Written by: Andrew Burrows
Genesis 37 v 1-2
Jacob lived in the land of Canaan, where his father had lived. This is the family
history of Jacob:
Joseph was a young man, seventeen years old. He and his brothers, the sons of
Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives, cared for the flocks. Joseph gave his
father bad reports about his brothers.
Notes
The spotlight now moves from Jacob onto his sons and, especially, onto Joseph,
the second youngest. His father had learned that God is completely reliable
in all circumstances, just as his grandfather and great-grandfather had. God
had proved to them all individually that obedience to him reaped the benefit
of a blessed and joyful life. Now it was Joseph’s turn. How would he respond
to God’s leading in his life?
As the story begins, we see that all is not well in the Jacob household. It appears that Joseph was telling tales about his brothers, although we aren’t told what they have done to deserve it. It may even be that Joseph was just being mischievous, trying to score points off his brothers and confirm his place as the apple of his father’s eye! Whatever his reasons were, Joseph’s actions caused friction between him and his older brothers.
“Telling tales” may seem a rather trivial action – especially when we learn later on what the brothers did to Joseph in revenge – but here is the lesson: that when we do something which upsets or offends others, we cannot possibly know just how far the consequences will reach. Sadly, it is an all-too-familiar ruse in our society today to tread on others on the way to the top. Sometimes the damage caused is never repaired.
When the temptation of self-promotion presents itself, take a look at the humility of Jesus as he fought off Satan’s suggestions of earthly power (Matthew 4 v 1-11). Jesus knew that such earthly gains come at the expense of the loss of God’s blessing – a gift so precious that it was a price he was not willing to pay.
Prayer
Loving Father, I value your presence in my life above all things. Help me, by
the power of your Holy Spirit, to be sensitive to the effects that my words
and actions have on the lives of others. May I never prize worldly success or
satisfaction above my relationship with you. Amen
Genesis 37 v 3-4
Since Joseph was born when his father Israel was old, Israel loved him more
than his other sons. He made Joseph a special robe with long sleeves. When Joseph’s
brothers saw that their father loved him more than he loved them, they hated
their brother and could not speak to him politely.
Notes
Here we get more details of the rising tension within Jacob’s family. What
began as an annoyance with Joseph over his tale-telling developed into full-blown
hatred and hostility when the brothers realised that their father cared more
about him than any of them - favouritism that became obvious when Joseph strutted
around in the special robe given to him by his father, and which no doubt became
a constant irritant to the brothers, a reminder of Joseph’s superiority in their
father’s eyes.
It’s interesting to note that favouritism seems to run in the family. Isaac loved Esau more than Jacob, but Rebekah preferred Jacob (Genesis 25 v 28) – instant family trouble! Also, Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah (Genesis 29 v 30), something their children no doubt noticed and remembered.
The family unit is precious to God. The Bible holds up family values as essential to the fabric of life, and the responsibilities of family members to each other in terms of love, provision and protection produce the fruit of security, joy and contentment as each member delights in the others. A wonderful thing about the church family is that it is one in which these blessings may be experienced - irrespective of whether or not we are linked genetically!
Although the tendency to have favourites is strong within our human instinct, the Bible is clear and powerful in its message that the Father’s love is universal; not one person is outside the range of his unfailing love (John 3 v 16).
Remember – your Father loves no one more than you, prefers no one to you. May he help us to emulate his love as we relate to people both inside and outside our church families!
Prayer
Dear Lord Jesus, I am so grateful that you were prepared to pay the ultimate
price in order to show me the unimaginably deep love that the Father has for
me. I know that the love I try to show to others is imperfect, and I am amazed,
humbled and inspired by your unconditional love for me. Please make my life
a powerful reflection of yours. Amen
Genesis 37 v 5-8
One time Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it,
they hated him even more. Joseph said, “Listen to the dream I had. We were in
the field tying bundles of wheat together. My bundle stood up, and your bundles
of wheat gathered around it and bowed down to it.”
His brothers said, “Do you really think you will be king over us? Do you truly
think you will rule over us?” His brothers hated him even more because of his
dreams and what he had said.
Notes
Just as we thought the situation between Joseph and his brothers couldn’t get
any worse, he described to them a dream in which he asserted his superiority
over them. Now, this really infuriated them! This self-righteous young kid,
a ruler over them? Bad enough that he was daddy’s blue-eyed boy who got them
into trouble, but such arrogance…!
Interestingly, and unlike the other references to dreams in the Joseph story, God is not mentioned here as either the author or the interpreter of Joseph’s dreams. So were they real or the product of an arrogant and imaginative youth? Either way, they predicted accurately what would happen in the future! But for now, the destructive force of hatred was rising.
It’s easy to have sympathy with the brothers. After all, they’d been abused and disrespected and, in a society where status within the family was not taken lightly, this was a big blow to them. When we “feel” our way through a story like this, it isn’t difficult to see how emotions can get out of hand very quickly. How can such intense feelings be dealt with?
When we feel such emotion rising up in us, we could try to ignore it. But the problem with burying hatred is that it festers within us and begins to spread like a disease, affecting our personalities. We could take our revenge – which is what the brothers eventually did, although it caused much grief and guilt in their family.
There is a third option. Be warned: it’s costly, for the price we’ll have to pay is forgiveness – even if we think the other person doesn’t deserve it. What do we gain? Peace, and a restored sense of rightness with God! Be assured - the results are far greater than the price!
Prayer
Loving Father, you alone know how vulnerable I often am to my feelings. Sometimes
a sense of rightful grievance and rising anger threaten to overshadow my life
and disrupt my relationship with you. In those moments when I am at my weakest,
Father, I ask you to give me the strength to release these feelings to you and
then to receive your blessing of peace through my forgiveness of those who have
hurt me. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen
Genesis 37 v 9-11
Then Joseph had another dream, and he told his brothers about it also. He said,
“Listen, I had another dream. I saw the sun, moon and eleven stars bowing down
to me.”
Joseph also told his father about this dream, but his father scolded him, saying,
“What kind of dream is this? Do you really believe that your mother, your brothers
and I will bow down to you?” Joseph’s brothers were jealous of him, but his
father thought about what all these things could mean.
Notes
Joseph’s second dream went further than the first, asserting that even his father
and mother would bow to his superiority. This, Jacob felt, really was pushing
it too far. He reprimanded his favourite son for this insult but, at the same
time, took the dreams seriously enough to give them further consideration. What
if…?
Jacob knew from his own experience that God spoke and revealed his will through dreams. He himself had had some very powerful encounters with God in dreams (see Genesis 28 v 10-22), encounters that had changed the course of his life and brought him to trust in this all-powerful, all-loving God. He didn’t like the sound of the dream, but what if it were some kind of message from God?
The course of history has often been changed through dreams and visions. Martin Luther King’s “dream” springs to mind, a vision of basic human rights that launched a worldwide movement. Dreams given to Mary and Joseph (the other one!) prepared them for the birth of a child who would deal with the sin of the world and restore forgiven men, women and children to God’s presence. The apostle Paul became a powerful force for Jesus through a vision (Acts 9 v 3-6) and altered his travelling plans to preach in Macedonia because of another (Acts 16 v 9).
Dreams and visions are still crucial for the church today, whether it be on the sort of scale that brought about change in human rights worldwide or the kinds of visions that prompt ordinary people to do something that reflects the love and compassion of Christ into lives of spiritual and social darkness.
Are you a dreamer for God? Or a visionary? Then be encouraged – God can use you to achieve great things!
Prayer
Father God, help me to always be open to receive messages from you, whether
it be through dreams, visions or the words of those around me. Lord, give me
wisdom to know exactly when you are speaking to me and the courage to act on
what you say. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen
Genesis 37 v 12-17
One day Joseph’s brothers went to Shechem to graze their father’s flocks. Israel
said to Joseph, “Go to Shechem where your brothers are grazing the flocks.”
Joseph answered, “I will go.”
His father said, “Go and see if your brothers and the flocks are all right.
Then come back and tell me.” So Joseph’s father sent him from the Valley of
Hebron.
When Joseph came to Shechem, a man found him wandering in the field and asked
him, “What are you looking for?”
Joseph answered, “I am looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are
grazing the flocks?”
The man said, “They have already gone. I heard them say they were going to Dothan.”
So Joseph went to look for his brothers and found them in Dothan.
Notes
At first sight, these verses seem to have too much pointless detail when all
we need to know is that Joseph left home to find his brothers. But what goes
through your mind as the story unfolds here? First of all, Jacob must have known
how his other sons felt about Joseph. Wasn’t he taking a big risk sending him
so far away from his own protection to be at their mercy, especially to Shechem,
potentially a very dangerous place after what the brothers had done there (see
Genesis 34 v 24-30)? Then, having been found wandering and vulnerable by a stranger,
he travelled even further away from home to find them.
Being a parent myself, part of me asks how Jacob could possibly be so foolish as to expose his teenage son to such dangers. My natural reaction is to want to protect my children from anything and everything that might harm them, but I also know that as they grow and mature into adults, they need to see the reality that the world is not a totally safe place. Growing up is tough on parents as well as children!
In an uncertain world, we all need security. Some people try to create their own by accumulating wealth, power and comfort. The absolute security we search for is not within our power to gain. There can be no foolproof guarantees against financial hardship, illness, accident or bereavement. But hear the witness of Paul to the amazing security he found in Christ (Romans 8 v 35-39 and Philippians 4 v 6, 11-13)!
Perhaps Jacob knew this as he sent out his young son. After all, it was a lesson he himself had learned the hard way. Lord, may I learn that I am in your hands - the easy way!
Suggestions for prayer today
V pray for God’s presence and protection for those you love
V pray that God will be with all who are feeling lonely and vulnerable
V pray for God’s intervention in war, famine and poverty around the world
Genesis 37 v 18-20
Joseph’s brothers saw him coming from far away. Before he reached them, they
made a plan to kill him. They said to each other, “Here comes that dreamer.
Let’s kill him and throw his body into one of the wells. We can tell our father
that a wild animal killed him. Then we will see what will become of his dreams.”
Notes
At last, the festering hatred surfaced. The brothers saw their chance to take
their revenge on Joseph for the abuse and suffering they had endured all this
time. How fitting, they thought, that they should prove his dreams wrong by
killing him. They would blame his death on a wild animal and be rid of this
troublesome young man once and for all.
I wonder, did they once consider the effect their plan would have on their father? Maybe they did, but they felt that his grief would be a price worth paying as their hatred overwhelmed any compassion for him and any guilt they themselves may have felt.
One of the consequences of being in the grip of our emotions is that, in the heat of the moment, no price seems too high to pay for the satisfaction and relief we think will come when we give in to them. Although we may never be completely aware of all the consequences caused by these wrong emotion-driven actions, the fallout from sin often goes on and on, affecting people’s lives well after the event. Guilt eventually finds its way into the perpetrator’s mind and settles there, virtually impossible to dislodge.
As Christians, we are called – and resourced – by God to resist the temptation to surrender to negative emotions, such as hatred, greed and jealousy. Yet to those who have given in, and are experiencing remorse, shame and guilt, he constantly offers forgiveness and restoration through Jesus. Yes, sin is powerful. But more powerful still is the blood of Christ.
Prayer
I realise, Father God, that my emotions are part and parcel of who I am; yet
it is possible for me to be held captive by my feelings. By your Holy Spirit
living within me, help me to defeat my negative emotions and experience your
peace in my soul. In the name of Jesus, my Lord and Saviour, I pray. Amen
Genesis 37 v 21-24
But Reuben heard their plan and saved Joseph, saying, “Let’s not kill him. Don’t
spill any blood. Throw him into this well here in the desert, but don’t hurt
him!” Reuben planned to save Joseph later and send him back to his father. So
when Joseph came to his brothers, they pulled off his robe with long sleeves
and threw him into the well. It was empty, and there was no water in it.
Notes
Reuben, the senior brother, intervened to prevent Joseph’s death, intending
to release him later and return him to Jacob. Whether this was to spare his
father’s grief, or to avoid the terrible crime of murder, or even out of compassion
for his young brother, is not clear. But his action was vital, for as the story
unfolds, it was Joseph who saved the life not only of Reuben, but of the whole
family!
In taking his stand, Reuben probably risked his own reputation with the brothers. Feelings were running high and something had to give. He was certainly no angel himself, having acted improperly towards his father’s concubine (a sort of “secondary” wife), but this business had reached a point beyond which he was not prepared to go.
Have you ever been in that situation? You know the right thing to do, but it may mean losing face. Your “rep” could be on the line! The words of the hymn, “Stand up, stand up for Jesus” float through your mind, but it would be far easier to turn a blind eye! These times can be the toughest tests of our faith, and taking a Christian perspective can be pretty lonely. Yet … there it is, that feeling that God is smiling on you, because you have just made a difference for him!
Jacob, his father Isaac, and his grandfather Abraham, all discovered that God would not abandon them when the going got tough. Joseph would find that out too. God made this promise to his people Israel, and he makes it to you: “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD is the one who goes before you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31 v 8, New Living Translation).
Prayer
How blessed I am, Father, that you are always with me. May your Holy Spirit
guide me in all my choices and decisions, and give me courage and conviction
to imitate Jesus in my living moment by moment. As I live for you, Father, please
grant me the grace I need to match my will with yours. In Jesus’ name I pray.
Amen
word-on-the-web uses the Scripture text taken
from the Youth Bible, New Century Version (Anglicised Edition) copyright 1993
by Word Publishing Milton Keynes