Genesis 37

Genesis series part 56

Welcome Mission/Vision and visitors

Dismiss children

Two important items I want to say before we dig into our text:

Recognize Brian and Heather as new members

Our nation is sick and desperately needs Christ. A man who actively fought for a biblical worldview in regards to sexual ethics, gender, and life of the preborn was gunned down this week. Praise God we serve a heavenly Father who is a perfect judge and promises to return, make all things new, and will judge the living and dead. He sits on the throne so we don’t fear or retaliate but as we have said the last few weeks….we must count the cost.

Back into Genesis “turn to chapter 37”

Genesis is about the dawn of God’s creation the descent into sins corruption and the blessing of God’s covenants

Genesis 3:15 to Genesis 12:1-3 from Abraham, Isaac to Jacob - 4 events and 4 people now we come to the last person of Genesis and this man is named Joseph

Lets read Genesis 37:1-36

Genesis 37:1–36 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 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 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. And a man found him wandering in the fields. And the man asked him, “What are you seeking?” “I am seeking my brothers,” he said. “Tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock.” 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. They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him. They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer. Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams.” But when Reuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.” And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him”—that he might rescue him out of their hand to restore him to his father. So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore. And they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it. Then they sat down to eat. And looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him. Then Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt. When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he tore his clothes and returned to his brothers and said, “The boy is gone, and I, where shall I go?” Then they took Joseph’s robe and slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. And they sent the robe of many colors and brought it to their father and said, “This we have found; please identify whether it is your son’s robe or not.” And he identified it and said, “It is my son’s robe. A fierce animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces.” Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, “No, I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” Thus his father wept for him. Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.

Main Idea: The righteous will suffer by the hands of the wicked but God has a plan to redeem

“these are the generations of Jacob” - remember we just came off of the genealogy of Esau and now Moses is bringing us a much larger narrative arc following the children of Jacob

Some prefacing content here setting the stage of what is about to happen. Joseph is a teenager here and like Jacob pastures sheep as a shepherd. We are told here that he was “a boy” with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah which basically just means he was a shepherd on their behalf. Somehow there was a bad report in here as well about Josephs brothers so we immediately see enmity begin to develop.

Is Joseph just a tattle tail little brother? It doesn’t seem like thats what we are supposed to be seeing. It seems Joseph is stepping forward and the reader is meant to see a contrast of royalty and righteousness in comparison to the declining morality of Jacob’s other sons.

Jacob here is doting on Joseph as the firstborn from Rachel and Joseph is given the technicolor dre…..I mean a robe of many colors which probably is better translated a coat with sleeves (royal context again). Obviously this favoritism wasn’t sitting well. (Brent got a camaro)

Two dreams here from verses 5-11. These dreams Joseph does not interpret and doesn’t state them as from God (in contrast to what we have seen in Genesis so far) but we will see them fulfilled in some ways in the coming chapters. Which I think concludes this isn't Joseph walking in arrogance but maybe a bit naive to his brother’s anger. The first one is terrestrial and The second one is celestial in nature. Both dreams seem to at least allude to Joseph ruling over his family. At least that is how they are interpreted by his family. His brothers are so frustrated with him at this point they can’t even speak peacefully to him.

If we were reading this story for the first time, this whole first section of the chapter is hinting at Joseph being the promised ruler who will crush the head of the serpent. The robe is a royal robe. The dreams seem to be allusions to what is to come and maybe Joseph is the one who will fulfill what we have been waiting for?

Starting in verse 12 we see the story take an unexpected turn. Like Abel was a shepherd who was murdered by his jealous brother, Joseph is essentially put to death by his jealous brothers.

Jacob sends his young son off to find his brothers as Jesse sends David off to find his brothers.

Finally when Joseph finds his brothers from far off they “conspired to kill him.” Similar to another picture we see in scripture….

Matthew 21:38 ESV

But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’

These brothers are in a bad place. And have become so warped in their jealousy they have no regard for morality desiring to kill their brother. Just as Cain murdered Abel out of Jealousy, Joseph’s brothers have been completely driven by anger. Not only do they sell Joseph and lie about his death, they sit down to eat while he is in this pit.

Psalm 30, Psalm 28 and Psalm 128 all refer to the pit as a place symbolizing death. As Joseph is tossed in the pit symbolically “put to death” by his brothers, only to be unexpectedly alive and in charge of them a few chapters later….spoiler alert I know.

Reuben and Judah both come forward in the narrative here. Reuben (an ineffectual leader) seems to want to save Joseph and suggests they put him in the pit so he can save him later. but Judah (the new leader) steps forward as an opportunist seeking to make a profit instead.

Judah initiates selling Joseph for silver. I am reminded of one named Judas who sold another innocent man for silver. Also, Joseph through all of this remains silent and resigned to his fate not saying a word through these scenes…..

Joseph goes down to Egypt as Jacob’s sons lie to him about his death. Jacob is stricken with grief and fiercely mourns the loss of his beloved son. Once again, an example of Jacob being deceived and reaping enmity among his sons for his actions. God works through our failures and is sovereign but there are still consequences.

Expect to suffer and be persecuted for righteousness

Jealousy, envy, and anger lead to bitterness and death

Jesus is the better Joseph who suffered and died on our behalf

The moral of the story isn’t be more like Joseph and not his brothers. The moral of the story is, Jesus is the Joseph who is royal but we in our wickedness reject his rule like the brothers. Jesus was put to death on our behalf and did not speak up.

Isaiah 53:7 ESV

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.

Like Joseph, Jesus was wickedly accused and turned on by those close to him. Christ took on the ultimate punishment, exile, and weight of sin on our behalf only to be alive 3 days later and is now raised to the right hand of the Father as reigning king and ruler. Someday soon, Christ will return and Revelation 19:13 says Christ will come with a robe dipped in blood and he will be called the Word of God.

1 Peter 3:18 ESV

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,

The suffering servant came and died for you and me. Joseph suffered but was ultimately vindicated and in Genesis 50:20

Genesis 50:20 ESV

As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.

Expect to suffer but expect God to bring about good and to redeem what you are going through and experiencing for his purposes

Main Idea: The righteous will suffer by the hands of the wicked but God has a plan to redeem