Genesis 37:21-22
When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. "Let's not take his life," he said. "Don't shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern here in the desert, but don't lay a hand on him." Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father.
Have you ever been part of group sin? It can be easy to get caught in this trap when a group of people decide together to do something wicked, illegal, or hurtful to another person.
The time in my life when I was most susceptible to this was in high school. It seems like those high school years are when most people have their worst ideas. When I remember back to "going along with the crowd" and doing something stupid in high school, I also remember having the thoughts, "What are we doing? Why are we doing this?" Unfortunately, I usually didn't have the courage to speak up like Reuben and try to stop what was going on.
Reuben probably wasn't more forceful in trying to rescue Joseph from the schemes of his brothers because he knew how much they all hated Joseph. He probably reasoned that they wouldn't listen to him and they might even turn on him. Despite being the oldest, he was probably right. He knew what his brothers were capable of. Jacob's sons were not delicate little flowers. They were hardened vicious warriors. That was necessary for them to survive and and thrive in the harsh climate in which they lived and worked. If you want to gain a better understanding of Joseph's brothers read Genesis 34 and how they avenged their sister after she was raped by Shechem. They valued vengeance above justice.
What about you? Have you ever displayed courage in a situation like this? Have you ever been part of a group that schemed to carry out some vile sin and had the courage to say something, or at least walk away from the group and not be a part of what they were planning? (Share your experience in the comment section below.)
As you have grown up and become an adult, hopefully, you have chosen your friends with more discernment than I did in high school. You probably don't have to think very hard to see how associations have influenced you in your life. Both for good and for bad. I encourage you to eliminate the associations in your life that are negative and destructive. Sometimes this is difficult for different reasons: they're your family, they're your coworkers, they're your softball team, you've been friends your whole life, etc.
If you have thought of someone who is a negative influence in your life, but they are also one of the people that I just listed above, you have some tough decisions to make:
- End the relationship immediately.
- Have a crucial conversation and change the nature of the relationship. Become the influencer instead of being the influenced.
- Stop going along with stupid ideas. Take a stand and refuse to be a part of group sin. Most people won't carry out stupid ideas without a partner-in-crime.
- Apologize for the part you have played in enabling that person to indulge their sinful nature. Then stop being that enabler.
- Continue on the way it has always been and stay trapped in a life of sin and rebellion.
While some of your negative associations need to be ended immediately, not all of them do. If you are courageous enough to have some difficult conversations and take a strong stand on not being a partner to willful sin, you can work to turn those negative relationships into great and meaningful friendships. You have to lead. You have to be the one who measures every idea and decision against the guage of God's Word. You have to be the one who teaches others to think through their actions in the light of Scripture.
A good starting point is to be like Reuben. The ultimate goal is to be like Jesus.
God bless
Jason Fredrick
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