I. Playing Favorites (Reprise) (Genesis 37:1-4)
Cycles of behavior can be very hard to break. Instead of learning from the mistakes of their parents, children often repeat the same mistakes. One reason may be that we tend to concentrate on the problems and things which shouldn’t have been, rather than on what we ought to be. Jacob had suffered as a result of the favoritism that his parents displayed. Yet, he made the same mistake of showing favoritism in his own family. He favored Joseph over his other sons.
In some ways Jacob’s attitude was understandable. Joseph was the oldest son of the woman he loved. If Laban had not tricked him into marrying Leah, Joseph would have been his first-born. Perhaps he felt that the rights of the first-born really belonged to Joseph even though he was born several years after most of the other sons.
In any case, Jacob treated Joseph with special favor. The coat was not merely a piece of clothing, it was a sign of status. His brothers not only resented the favoritism, they resented the recipient of it.
II. Dreams Of Grandeur (Genesis 37:5-11)
As is typical with teenagers, Joseph did not show a great deal of wisdom at this point in his life. Though he must have known how his brothers felt about the coat, and what it represented, Joseph apparently did nothing to smooth things over. He wore the coat even when he was away from home and there was no need to do so.
Not only that, but Joseph was a bearer of tales. He tattled on his brothers (Genesis 37:2). To give him the benefit of the doubt, perhaps the brothers were doing something so out of line that Joseph felt he had no choice but to blow the whistle. But he may also have been acting on Jacob’s instructions. In either case, snitching on his brothers did not endear him to them. It was another mark against him.
Then came the dreams. Instead of keeping them to himself or, better yet, seeking the advice of his father, he blabbed them to his brothers. The text doesn’t say what Joseph’s motives were. Perhaps they were pure. He might have felt an obligation to share what he considered a divine revelation with his family. But, on the other hand, he might have been bragging. Whatever the reason, it fueled the flames of his brothers resentment. Even Jacob felt compelled to rebuke him after the second dream. The difference between Jacob and the brothers was that Jacob accepted that the dreams might be genuine, while the brothers were alienated even more than they had been before.
III. It’s The Pits! (Genesis 37:12-24)
Jacob sent Joseph out on another fact-finding mission. Joseph was to find out what his brothers were up to and report back to Dad. On the one hand, it says something about Joseph that Jacob thought he was capable of making a trip like this by himself. On the other hand, he didn’t show much judgment by wearing his special coat while on the trip.
Lesson: If you know someone is already upset with you, don’t make the problem worse by flaunting the thing which upset them.
It also sounds like Joseph was at a loss about what to do when he discovered the brothers weren’t where he thought they were. An unnamed stranger takes the initiative and pints him in the right direction.
It seems strange that the brothers had taken their flocks back to the scene of the crimes they had committed against Shechem. But sin, if not repented of, hardens a person. They say that it’s easier to commit the second murder than the first. Having once spilled blood, the brothers were quick to suggest it again. The only brother who seemed adverse to the idea was Reuben. Even so, Reuben didn’t have a strong enough personality to stand up to the others. He didn’t appeal to them on the basis of right and wrong. He merely suggested an alternate course of action with the intent of rescuing Joseph on the sly, later.
Interesting question: We normally think of the brothers as being the only ones at fault. But was Joseph also involved in the looting of Shechem? The account in chapter 34:27 leaves the possibility open. If Joseph was involved, then what happens to him in this incident may be more significant than God using the sins of the brothers to pave the way for the tribe to eventually move to Egypt. God may have also used the incident as retribution for Joseph’s sin. One thing we can say for certain is that Joseph had matured a great deal and had become a true man of God by the time he reached Egypt. Perhaps it was his brothers’ betrayal which caused him to think about his relationship with God and to make the change.
IV. Blood Money (Genesis 37:25-28)
Judah had gone along with Reuben’s suggestion about not shedding Joseph’s blood. Letting him die of thirst or starvation would still get Joseph out of the way without actually soiling his hands. But the appearance of the trading caravan suggested a way to not only get rid of Joseph, but to profit from it. It hardly seems possible that people can sink so low as to not only contemplate murdering a brother, but also to trying to make a buck in the process. Yet, that is what resentment and jealousy will do if we allow it.
V. Deceiving Daddy (Genesis 37:29-36)
The only person who seems to have had any qualms at all about getting rid of Joseph was Reuben. He, at least, had enough sensibility to tear his clothes, which was a sign of mourning. Even so, Reuben did not have the integrity or courage to tell Jacob what had happened.
Two lessons:
1) Committing one sin often leads to more sin in order to cover up the first one. The brothers had to live with the cover-up for years. The memory of what they had done haunted them even after Jacob’s death. (See Genesis 50:15-21.) It’s better to confess and repent than to live with the fear of discovery and retribution.
2) Sinning against one member of the family has an effect on the relationship with other family members. There is a direct connection between the love children have for one another and the love they have for their father. “...everyone who loves the father loves his child as well.” (1 John 5:1 NIV) “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. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.” (1 John 4:20-21 NIV)
None of Jacob’s remaining sons seems to have had much regard or love for their father. How could they? If they had loved him, they would not have tried to destroy his son – their own brother. They deceived Jacob into thinking that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal. Notice how they presented Joseph’s robe. They didn’t say, “See if this is our brother’s robe.” They said, “See if this is your son’s robe.” (Genesis 37:32 NIV)
Jacob’s reaction to losing Joseph is also worth considering. It was only natural to grieve, but Jacob carried it too far. It became an obsession with him. He allowed his grief to poison the rest of his life. He allowed his grief to come between him and those who were closest to him. It’s understandable that he would distance himself from his sons if had any inkling of what they had done, but he seems to have pushed everybody away.
Lesson: We should never allow a disappointment or a hurt to dominate us or ruin the rest of our lives. We need to learn to move on. We need to allow others, and especially God, to comfort us.
We’re going to skip chapter 38, even though it has some important lessons in it. At first, it might seem that 38 is merely a sordid interruption in the story of Joseph. It is much more than that. Among other things, I believe it is inserted where it is for two important reasons.
1) It shows the contrast between Joseph’s character and that of his brothers.
2) It demonstrates the need for God to remove Jacob’s family from Canaan for a while. They were allowing themselves to be assimilated into the pagan culture around them. In order for God’s plan to be fulfilled, the Israelites needed to become and remain a separate people.