Untitled Sermon (2)

GEN 37

Genesis 37:1 KJV 1900

And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan.

Promised land to God's people. Inherited by Abram. Home to Joseph.

Genesis 37:2 KJV 1900

These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.

Mindset of teenagers. Chores. Younger brother of 11 at the time.

Genesis 37:2 KJV 1900

These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.

This was the first reason the brothers hated Joseph. tattle tale.

Genesis 37:3 KJV 1900

Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.

This was the second reason. Favortism.

Genesis 37:5 KJV 1900

And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.

Third reason.

Genesis 37:8–11 KJV 1900

And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words. And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.

By this point, Joseph's brothers anger was solidified because Joseph's dream went against the order of family management, and the intensity of the brothers anger probably increased, because Jacob entertained the thought that Joseph may actually rule over the family.

Go... bring me word again. ...And a certain man found him.

Genesis 37:14 KJV 1900

And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.

Jacob clearly adds fuel, not to a kindled spark, but a raging fire when he sends Joseph to spy on the brothers.

Who is this "certain man"? Could this be Joseph's interaction with the satan? If so, Satan will lead you to

Genesis 37:18 KJV 1900

And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him.

Here the hearts of the brothers are revealed. The level of hate for Joseph is so high that they've displayed the will to kill him and place the blame on the effects of a parenting error.

And Reuben heard... and said, Let us not kill him.

Its interesting to note that Reuben as a word gets its origin from the the word "Ra'ah" which means "to see, to spy or to understand..." because the text suggests that he wasn't in the immediate area of the brothers but that he heard what was discussed and interjected. (Sometime we think that just because we can't see God, He isn't concerned with what we're going through, but the opposite is true.)