Generations of Jacob

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It is so good to be here today. Today, we continue moving forward in Scripture from where we started a couple of years ago. In May 2022, we began a series called "Back to the Beginning," walking through the creation of the world up to Noah and the great flood. That was a rough time, but it was important to understand the wrath of God. Then, in 2023, we picked up with Abraham and the promise God gave him.

Last year, we followed Isaac and later Jacob, watching how God’s chosen family progressed toward bringing hope to all mankind. Through these stories, we saw how connected and singularly focused Scripture is. Even in Genesis, everything points to the One who would come to save the world—Jesus Christ, the long-foretold Messiah.

Why did we go through all of this? Because I wanted us to have a firm foundation in Scripture and see that God uses us despite ourselves, not because of ourselves. Every leader we studied made mistakes—sins against God—yet God still used them to accomplish His will. God is far stronger than our sin. I say this to encourage you—yes, we sin, but God’s forgiveness is available to us.

Now, we pick up in Genesis 37, where we begin our study on Joseph. Over the next few months, we will see some difficult events unfold in his life. But let me give you a preview of the end of the story. Joseph himself says,

"As for you, you meant to harm me, but God intended it for a good purpose." —Joseph

Despite everything that happens, Joseph remains faithful, trusting in God’s sovereignty. That is one of the major truths we will learn as we journey through his life.

The story of Joseph has inspired countless authors. It contains elements of a doting father, a favored son, jealous brothers, a deceptive wife, and even an international food crisis. But more than that, it reveals God’s hand at work, ruling and overruling human decisions. In the end, God raises up a hero, saves a family, and forms a nation that will bless the world. This story highlights the heart of a God who always keeps His promises.

For Christians, Joseph’s life is a powerful picture of Jesus. Like Jesus, Joseph was beloved by his father and obedient to his will. He was hated and rejected by his brothers, sold into slavery, falsely accused, and unjustly punished. Yet, in the end, he was raised from suffering to a position of power, saving his people from death. The key difference? Joseph was only reported dead, while Jesus truly died on the cross and rose again to save us. As we study Joseph, look for these glimpses of Jesus to encourage your faith.

Today, we begin by looking at the destructive family environment Joseph grew up in—a family that knew the true and living God yet lived for themselves. Joseph didn’t create their problems; he revealed them. This family had generations of sin: Abraham denied his wife, leading Isaac to do the same. Jacob had four wives and often failed to lead. Yet, as Romans 5:20 tells us, "where sin abounded, grace abounded much more." That’s what we see in this family—God’s grace fulfilling His purposes despite sinful people. That should encourage us—we cannot mess up God’s plans.

This morning, we will focus on Genesis 37:1-11, breaking it into sections. Let’s start by reading:

Genesis 37:1–4 ESV

Jacob lived in the land of his father’s sojournings, in the land of Canaan. These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. 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. 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.

Now, right off I want you to see something that I found interesting. If you can remember back to Genesis 36 last year, we saw the generations of Esau, who was Jacob’s brother. Now, you should remember that Esau and Jacob had a bit of a love hate relationship. Jacob seemed to steal and scam things away from Esau, however, Esau was able to grow past that and become successful himself. However, something that happened to Esau, is that he left the land that was promised to Abraham’s descendants. Jacob however, has remained in the land of Canaan. This is actually really important to the story because what it does is show that Jacob was accepting God’s gift of this land and his descendant’s. In other words, Jacob was living according to the promise.

At least in that aspect. However, something else we just saw is that this is a family that was broken by hatred.

A Family Divided by Hatred

Ps. 133:1 tells us that it is good and pleasant to live in unity. However unity is not something this family would know. How could they when they were a divided family from the very beginning. Remember, Jacob’s first two wives, even though they were sisters, were rivals of each other. Then you add in both of their servants to be Jacob’s next wives and you have a rough household. Listen, you think that you can’t get along with your spouse all the time…imagine what this family is going through.

This home has 1 father, four different mothers, and twelve sons. This is the making for an unruly household. Although, Jacob came from a divided home as well, which means this is what he knew as normal. I’m not excusing these decisions, but I am pointing out that how we raise our kids is so important. What you model will be more likely to follow your kids in their families. We see that right here with Jacob and his family.

Now, what we just read said that this is the record of the generations of Jacob, however, we immediately went into the story of Joseph. Actually, the rest of Genesis will be the story of Joseph, as the records of the generations of Jacob. Joseph will be the central human figure in these records.

However, what makes Joseph’s brothers hate him so much? Well, largely it is due to their fathers unequal treatment of his children…this treatment inspired jealously among Joseph’s brothers. Add to that this robe likely marked Jacob’s decision that Jospeh would be the chosen leadership, remember, he is firstborn of Rachel, which is the only woman Jacob ever intended to marry. So…from Jacob’s perspective, Joseph is the rightful heir. Let’s come back to that though. First we need to see that

Joseph’s Integrity:

Joseph is apparently the apprentice to the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah (Jacob’s extra wives) learning how to care for the sheep. Joseph is starting this journey as a servant to his older brothers.

This would have been difficult for Joseph to work alongside his half-brothers because their way of life was different than his seemed to be. You see, something happened while Joseph was out working with his older brothers. Were they robing their father, were they too focused on the sinful ways of other cultures? We don’t know exactly what they were doing, however, we know that it was something that caused Joseph to share it with their father. Joseph also knew what the others were doing and he reported that as well.

Now, you can argue that Joseph shouldn’t have told their father, and I have made that argument. I mean was Joseph just a snitch? He didn’t have any authority over his brothers, he wasn’t accountable for what they did, and he was supposed to be there working anyway.

Here’s what’s interesting. We have a young man, 17 years old…this is not the actions of some kid. We know, from later on this story that Joseph is a man with common sense and wise discernment. That tells us that whatever his brothers were doing, was likely fairly bad…why else would Joseph feel the need to share what happened. Now, maybe Jacob already suspected something and asked Joseph to let him know what was really happening. Whatever it was though, as soon as Joseph told their father, his brothers knew who had told on them. This would have added to their hatred of him.

Now I said we were going to come back to Jacob’s uneven treatment of his sons, and so let’s take a minute to realize that

Joseph, the Favored Son:

Jacob lived in a home where he was not his fathers favorite. He grew up under Esau and seeing how Isaac treated and loved Esau. Jacob should have had more understanding than to single out Joseph and pamper him the way he did. Jacob should have remembered that this is not how to build a family that trusts each other. However, Jospeh was the son of Rachel, the only woman he desired to marry. That isn’t to excuse what Jacob did to encourage this hatred, only to understand.

Next Jacob gives his son Joseph, a fancy colorful robe. Actually, we don’t know what this robe or tunic would have looked like. The original language tells us this is a coat of long sleeves, or a coat with embroidery. We get the idea of having many colors from the Greek translation of the Old Testament. Maybe this was a colorful coat, using various dye, or maybe this was some other form of a fancy robe. What we do know without a doubt…is this was the robe of a ruler, not the type of robe a shepherd wears.

Of course Jacob didn’t give this to Joseph as a fashion statement…more likely this is his way of letting the family know that he had chosen an heir. You see, Reuben had given up his right to be heir by sleeping with Jacob’s wife, Bilhah. Simeon and Levi had been involved with slaughtering the entire city or Shechem due to the assault on their sister Dinah. Plus, the first four sons had Leah as a mother, and Joseph had never intended to marry Leah. Soooo…in Jacob’s eyes, Joseph was his first born with his desired wife, therefore he has the right to be heir. Do you see how this is a pretty messed up family dynamic?

Of course if Joseph’s brothers see all of this…it is no wonder that they hated him. Hatred is a terrible sin because it gives way to more sin. When you hate someone then you will justify whatever you have to in order to convince yourself that you are actually the victim, or you will justify your treatment of them. Of course the new Testament gave greater weight to hatred.

1 John 3:15 ESV

Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

Let’s keep reading this story and see what else is going on.

Genesis 37:5–11 ESV

Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed: Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.” His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words. Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?” And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.

Now we get our first picture of Joseph the dreamer. Joseph is one that God speaks to using dreams. In this text we get to hear about some of Jospehs dreams, but later God will use Joseph to interpret dreams. For now though, these dreams come after Joseph has already been given the robe that seems to show him as the heir to the family. Joseph’s brothers already hated him, and now he seems to be throwing it in their faces…This led his brother to

A Family filled with Envy:

One author wrote that “envy was the most precious daughter of the devil because it follows his footsteps by hindering good and promoting evil.” Of course, envy and malice seem to be very closely related. You see envy causes pain when we see others succeed, malice causes joy when we see others fail.

Should Joseph have even told his dreams? Was this evidence of personal pride, or just immaturity. These dreams that Joseph just shared couldn’t do anything other than infuriate his brothers…wouldn’t he know that. I mean, how could Joseph even become a ruler that would allow his own family to bow down to him. It’s one thing to lead the family, it is another that the family would bow down to you. Even Jacob rebuked Jospeh after hearing the second dream. Although, isn’t it interesting that Jacob thought on the dreams after rebuking him? Remember, Jacob knows what it means to receive messages from God in a dream.

Now, maybe Joseph could have shared them more cautiously, but really that doesn’t matter. After all, this is God’s will that has been communicated. Maybe if the brothers would have paid more attention to their brother things could have been even easier for everyone. Maybe if they would have paid attention they would have been ready 20 years later. Even Jacob, had he thought about these dreams and remembered how God works, maybe he would have believed that he would see Joseph again some day. Of course, it’s easy for us…we have the end of the story spelled out for us.

Now, in the first dream we read, it seems that Joseph’s brothers would bow down to him. In the second dream that we read, we see that not only his brothers, but his father and mother would bow down also. It is interesting to see these dreams in light of what will take place in Egypt. Remember, the key phrase for this series is, “As for you, you meant to harm me, but God intended it for a good purpose” . In other words, God is sovereign over these events. God gave 2 dreams to Joseph, or at least two that were written down for us to read. First there was a dream of his brothers. First Joseph’s brothers will bow down to him as he sits in Egypt. After that dream, both his brothers and parents would bow to him. Later, both Joseph’s brothers and parents bow down to him. It is interesting to see these small pictures as what is to come.

Remember, God is the author of this story and so we need to look for his signature throughout the story.

Today, we are tasked with learning from this story and seeking to understand how God is speaking to us through it. Here are a few thoughts I want you to take with you as you leave.

Trust God’s Sovereignty in Your Circumstances: We all face frustrations—things don’t always go the way we planned. Maybe your life hasn’t turned out how you expected… your health isn’t what you thought it would be… your finances are tighter than you’d like. Whatever you’re facing, remember: God is sovereign. Then, while facing various circumstance, instead of asking, “Why is this happening to me?” ask, “How is God working through this?”

Guard your Heart against Hatred and Envy: I understand—what you’re going through is hard, and it doesn’t feel fair. And in a sense, you’re right. Life isn’t fair… but if we’re honest, we deserve far worse because of our sin. I know I do. By all accounts, I should be in jail or homeless under a bridge. But God, in His mercy, chose to redeem even my worst choices for His glory. — Hatred and envy can take you down a dark path when you start comparing your circumstances to others. Examine your heart today. Is there jealousy or resentment toward someone? Repent, and as you pray, ask God to replace those feelings with His love and grace. Trust that He is sovereign over your situation.

Look for Christ in the story: Joseph is a picture of Jesus—a beloved son, rejected by his brothers, placed in a position to save others. Like Joseph, Jesus endured suffering to bring salvation. As you read Scripture, train your heart to see Christ throughout the Old Testament stories. Let this deepen your faith and your gratitude for the Word.

Finally, as you leave today, seek Christ in your story. Watch how God is providing for you—even in ways you don’t yet see. Notice how He uses others to point you back to Him, even when you aren’t looking. Pay attention to how Christ is reshaping your heart—so that instead of defaulting to hatred, you begin to see others with the same love and grace that He sees them.

None of us are perfect. We will mess up. We will sin. But don’t stay there. Let God use you in the lives of others.

Right now we are going to pray and close out…but I’m going to ask you to SEEK CHRIST IN YOUR STORY…

Let’s pray.