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Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Thursday, 12 December 2024:
Genesis 37:3 – Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors.
Children are not equal in character and competence, and there are some attributes that are more favorable in one child or another, but a parent should never love one child more than another or show favoritism. Israel sowed the seeds of hate and destruction in his family by showing favoritism to his children.
Genesis 37:4 – But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him.
People may hate you simply because you are blessed. Again, envy is one of the most powerfully destructive emotions which often turns violent. Be careful to guard your heart against any thought of envy.
Genesis 37:5 – Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more.
Mastering human relationships requires knowing what to say and what not to say. Just because you know the truth doesn’t mean the time is right to share it, and how you share it matters too. Knowledge has a tendency to puff you up, but love lifts up the other person. Verse 4 says that Joseph’s brothers “could not speak peacefully to him,” and then it says that Joseph shared his dream. So, it would seem that Joseph was intentionally goading his brothers. Proverbs says that a fool’s mouth invites a beating. Joseph, in pride, is acting foolishly, and it is going to cost him dearly. You may be right concerning a matter, but it is never beneficial to incite a quarrel with others or to escalate an argument.
- Proverbs 26:9 — Like a thorn that goes up into the hand of a drunkard is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
- 1 Corinthians 8:1 — Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up.
- Galatians 6:1 — Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.
Genesis 37:12-14 – Now his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock near Shechem. And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.” And he said to him, “Here I am.” So he said to him, “Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with the flock, and bring me word.” So he sent him from the Valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.
Joseph had become an outsider to his brothers and was viewed as an enemy because he brought bad reports of them to their father. Joseph was not an agent of reconciliation. It is far easier to report a matter than it is to repair a matter, and it is easy to focus on problems over people. If we have a heart for others, we must find loving and effective ways to address the sins which are hurting them, but we must guard the relationship. We are called to be salt and light, but too much salt at once can at times ruin the flavor, and too much light at once can be unbearable to someone who has been in the dark for a long time. How well is your counsel being received by people closest to you?
Genesis 37:13-17 — “Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem?… Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with the flock, and bring me word….” Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.
The Bible records that Jacob sent his favored son alone to Shechem, the place where Jacob’s sons massacred a city. Jacob shows incredible negligence as a father here which is further evidenced by his careless disregard for the destructive behaviors growing in his family. If he couldn’t see what was going on between Joseph and his brothers, he was negligent. If he did understand the strife between them, he was irresponsible for sending Joseph out to report on his brothers. He should have clearly recognized the resentment his decision would incite. It is a parent’s responsibility to know the strengths and weaknesses of all their children and to develop their respective characters. Teaching kids to manage emotions and conflict within the home prepares them for challenges in the world. The home is intended to be the schoolhouse for character development, and the parent is the teacher, coach, mentor.
The Bible then points out that, in fact, Joseph would have to walk another 13 miles in the desert to meet his brothers in Dothan. Would you walk 13 miles to meet a bunch of bullies who hated you and “could not speak peacefully to [you]?” Joseph was willing because he was incredibly diligent – one of his positive character traits. God has called you to proclaim the Gospel to people who will hate you. Will you do it? Would you walk 13 miles to take a beating simply because your Father told you to? Hopefully you would, but hopefully you would also share the Gospel in a way which could be received by the hearer.
Genesis 37:17 – And the man said, “They have gone away, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.
The community is always watching you and your family and making judgments whether you realize it or not. You might be very surprised if you realized all that people notice and what they think of you from what they observe. Whether you accept it or not, you and your family are a testimony to something. Does your family’s character point to Jesus and glorify God? How about your church family? Jesus said that the greatest evidence the world would see concerning the truth of salvation and sanctification through Him would be how much we love each other and are united in love – “The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.” (John 17:2-23)
Genesis 37:18 – They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him.
Joseph’s brothers had transitioned from one of the most destructive of all emotions, envy, to the most destructive of all emotions, hate. This is the opposite of love. Love promotes life, and hate promotes death. When a person or a group are driven by hate, they are capable of unspeakable sins, things that would otherwise shock you from them.
Genesis 37:21, 23 – But when Reuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.” So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore.
Reuben was still influenced by conscience, but he lacked requisite courage of conviction. Though he intended to save his brother’s life, he lacked the moral strength to control his brothers; so, he diverted to scheming, which didn’t work. He pretended to play along while working a hidden agenda to save his brother. How do you confront sinful popular opinion? Had he gone to trial with his brothers, he would have been found guilty too because, though he kept Joseph from being murdered on the spot, he didn’t do enough to protect Joseph. It is not enough to have ‘good intentions’, we have to fully commit to doing what is right. As the saying goes, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” How Reuben’s guilt must have consumed him over the years after Joseph was sold into slavery! Reuben’s life is a negative leadership lesson. Reuben was the oldest who committed incest with his father’s concubine and will lose his birthright to Joseph. Reuben wanted to be the leader of his family and obtain his eventual birthright, but he lacked the requisite integrity and moral courage to lead. Some seek positional authority, rank, or titles to claim leadership, but it is moral authority combined with competency that makes a true leader. Notice throughout the Bible, that when God calls a leader, it is usually not from the group of pre-established positional leaders. In the midst of priests, God calls His prophets from the ranks of laymen. Are you the leader where you are? The true leader knows the way and has the character and competence to lead others along the way. Jesus is the Way – do you demonstrate the character and competence to lead others to Him? A seminary degree is not a requirement, nor is a piece of paper or special clothing. In fact, those things can stand in the way if they promote pride and self-confidence rather than humility and God-confidence.
Genesis 37:25 — Then they sat down to eat.
Envy, jealousy, and hate can make a person ruthless. It is hard to believe that God could still use these terrible people who can casually eat lunch while torturing their younger brother. From what depths can God rescue a sinner today?
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 12 December 2024: Today, don’t be influenced by the world around you (circumstances and people), but rather influence the world around you by the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, and contentment) which emanates from you as you abide in Christ and remain faithful to Him in thought, decisiveness, expression, word, and deed. Respond to people and circumstances from faith over feelings, and serve as Christ’s ambassador and messenger and minister of reconciliation, not as your own representative. If you start to feel your love, joy, and peace wane, stop what you are doing and pray to God until you are renewed in your spirit to respond in a wise, godly manner.
Defenders Bible Reading Plan 