Escaping the Pit of Betrayal

Genesis 37:2-4   Joseph was tending the flocks with his brothers, and he brought their father a bad report about them. Now Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age.  When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.

Here’s what we know about Joseph…..

*He was the first born son of Jacobs’ true love, Rachel.  *He was his father’s favorite.  *Part of a family that included 12 brothers by 4 different mothers.  *Had the God given ability to interpret dreams.  *He made things difficult by snitching on his brothers.  *He boasted about how his brothers would someday have to submit to him.  *His brothers resented and hated him for it.  *His brothers sold him into slavery.  *He finds success in the house of Potiphar.  *He is thrown in prison due to false accusations by Potiphar’s wife.  *He was chosen to interpret the dream of the Pharoah of Egypt.  *He rose to second in command over all of Egypt.

Joseph’s whole life was in preparation to do something great.  Everything that happens to a child of God is in preparation for something.  The scriptures are filled with examples of God using hardship to shape and mold his people to do something great.  These hardships are used to build character and faith.

In James 1:2-4 the scripture tells us to Consider it pure joy, whenever we face trials of many kinds, because we know that the testing of our faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that we may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

The first lesson for Joseph was overcoming betrayal.

Genesis 37:23+24  And it came to pass, when Joseph came to his brothers, that they stripped Joseph out of his coat, And cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.

The word betray means to violate allegiance or trust.  The reason that betrayal hurts so bad is because it usually means that the person who betrayed us was someone we trusted or even loved.

Jesus knew this better than anyone....."Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: "The one I kiss is the man; arrest him." Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed him."  Matthew 26:48+49 

Betrayal often comes from the ones that are close enough to kiss you.  Betrayal can be purposeful or accidental but it still hurts the same.  It leaves people feeling violated and disillusioned.  Have you ever been betrayed?  By a spouse or a parent, a pastoral figure or other church leadership, a friend or a co-worker.  It can really through you for a loop.  The other reason why it hurts so much is because we often don’t see it coming.  Why would we ever expect to be hurt by people who were supposed to care about us.

There are 2 ways to handle betrayal.  We can either build up walls or we can forgive and let go.  It’s so easy to use betrayal as an excuse to start putting up walls.  These walls keep people and God at a distance.  They become a protective mechanism that keeps us from getting hurt again.  The problem is that they also isolate us and keep us from being loved and from receiving the support we need. 

The four walls of betrayal:

Self Pity
Fear of It Happening Again
Hardness of Heart
The Victim Mentality

People who live in pits think everyone is out to get them.  People who live in pits don't like to be down there by themselves.  What I mean by that is that people who live in pits have a habit of dragging other people down there with them.  They tend to be negative and critical.  Those attitudes can be very contagious if we're not in a good place ourselves.  Be careful not to spend too much time with people who live in pits.  Betrayal can make it very difficult to have faith in God. 

I John 4:20 says that if anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.

I would say that this principle applies not only to our ability to love, but also our ability to trust.  This is our nature.  Those who were supposed to protect us and take care of us let us down.  When we are betrayed our nature tells us not to trust anyone and we begin to shut people out.  Now when this trans-lates into us having to put our trust in God, we hesitate and withdraw.  We must be careful that betrayal does not become your companion.  I have met so many people that have been held on to bitterness and unforgiveness for so long that it has become their identity.  God doesn’t want us to live in the pit of betrayal, He wants us to escape from this it.

The answer is found in Psalm 40:1-3  I waited patiently for the LORD; and heard my cry.  He lifted me out of the slimy pit, and he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth.

How does a person escape from the pit?

We have to want out.  -  V. 1  -  I waited patiently for the LORD; and heard my cry.  

We must be willing to cry out to God.  Cry out to God in repentance.  Ask God to forgive us for allowing bitterness to get a foothold in our life. 

The scripture tell us to "Be Angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the Devil a foothold."  Ephesians 4:26+27

Cry out to God for deliverance.  He will set you free!!!

Lamentations 3:5+56 says, "I called on your name, O LORD, from the depths of the pit. You heard my plea: "Do not close your ears to my cry for relief."

Only the power of the Holy Spirit can set you free.  – V.2  -  He lifted me out of the slimy pit.

We do not have the power to lift ourselves out of the pit of betrayal.  Only God can do that. 

In Zechariah 4:6 , When Zerrebubal could not get the work done on his own the Lord reminded him that it's 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty.

We must become people of the word.  - V.2  -  He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.

Psalm 119:89  Your word, O LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.

We must become worshippers.  -  V. 3  -  He put a new song in my mouth.

Isaiah 61:3 tell us to put on the Garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.

There will always be that part of you, that every once in a while, will try to drag you back into the pit.  We have a tendancy to want to go back to what's familiar.  The people of Israel were constantly telling Moses that they wanted to go back into the bondage of Egypt rather than face the hardships of the wilderness.

The Apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 3:13b+14  that we should be "Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

Sometimes we just have to fight it off.  Faith is not an emotion, it is a choice.  There are times when we must choose to be free.

Psalm 71:20+21  You have allowed me to suffer much hardship, but you will restore me to life again and lift me up from the depths of the earth.  You will restore me to even greater honor and comfort me once again.