Sometimes it seems like God snatches defeat from the jaws of victory. You know what I mean; those times when it seems like everything’s coming together, and then it all falls apart. We’ve all had those experiences where we had prayed into some promise that God had given us, and just at the moment of fulfillment, or breakthrough, there is a setback, and sometimes it appears to be a permanent one. In Genesis 37 Joseph had 2 dreams and they were both about his destiny. God revealed to him in the dreams that he was going to be elevated to a position of great authority and influence at some point in his life.
Because his father Jacob loved him more than all that his 11 brothers Joseph had experienced great favor all of his young life. Even though Reuben was Jacob’s firstborn, Jacob had the varicolored tunic (which was the symbol of birthright) made for Joseph, but unfortunately because the brothers saw that Jacob loved Joseph more, they all hated him.
When Joseph was 17 years old his brothers plotted to kill him. Their plan was to kill him and then throw him into a pit, but the oldest brother Reuben intervened and said “let us not take his life.” Rubin further said to them, “Shed no blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but do not lay hands on him” – that he might rescue him out of their hands to restore him to his father.” Genesis 37:21 – 22.
Praise the Lord for Reuben. It seemed like God’s plans for Joseph were going to be thwarted, but because of Reuben’s tender heart towards his younger brother there was now the perfect opportunity for Joseph to be delivered from the evil plan.
It is always awesome when God sovereignly overrules the plans of the enemy and victory rescues us from the jaws of defeat, but there was a slight hitch in Reuben’s plan to rescue. After the brothers stripped Joseph of his tunic and threw him into the pit they sat down to eat a meal. Evidently Reuben had wandered off for a short time, and while he was gone a caravan of Ishmaelites with their camels were passing by carrying all kinds of spices to bring them down to Egypt. The brothers (minus Reuben) decided that they would sell Joseph as a slave to the Ishmaelites for 20 shekels of silver, and so off the caravan went with Joseph whom they would sell as a slave once in Egypt. When Reuben returned to the pit to carry out his rescue he found that the pit was empty. Reuben tore his garments as a sign of grief.
It seemed like Reuben was Joseph’s answer to prayer. What happened? Whenever it appears defeat has snatched you from the jaws of victory you can be sure it is because God sees the big picture and what He wants to do is even bigger than you ever dreamed. God wears a watch, and it always reads “Fullness of time.” Delays, setbacks, and disappointments are always about the accumulation of fullness on multiple levels. Over time you will discover that God is doing something bigger than you were asking for. Of course, God can answer prayer or fulfill promises quickly, but if there appear to be defeats and setbacks, it is imperative you remember that God works on a fullness of time schedule. It takes fullness of time for everything to line up so that all the layers of favor and destiny that God is after can be included in the arrival of the answer.
I’m convinced that our learning this lesson about God’s sovereign plan and rule in our lives is what the story of Joseph not being rescued by Reuben is all about. Again, if it appears at times that God allows defeat to be snatched from the jaws of victory, it is because in the fullness of time, the victory that He has planned will be much greater than you ever dreamed of. To the surrendered, disappointments are His-appointments.