Genesis 37:20 Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast has devoured him… This text is no part of revelation. It is a premeditated falsehood, agreed to and told by Joseph's brothers, to account for his absence. I. THAT WICKED MEN DARE NOT TRUST EACH OTHER TO EXPLAIN THINGS, BUT MUST AGREE TO FALSIFY AND DECEIVE. "We will say." II. THAT IT IS A CHARACTERISTIC OF WICKED MEN TO LAY THE BLAME OF THEIR SINS UPON OTHERS. "We will say, a wild beast," etc. From the very first it was so. Adam struck upon that mean device, and threw the blame of his sin upon his wife: "The woman that Thou gavest me." I know of no instance in the Bible that so clearly indicates the strength of the tendency as this. Some blame one thing or person, and some another; but, like Joseph's brethren, they know there is no "wild beast," and they must sooner or later confess their sins and say, "We are verily guilty." III. THAT WICKED MEN FEEL THERE IS A TIME COMING WHEN THEY MUST MAKE OUT A CASE — MUST TELL HOW THINGS HAPPENED, "We will say, an evil beast," etc. (T. Kelly.) Parallel Verses KJV: Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams. |
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