Genesis 37
Notes
Transcript
Background
Last week we observed several important circumstances taking place. God spoke to Jacob and fulfilled the vow that Jacob had made with him so many years ago. As a result, Jacob claimed God as his own, and God renamed him to Israel. As they traveled to Isaac’s dwelling, Rachel died giving birth to her second, Benjamin. After Israel arrived back home, Isaac died and was buried by Esau and Israel. We also briefly looked at the lineage of Jacob and Esau.
1 Now Jacob lived in the land where his father had sojourned, in the land of Canaan.
2 These are the records of the generations of Jacob. Joseph, when seventeen years of age, was pasturing the flock with his brothers while he was still a youth, along with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought back a bad report about them to their father.
3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a varicolored tunic.
4 His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers; and so they hated him and could not speak to him on friendly terms.
5 Then Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more.
6 He said to them, “Please listen to this dream which I have had;
7 for behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and lo, my sheaf rose up and also stood erect; and behold, your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to my sheaf.”
8 Then his brothers said to him, “Are you actually going to reign over us? Or are you really going to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.
9 Now he had still another dream, and related it to his brothers, and said, “Lo, I have had still another dream; and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”
10 He related it to his father and to his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have had? Shall I and your mother and your brothers actually come to bow ourselves down before you to the ground?”
11 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.
MAP
MAP
Jacob, now names Israel, would dwell in the land his father Isaac lived in.
This is the record of Jacob, now Israel, just as Abraham and Isaac had a record of their lives.
TIMELINE
TIMELINE
At the time of this occurrence, Joseph is 17 years old.
Isaac is still alive at this time.
Israel showed favoritism towards Joseph, being the firstborn of his favored wife, Rachel.
Benjamin would be very young at this point, but Joseph would know he has a young brother.
Joseph appears to know that he is the favorite.
He gives a bad report about his brothers to Israel.
**Tattling, not working
He is given what would have been a very expensive gift - a tunic.
Popularly, it’s thought that it is multi-colored.
Most likely, it is a long-sleeved tunic or robe.
Joseph’s brothers all saw the favoritism, and hated him.
They could not even greet him favorably.
11 But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.
11 For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another;
12 not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.
Jealousy can destroy relationships and puts a wedge between you and God.
Jealousy can destroy relationships and puts a wedge between you and God.
It doesn’t appear that Joseph cares about bettering his relationships with them, either.
** I would be angry, too.
Joseph was spoken to by God through his dreams. He shared his dreams with his family.
Him doing so brought enmity between him and his family, though Israel pondered what was said.
12 Then his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock in Shechem.
13 Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flock in Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them.” And he said to him, “I will go.”
14 Then he said to him, “Go now and see about the welfare of your brothers and the welfare of the flock, and bring word back to me.” So he sent him from the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.
15 A man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field; and the man asked him, “What are you looking for?”
16 He said, “I am looking for my brothers; please tell me where they are pasturing the flock.”
17 Then the man said, “They have moved from here; for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’ ” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.
The shepherds took their flocks back north to graze in Shechem. Israel wanted an update and sent Joseph.
An interesting note: Joseph was home with his father while his brothers were out tending HIS flocks.
They move to Dothan.
18 When they saw him from a distance and before he came close to them, they plotted against him to put him to death.
19 They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer!
20 “Now then, come and let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; and we will say, ‘A wild beast devoured him.’ Then let us see what will become of his dreams!”
21 But Reuben heard this and rescued him out of their hands and said, “Let us not take his life.”
22 Reuben further said to them, “Shed no blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but do not lay hands on him”—that he might rescue him out of their hands, to restore him to his father.
23 So it came about, when Joseph reached his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the varicolored tunic that was on him;
24 and they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty, without any water in it.
His brothers see Joseph coming, and begin plotting against him. In their jealousy and anger, they mean to kill him.
Just like Cain, they wanted to kill their brother out of jealousy.
21 “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not commit murder’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’
22 “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.
8 Cease from anger and forsake wrath; Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.
26 Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,
27 and do not give the devil an opportunity.
The eldest brother, Reuben, wanted to spare Joseph.
His motives are revealed as selfish - he wants to win favor from his father. He comes up with a plot so he’ll turn out to be the hero.
The brothers take Joseph’s symbol of favoritism off of him, and throw him into a dry well.
25 Then they sat down to eat a meal. And as they raised their eyes and looked, behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing aromatic gum and balm and myrrh, on their way to bring them down to Egypt.
26 Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it for us to kill our brother and cover up his blood?
27 “Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him.
28 Then some Midianite traders passed by, so they pulled him up and lifted Joseph out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. Thus they brought Joseph into Egypt.
29 Now Reuben returned to the pit, and behold, Joseph was not in the pit; so he tore his garments.
30 He returned to his brothers and said, “The boy is not there; as for me, where am I to go?”
Opportunity presented itself, and this time Judah spoke up, identifying a profit to be made and justification for his “moral high ground.”
Slavery was very common back in those days.
Reuben discovered he had lost his bargaining chip for gaining favor with Israel, and mourned for his loss.
Not of Joseph, but his father.
31 So they took Joseph’s tunic, and slaughtered a male goat and dipped the tunic in the blood;
32 and they sent the varicolored tunic and brought it to their father and said, “We found this; please examine it to see whether it is your son’s tunic or not.”
33 Then he examined it and said, “It is my son’s tunic. A wild beast has devoured him; Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!”
34 So Jacob tore his clothes, and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days.
35 Then all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. And he said, “Surely I will go down to Sheol in mourning for my son.” So his father wept for him.
36 Meanwhile, the Midianites sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, Pharaoh’s officer, the captain of the bodyguard.
Their hatred has turned to lying, and they will cover up what they are doing to rid themselves of Joseph.
Now they cannot tell Israel they sold Joseph, so they have to come up with a plan.
Deception begets deception. But God shines the light of truth in our lives.
Deception begets deception. But God shines the light of truth in our lives.
They trick Israel into coming to the conclusion they want him to arrive at - Joseph is dead.
They did not account for the depth of Israel’s mourning.
No one is able to curry favor with their father, because he’s lost his favorite.
This is reminiscent of Esau seeking a blessing from Isaac, but not being able to get one.
Israel believes he will die from grief.
Meanwhile, Joseph is sold to a ranking Egyptian official.
God is in control over all of these circumstances.
APPLICATION
APPLICATION
Jealousy can destroy relationships and puts a wedge between you and God.
Deception begets deception. But God shines the light of truth in our lives.
Next week, we will continue through the book of Genesis.