Snitch

Do you like tattle tells? Have you been a tattle tell? Do you like snitches? Have you been a snitch? Are there some things people do or intentions we hear that we should speak up about? Are there others we should simply stay quiet about? Do all things concern us?

As children, we might have had someone tell our parents about something we did that we shouldn’t. We may have done that regarding one of our siblings. Typically, no one likes to have their faults or something they intended to be kept secret revealed.

As adults, we do not call them tattle tells anymore, we call them snitches. There are certain groups who take an extreme disliking to snitches, but many of us do not like to have our secrets nor some of our actions revealed to a larger audience.

Joseph snitched on his brothers. Was it something he should have revealed or something he could have left alone? We do not know. We do know his brothers did not like Joseph telling their father about what they had done. They would later decide to take matters into their own hands.

What can we learn from this? First and foremost, God is always there and will always use whatever happens for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28). Second, rather than acting rash, we might be better off to think before we act. This applies to both Joseph and his brothers. If we do not want people to state bad things about us, we probably shouldn’t do them. If we do not want people to be upset for us saying something about them, we should consider whether it is something we truly need to reveal.

I pray we all know that God will work all things to our good, if we love him. I pray we take time to consider what we plan to do before we act. I pray we evaluate what we plan to say before we say it. Trust God in all things. Know that he will work all things for your good. Love him with all your heart. Think before you act. Think before you speak.

Genesis 37:2b Joseph, being seventeen years old, was shepherding the flock with his brothers; he was a helper to the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father.