Favor from God

Have you ever been in a circumstance where you were faced with a choice, one that would have everlasting implications, no matter the choice? For many of us, our upbringing, our faith and even our surroundings are leading us to a point of time where this has/will become real to us.

The story of Joseph is a story that has been read in many sunday schools, preached about in many sermons, and even today this story changes lives of its readers.

Now Jacob (son of Isaac and Rebecca), had 12 sons and at least one daughter. Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph and Benjamin.

We are told in Gen 37:2

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.

Joseph seen or heard something that his brothers were part of, that he considered worthy to report back to his father.

In Verse 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. 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.

At first glance this seems pretty innocent. But when we reread it, we can see how Joseph Favored Joseph more than the others, Giving him a robe of many colors, shows that he may have even given him a sort of authority over the others. In this time period, usually the eldest son was put in this situation. It say they hated him because of it. It did not help that Joseph had a dream, that he probably should not have shared with his brothers. He dreamed that his brothers would bow down before him, this I’m sure enraged them even more. The 2nd youngest of the brothers was now claiming that he would reign over them.

We all know the rest of the story, they hatch a plan to kill him, they are sick of this snot nosed brat, telling on them, being favored by dad, and would end it, BUT Rueben the eldest brother talks them into throwing him into a pit and selling him as property.

Of course as the story continues Jacob sends Jospeh to

He was

Have you ever felt completely hated from your very own family?