May 2, 2024
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in Genesis? Here’s today’s reading:
Genesis 37 (NIV)
Joseph’s Dreams
1 Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan.
2 This is the account of Jacob’s family line.
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.……Continue Reading
Read Corinthians 1 today up to chapter 7; in independent reading/study.
GENESIS 37
Jacob lived where his father lived in Canaan. Jacob favored Joseph his youngest son since last boy of his old age. Jacob made a special robe for him. Since Jacob did not hide his feelings for Joseph all his other brothers hated him. They were consumed with jealousy. Joseph kept having dreams which he shared with them, that they were all bowed down at his feet. He also dreamed of his father bowing down. The brothers planned a way to get rid him. They were going to kill him. Reuben gave another option that did not end in death. They threw him in a cistern. A caravan of Ishmaelites came by and Judah said let’s sell Joseph as then his blood will not be in our hands. This is what they did. They took Joseph’s coat using goats blood and brought it back to Jacob and said a wild animal must have killed him. Jacob went into mourning and could not be consoled. Such jealousy. Today can be compared to blind jealousy. Wanting what someone else has leads to stealing, plotting against one another cheating wanting another persons life even to murder. Learn to be content with little or much no matter what the circumstances. Treasure what you have.
What caught my attention, is that Joseph’s brothers thought killing him would prevent his dreams from coming true. They knew that fulfillment of that dream would make them bow to the brother they simply hated, and they would have none of it!
The intensity of their anger exceeded any glint of natural love they had, and should have had for Joseph. Anger is like that, rage drowns out anything good and wholesome in life, and seeks only to destroy. It is as though, if the object goes away, the problem is solved.
Said God to Noah,
“…for the earth is filled with violence through them….” Genesis 6:17
What magnitude of violence were these prediluvial men predisposed to commit upon one another? Violence so gross, that God ended 6:17, “…and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.” Yet Noah found grace with God, spared were the eight! (Let the only Righteous God judge the affairs of men!)
The brothers were outside of God’s will, to kill Joseph. God did not make them hate, nor put it in their heart to kill; that sin was on them. God did not put it in Israel to favor Joseph, it was his natural tendancy, however flawed. But it was God who intervened in the affairs of men, in the midst of their brewing hatred, by giving the perplexing dream targeted to Joseph. God knew their hearts.
What if the dream were upon Issachar, or Gad, and not Joseph? The plot and outcome would have been far different. Perhaps God knew where on the tree to chop, that it would -on its own weakness- fall where He may need it. Sun, moon and eleven stars would indeed bow to the most tender and innocent, and be saved. -reb
Good comments Linda.
Joseph was the favorite of Israel because he was born of Rachel at an older age. At the age of 17 it says that he was feeding the flock with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah. They would be Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. Joseph gives a bad report of them to his and their father, Israel. It doesn`t include the other brothers here. It doesn`t say what the bad report was about but it must had been bad enough for Joseph to report it. From what we know about Joseph; he was a hard working and honorable man. One that was honest and feared God. So I don`t think that he was trying to be on his father`s good side for he was already there. Probably Israel asked him for a report and Joseph just gave him the truth. Then God gives him two dreams and tells them to his family. They are all mad at him including Israel. But Israel pondered what Joseph said. The brothers are all jealous of him even before the dreams. I don`t believe that Joseph was arrogant to his brothers and father about the dreams. He only was telling them the dreams. Remember later he went, as his father told him, in complete obedience to find his brothers and see if they were well and come back and give a report to Israel. The youngest brother { Benjamin} was still with Israel and would had been a very young child, too young to attend sheep. Joseph was around 6 years old when Israel fled from Labon. Remember that Joseph was born and then Jacob { Israel} worked another 6 years for Laban for the sheep, etc. Now Joseph is 17 years old. The other brothers want to do Joseph harm, that is except Reuben who wanted to deliver Joseph back to his father. Also, even though Judah was jealous of Joseph, he didn’t allow the other brothers to kill Joseph. So he suggested that they sell him. Joseph ends up sold into Egypt unto Potiphar, a captain of the guard under Pharaoh. The sons meanwhile let their father think that Joseph was killed by a wild animal. How cruel was that to their father. And they never told the truth to their father until much latter when their sin was found out. And it was Joseph himself that brought it out of them.
One other thought here. Simeon is the second oldest of all the children. Both he and Levi { the third son} took revenge earlier for their sister Dinah. Now when the brothers decide to sell Joseph; I believe that he probably led the others into harming Joseph. I think this is because latter when Joseph was in Egypt it was decided that one of the brothers would stay in prison until the others returned with the youngest brother. It doesn`t say how Simeon was chosen to stay there. Perhaps Joseph picked him out for he was the leader against Joseph when he was sold. Just a thought. God bless.
Favortism never ends well. People who feel slighted by someone, especially a parent, can be brought to dark places. However, to add insult to injury, Joseph shares his dreams as well where they are now bowing to the one they already feel so much anger and jealousy toward.
The perfect storm errupts in a plot to kill their brother. Very troubling that they would take it so far as to kill their own brother. But God always knows what He is doing and He knows our hearts and He had a plan for Joseph that was moved along by the brother’s response to the situation.
Joseph shares his dreams with his brothers and father.
The brothers try to override the vision given to Joseph.
I wonder about dreams and God speaking through them. Is this a cessation doctrine? God’s published word is final, so there is no more special revelation? I don’t think that’s true but it is unusual to hear from God in dreams, or is that just Americans.
I too believe that God can reveal things through dreams, but nothing that contradicts His word. We also have to be careful when it comes to any subjective revelation.
Noting:
Was it a coincidence that…
-a man in the field helped Joseph to find his brothers in Dothan?
-Judah had the idea to sell Joseph, thus ensuring that he would live, and ultimately save all Israel from death?
-Midianites got to Joseph first, sold him to the Ishmeelites, thwarting any gain for the brothers?
Just observing, Scriptures make clear, “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” First, they were jealous, and were mean, next, they hated him, then wanted to murder him, then decided to throw him in a pit, with no resolution, just eat lunch, then decide they needed money too, so just sell him. The whole idea was to prevent the dream coming true! They lost sight of it because of their confusion and hate. “God is not the author of confusion…”
-reb
Thanks Linda and Gordon!
Genesis 36-37
Genesis 37
Genesis 37
Genesis 37
It is sad to see the favoritism that was in Isaac’s family continues in Jacob’s and that is just one thing that sets Joseph’s brothers against him. Add to that his making a report against them, then Jacob giving him a special coat and then Joseph sharing the dreams that he had and you can see why the brothers did not like him. The brothers were not right to be against him, but we can see why they would be. We all need to be careful not to let jealousy or anger get a hold of us and lead us to do things we shouldn’t. Knowing God’s love and that it is only His opinion that really matters helps with that. And Reuben does do the job of the oldest to encourage his brothers to do right and to protect Joseph. And it is interesting that Judah is the one who encourages them to sell Joseph. I just love the story of Joseph and although it starts ugly here, all this is used by our sovereign God to orchestrate a plan to save Israel.