lord was with Joseph”. — Genesis 37:25-28. Dr. Mickey Anders. When we come out of a pit, if our idea of stability is standing on another human’s shoulders, his clay feet will inevitably crumble and we’ll take a tumble. Joseph ended up being sold into Egypt and serving under the Pharaoh of Egypt. That’s the kind of deliverance from the pit you and I are looking for. Not many years after the writer of Psalm 78 put pen to parchment, Israel found herself scrambling for help as she faced imminent takeover by the massive army of the Assyrians. Psalm 78 records a disturbing record of Israel’s cycle of defeat — as great a human tragedy as you’ll ever read: In spite of all [God’s] wonders, they did not believe. And rightly he should. A phoenix is a mythical bird with a tail of beautiful gold and red plumage. Future. In the pit, David humbly cried out to God. Subscribe and Get Sermons and Daily Devotions by Joyce Meyer DIRECTLY TO YOUR INBOX! On Him we have set our hope that He will continue to deliver us. He knows when we’re kidding others. I want you to put yourself into Joseph’s situation. The apostle Paul described God’s tenacity in 2 Corinthians 1:10 when he said. He’s already set an end to the addiction, sickness, etc. We’re also repeatedly told that “His love endures forever” which means the Lord is gracious for long. The quicksand kind that gulp your feet whole. We may even ask ourselves, “is it possible for me to get out of this place?” Joseph found himself literally in a pit, but I tell you that this dreamer never let go of hope! Just human. Joyce Meyer (February-05-2019) Sermon: God Will Lift You Out Of The Pit. You’re stuck. And he set my feet on the solid rock. Scripture records several instances when God heard the cries of His people and raised up a human deliverer for them instead of insisting, as He did at other times, that they look to Him alone. God’s idea of success is not beholden to the same standards of the world, condition (current situation) define our position with God. “Whatever [Joseph] did, the Lord made it prosper”. What I mean here is that it seems many people will conspire against you because your dreams are higher than their dreams. To know someone really was listening would help. Joseph was a man that had dreams – great dreams. God is the alpha and omega. You may not speak out on these things because there seems to be no hope of things getting “better” or improving. 2) Cry out. The Lord’s wants us to be a blessing in this world. And I do mean you. Getting ahead of myself for a moment, I believe the “beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit” in Revelation 11:7 is this “king.” 3. This sounds great, but their resolution was to beat Joseph up and still throw him into a pit. Nothing is more futile or leaves us more fractured than trusting man to be our god. And the pit was empty; there was no water in it. Joseph’s story reads like an episode of “Cops.” One of his brothers was a rapist. It was Joseph’s dreams that really bothered his brothers. Because of this, Joseph was then thrown into prison and you may be saying to yourself, “nothing sounds good about this”. Gideon went out with his 300 men, and they … And maybe both of us could just let Jesus be Jesus. Scripture leaves no doubt that the sovereignty of God was in full pendulum swing, directing every detail from Canaan to Egypt for the common good. It speaks of one who is coming at the end of history, though he has been preceded by many forerunners (1 John 2:18; 4:3; 2 John 7). I want you to notice that they still beat up Joseph, threw him in a pit, and then left Joseph in that pit where he still could have died. Joseph’s brothers abandoned him, essentially left him for dead, but I want you to see how God, faith, and hope combine together to do the impossible in a dire and hopeless situation. Only God can hang with us through the length and depth of our need. 1 Peter 5:5-10. You may be someone who has been working the same old tiring job that may not pay well but it’s hard to find another place of employment because their pay may not be much better or come with benefits. But from this and the poetic expressions of Psalm 40 has come the reward: a new song for her soul, given by her Saviour and offered to you in Get Out of That Pit—friend to friend. put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; many will see and fear and will trust in the Lord 3 And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD. In fact, I will tell you that the Lord’s standards for success far succeed the world’s standards. God is saying to you what he said to him, "Hello, you mighty hero". 4. Dream of being in a hole, pit, well, it is a strange occurrence. Possibly devastated. You can get out. And the length and depth of our baloney. No matter what you have tried, you may be someone who’s living circumstances just don’t seem to be getting better. But I’m coming out of that pit! The reality, however, is that there are many people in the world who unfortunately are unable to depend on their blood for help. Because the pit is deep, it’s also probably cold in this pit and you have no tunic (coat) to keep you warm. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt. Take a look at the life of the prophet Elijah – his life was not easy. Privacy Policy | Term and Conditions. Present. I point out this verse because, even in this literal prison, God never left Joseph! Didn’t have what it took. — Isaiah 30:15. The fact that we could actually see our deliverer could be a decisive advantage. It identifies one who will be given Now, in a prison, Joseph is still highly favored in the Lord’s eyes. Have you ever felt like you were in that kind of place — a place of hopelessness? (And somehow, when it’s all over we feel disgraced. Scripture (Genesis 37:20) shows us how and why they conspired against Joseph – we’ll get into the “why” in a little bit. ~ Devotionals Daily, /*