sound of a soft breath

Listen to Chapter 37 or Read "Sold"
The incredible story of Joseph begins here. One of the greatest stories in the bible. Here is this first part told by a first grader:

When Joseph came to his brothers, he was wearing his beautiful robe. They took it away from him. And they threw him into the well. The well was empty. There wasn't any water in it. Then they sat down to eat their meal. As they did, they saw some Ishmaelite traders coming from Gilead. ... Judah said to his brothers "...Come. Let's sell him to these traders." ...The traders from Midian came by. Joseph's brothers pulled him up out of the well. They sold him to the Ishmaelite traders for eight ounces of silver. Then the traders took him to Egypt. (New International Reader's Version)

Keith Krell wrote "God is never defeated by our deceit. Jacob deceived. Jacob was deceived. The brothers hated. They envied. They plotted. They lied. And when you get to the end of the chapter, God has placed Joseph exactly where he needs to be to accomplish God’s purposes."

Imagine being Abraham's great grandson, Joseph. Your grandfather was Isaac and your dad is Jacob. The dysfunction in your family continues. You have just been thrown into a dry well by your own brothers, expecting to be killed or just left there to die. Meanwhile your brothers are eating a meal together. What do you do? Pray? Plead to God to save you, to change your brothers mind or somehow help you get out of the hole so you can go home? Your prayer is probably not to be sold as a slave and hauled off to Egypt. But God had a long range plan for him, his family, and the world ...