This week’s reading: Genesis 37:1-36
Hi Friends,
After hearing about all of Esau’s descendants, we now return to the lineage of Jacob and begin learning about the incredible story of his son, Joseph. Jacob has a special bond with this child, as Joseph was the first son born of his beloved wife, Rachel. Sadly, this attachment causes all sorts of problems within this family, as we will see in our reading this week. We are in Genesis, reading all of chapter 37, that is verses 1 through 36. Let’s listen to the last straw that breaks his brothers’ backs, and leads them to do the unthinkable:
“He replied, ‘I’m looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks?’ ‘They have moved on from here,’ the man answered. ‘I heard them say, “Let’s go to Dothan.” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him. ‘Here comes that dreamer!’ they said to each other. ‘Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.” Gen 37:16-20 NIV
The problem. As I said above, our reading begins by bringing us back to the story of Jacob, since the chapter before, Genesis 36, showed how God had been Faithful to both of Isaac’s sons. Esau was greatly blessed with many offspring, just like Jacob will be. The focus begins to shift to a particular son, Joseph, who later ends up inheriting the birthright because of Jacob’s great love for him, as well as Joseph’s amazing character as he matures from all the trials he faces. But before Joseph becomes that incredible man of God, the Bible first says this about him, “Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them.” (Gen 37:2) Can you say “snitch”? I am sure this did not endear Joseph to his brothers, at all. The next verse explains further why Joseph may have had an entitlement mentality. “Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made a richly ornamented robe for him.” (Gen 37:3) So two things I want to explain here. First, Jacob, who is now called by his God-given name Israel, calls Joseph “the son of his old age,” not because he did not have a younger child— Benjamin, who was also from his beloved Rachel— but because he and Rachel had waited a very, very long time before Joseph came along, and so Joseph was a great delight to Israel and specially loved. Listen to this excerpt from Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers: “..and though Rachel had a second son some years afterwards, yet Joseph would continue to be the son long looked for, whose birth had given him so great happiness; whereas his joy at Benjamin’s coming was bought at the terrible price of the mother’s death.” My second point is, Israel chooses to show his exceptional affection for Joseph by giving him a gift that distinguishes him from his brothers, and elevates his position in the family. Here’s another insight, this one from my Study Bible, “While normal work clothes were bland by comparison, this robe symbolized a position of honor and esteem. Wearing this robe probably excused Joseph from jobs that might have caused the garment to lose its luster.” (Quest Study Bible p53) Are we seeing the problem a bit clearer now? Israel loved Joseph above all his other brothers, and he made it obvious to everyone. Could this have caused Joseph to develop an entitlement attitude? Could he have thought he was better than his brothers? Could this have brought division and discontentment in the Israel household? Of course it could have, and it did. Some may disagree with my assessment but, think about any 17 year old young man you know nowadays. At this age, they think they know everything, right? And if they are shown any type of preferential treatment? It goes straight to their head and they begin to think a bit too highly of themselves. I believe this is where Joseph’s mind is when we first meet him. He possibly sees himself as an overseer of his brothers, and much to Israel’s delight, keeps watch over them so he can let their father know when they mess up. (see Gen 37:2) Then just imagine as Joseph unwraps this gift from their father with this beautiful robe in it. Talk about a Pride booster! This is how I view this young Joseph, and I do so because he was a human just like you and me. Joseph is still immature, and like all of us, he must learn to be humble, because this does not come naturally to any of us. Every human must learn to have a proper understanding of who we are and where our value comes from. Joseph, like any other teenager, might be struggling with his self-image. And of course, it does not help that Israel gives this son more attention than the others. The Bible says that his brothers “… hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.” (Gen 37:4) And it is the heart attitude of both Israel and Joseph that causes the start of all sorts of problems.
The problem continues. We next read about some dreams God gives Joseph as He prophesies over Joseph’s life. Again, these are God given dreams talking about Joseph’s future, but let’s not forget that Joseph is 17 and his brothers already hate him. So when Joseph is excited and shares the first dream with them, they hate him all the more. It is so important for us to put ourselves in the shoes of everyone in the Bible. Again, I want us to realize that all these brothers were human and imperfect, just like you and me. So if we are to glean as much from their lives as we can, in order to help us live as godly as we can, then we have to be able to relate to them. We already talked about Joseph, so let’s turn now to his brothers. Without excusing the sinful attitudes of these guys, we must remember that they were all fallible people, with all of our fallen and MMI emotions and desires. Understanding what, why and where they went wrong, could help us to avoid the same pitfalls. So let’s get a realistic visual about what might be going on here. We all know that siblings always seem to be in competition with one another, right? While Joseph seems oblivious to their anger and contempt, his brothers had already set their hearts against Joseph. The way they saw Joseph, tinted everything he would say and do in a negative light. So, whether Joseph was acting too big for his britches or just sincerely excited about his dream, these brothers were not going to receive it well anyway. You see our preconceived notions about others causes us to interpret their actions with that attitude in mind. They probably thought, “Here comes this arrogant teenager trying to show off again!” While Joseph could not help having the dreams— once again, they were God given— all his brothers heard was, “I am better than all of you!” (see Gen 37:6-7) I can understand that these brothers are offended, can’t you? This is wrong, but this is also human. This is our own insecurities leading us down a dangerous path. This is Pride raising its ugly head. And these wrong heart attitudes lead us to view others through those distorted lenses. They were greatly annoyed that Joseph had this dream and that he gladly shared it with them. But to their continued dismay, it did not stop there. God gives Joseph a second dream. By the way, two dreams were meant to indicate that God had firmly decided the dream would come true. (see Gen 41:32) I am sure this is a priceless gift from God towards Joseph which would later give him confidence and reassurance as he experiences trials in his life. Anyway, this second dream reveals that the entire family would bow down to Joseph, including his father, Israel, and his wives as well. (see Gen 37:10) Even Israel gets a bit miffed at the lack of respect towards his parents here, yet Israel knows enough about his God that he calms down and keeps the matter in mind. (see Gen 37:11) But this is just more fuel for the already burning fire that has ignited between these brothers and Joseph. Not only is Joseph given special treatment by their father, but now Joseph thinks God is lifting him above all of them too? They are jealous and just cannot stand Joseph anymore. And we will see the results of this envy next.
The problem reaches its climax. Joseph’s brothers are out quite a distance from home, tending to their father’s flocks. Israel is concerned about their welfare, so he sends Joseph out to check on his brothers to make sure they are ok and doing what they should be doing. Notice how Joseph is not out in the fields with his brothers? More privilege. Yet Joseph is more than glad to obey his father’s wishes. Here is the first solid evidence of Joseph’s real, deeper character. Even if he is a little full of himself, he is obedient to his father’s instructions. So off he goes in search of them. He finds them even farther off then expected. It is here where the brothers have had enough. Seeing Joseph coming towards them, thinking he is probably just looking for an excuse to tattle on them to their father again, they hash their evil plan. Still thinking about his annoying dreams, at first, murder is on their minds. They think, “If we can kill him, there goes his high and mighty dreams!” (see Gen 37:20) Ahhh, but one more time I say, these were God given dreams, and so, no one and nothing could stop them from coming true. God moves the eldest brother’s heart and, in steps Reuben to the rescue. Recall how Reuben had messed up big time by disrespecting his father when he slept with one of his wives? (see Gen 35:22) Well now Reuben thinks he can use this situation to win back Israel’s favor. Reuben convinces his brothers to not kill Joseph, but just to drop him in a deep cistern, out in the desert, and to let nature take its course. Again, Reuben’s plan was to come back later and save Joseph, bringing him back safely to their father. (see Gen 37:22) It appears Reuben then leaves his brothers, trusting them not to hurt the boy. While he is gone, the rest all casually eat their lunch, as Joseph cries out for mercy from deep in the cistern. (see Gen 42:21) They see a caravan approaching and another plan is conceived. Judah, of all the brothers, says, “‘What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.’ His brothers agreed.” (Gen 37:26-27) Wait! What did he say? “Let’s not kill him, but sell him as a slave so we can gain something from this? Because, after all, he is our brother?” Really!? This is how you treat someone who is your own flesh and blood? Well sadly, we do, when we have already decided to hate them. We will come up with whatever excuses we need to convince ourselves we are doing the right thing. This is what will naturally happen when we live by MMI instead of by God’s Morality. Pride causes us to do horrible things to one another. It numbs us so we do not have compassion on the other person. This is what has happened to these calloused brothers. They do end up selling Joseph for 20 shekels of silver and off in chains to Egypt he goes. (see Gen 37:28) Later, when Reuben returns, he has a complete meltdown because Joseph is gone. Reuben probably did not care a whip about Joseph either, but he saw this as an opportunity to get back in good with their father, so now what?! (see Gen 37:30) They all decide to take Joseph’s special robe, tear it up, dipping it in goat’s blood and then take it to their father. As if they would not be able to recognize the robe if Joseph really had gotten attacked, they innocently say to Israel, “We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son’s robe.” (Gen 37:32) Notice how they call Joseph, “your son,” instead of “our brother”? Their hatred had already caused division. Regardless of the nonsense Judah had said, they did not count Joseph as their own flesh and blood, because if they really did, they would not have treated him that way. It is one thing to be annoyed at someone, but it is completely and horribly different to deeply hate that someone. Heartless. This is what Joseph’s brothers are towards him. Hatred divides so compassion cannot be sensed. Division causes us to look out for ourselves and our own, and think, to heck with the other people. It becomes a “them vs us” mentality. No sympathy. No love. No unity. Unity, on the other hand, causes us to love one another because we see each other as belonging to one another. One thing is at the root of all this division and hatred and the Bible calls it a sin. Do you know what it is?
The root of the problem. What is it? Favoritism. And it will always bring trouble within any family. God does not show favoritism, and so we should not do so either. He considers it sinful because it leads to all sorts of problems. Listen to just these couple of Bible verses about favoritism: Leviticus 19:15- “Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.” Acts 10:34- “Then Peter began to speak: ‘I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism.’” Ephesians 6:9- “And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.” And last but certainly not least, James 2:9- “But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.” God sees this wrong heart attitude as a sin, and we clearly see why. It causes division in people. Some are treated with higher esteem than others, causing some to get arrogant and others to feel inferior. The truth is, we are all equally loved by God. Whether we receive this love or not is the defining issue that will determine our eternity. But for now, we are all on the same plain. For Jacob to lift Joseph, his young impressionable son, above his brothers is a great mistake. It leads to hatred. It leads to jealousy. It leads to the desire to murder. And it leads to grief and a family torn apart. Jacob’s heart breaks in two as he assumes his beloved Joseph has been killed by a ferocious animal. (see Gen 37:33) He spends years grieving over Joseph, but does he ever understand what started the dominoes falling? We humans are so fallen, so broken, so wicked. It does not take much to get us to act according to our MMI sinful nature. Ahhh but God! One of the lovely things about God is that He truly does works all things together for our good. (see Gen 50:20 & Ro 8:28) God sees the problem coming before we even know their are any problems. God works with our flaws, our faults, our fears…and even our sinful tendency to show favoritism…then He weaves it all together in such a way that the end result will be glorious. Israel does not see the problem. Joseph does not see the problem. His brothers do not see the problem. But hopefully, as we study their lives, we do. Favoritism kills relationships. While we can love each person in different ways, because each human is different, we are to love every person to the same extent, with all we’ve got. Loving with the same depth, but loving each according to their individual personality is key. Loving everyone equally, but uniquely. Whether we are talking about parents with multiple children as here with Israel, or even if we cast a wider net and talk about nieces and nephews, teachers with their students or Christians with anyone else, we must understand that we should not have favorites. We must learn to love everyone with the same intensity, even if we love one another differently. I am trying to point our hearts up towards God here, because this is the way He loves all Humanity. This does not mean he accepts or agrees with all of the nonsense we do. He certainly does not condone the behavior of these brothers towards Joseph. But God understands our fallibility. Every time we are tempted to treat others according to any prejudices or past offenses, I hope we will remember this narrative. I hope we will stop and choose to view every person that God places along our path as our brother or sister, as our own flesh and blood, and show them the love and compassion and respect that God shows each of us. Grace. Forgiveness. Understanding that no one is perfect. All this and more, we can receive from God, then give to others. Joseph still has a long journey ahead of himself, and so do these brothers. Each one of them must learn to be humble. And we must learn this too. As we do, we will not get jealous, hateful or vindictive towards others because we know we are greatly loved by our Heavenly Father. Not greater than anyone else, but not less either. Equally loved and valued as everyone else. This is humility. And this will bring peace, joy and fulfillment. I am still learning this lesson, yet it is a powerful one to live by. Let’s continue to grow so we can love God with all we’ve got and love our neighbor as ourself. There are no higher commandments and no other point to life. The more I live like this the more satisfying my life gets. Want that too? Then won’t you join me?
Until we meet again, keep lifting your eyes to God, He’s closer than you think.
<>< Peace, Diane
