Family Troubles
Jacob has, at last, settled in the land. While Isaac was only “a
stranger,” the text also says that Jacob “dwelt in the land” (Gen. 37:1).
Yet, it was then, as he was settling into the land, that the troubles began,
this time from inside the family. The controversy does not concern the
possession of the land or the use of a well; it is, mainly, spiritual.
Read Genesis 37:1–11. What family dynamic predisposed Joseph’s
brothers to hate him so much?
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From the very beginning, we understand that Joseph, the son of
Jacob’s old age (Gen. 37:3), enjoyed a special relationship with his
father, who “loved him more than all his brothers” (Gen. 37:4, NKJV).
Jacob even went so far as to make Joseph “a tunic of many colors”
(Gen. 37:3, NKJV), a prince’s garment (2 Sam. 13:18), an indication
of Jacob’s secret intention to elevate Joseph, Rachel’s first son, to the
status of firstborn.
The future will, indeed, confirm Jacob’s wishes because Joseph
eventually will receive the rights of the firstborn (1 Chron. 5:2). No
wonder, then, that Joseph’s brothers hated him so much and could not
even engage in peaceful conversations with him (Gen. 37:4).
Furthermore, Joseph would bring bad reports to his father about any
reprehensible behavior from his brothers (Gen. 37:2). No one likes a
snitch.
So, when Joseph shared his dreams, suggesting that God would put
him in a higher position and that they, his brothers, would bow before
him, they hated him even more. The genuine prophetic character of the
dreams was even ratified by the fact that they are repeated (see Gen.
41:32). Although Jacob openly rebuked his son (Gen. 37:10), he kept
this incident in his mind, meditating on its meaning and waiting for its
fulfillment (Gen. 37:11). The implication is that, perhaps, deep down
he thought there might be something to these dreams after all. He was
right, however much he couldn’t know it at the time.
Read Matthew 20:26, 27. What crucial principle is revealed
here, and how can we learn to manifest in our own lives what it
teaches?
