Ruben returns to the scene of the crime. Assuming the brothers had kept their agreement to put Joseph in the pit, he would likely have returned during the night to rescue Joseph. He soon discovers, however, that something has gone wrong. He tears his clothes in distress and confronts his brothers. When he learns the truth — Joseph has been sold to a passing caravan — he faces a choice. Will he tell his father the truth or join his brothers in their conspiracy? Considering what we know of Rueben's character (his adultery with one of his father's wives), we are not surprised by his decision.
The brothers proceed with the cover-up. They fabricate the evidence using the blood of a goat. When they meet their father, they lie, claiming they have found the bloodied coat. It's a deceitful lie designed to lead Jacob to come to his own conclusion that Joseph has been torn and devoured by a wild animal.
Jacob's world comes crashing down. He is reaping the consequences of his sin of favoritism. Despite his tears, it does not affect the brothers. They are cruel, hypocritical, and stubborn. It's easy to believe that they had fashioned their lies in such a manner as to deliver the greatest harm and hurt to Jacob.
Sadly, Jacob is just as hardhearted in his sorrow. He refuses any comfort. By so doing, he refuses to accept the providence of God, the comfort of the saints, and either forgets or refuses the hope of the resurrection. He knows God. He'd been taught the faith. He especially knows the story of Abraham's faith in God to raise from the dead Isaac, if it should come to that when he offered him as a sacrifice. Jacob is an example of ungodly grief.
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Kurt Snow serves as a ruling elder at Covenant Reformed Church of Sacramento (RCUS). He served as a member of the Board of Governors of City Seminary of Sacramento from 2000 to 2020.
