Young Joseph: Pride Has Its Price

God Uses Imperfect People

This is one way of saying, God can use you. But that doesn’t mean that you won’t have to go through some trials to train your temperment for tough times.

Joseph, Jacob’s 11th Son

Genesis 35:23–26 ESV

The sons of Leah: Reuben (Jacob’s firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. The sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s servant: Dan and Naphtali. The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s servant: Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan-aram.

Joseph at 17: Headstrong and Proud

The Bad Report

Genesis 37:2 ESV

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.

Joseph was Dad’s Favorite

Genesis 37:3–4 ESV

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.

You’ve heard about that robe before. Some modern translations actually say “a long-sleeved robe” or “Fancy Robe”.

Most likely, it was more like a sign of favor and maybe even signified that Joseph had some authority over his brothers.

But here you have the first sign of trouble: because of this favoritism, Joseph was hated.

Joseph is a Dreamer

Here’s were trouble starts to multiply in the minds of his brothers.

Genesis 37:5–7 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.”

Do you know what you just said?

You just said you are better than them.

Why would this be a problem? Joseph was just telling his dream. But I bet there was a big dose of attitude with it.

To picture it: Veggie Tales

Joseph’s brothers are riled

because of their younger brother’s illustration of his superiority.

Genesis 37:8 ESV

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.

Third time it says they hated Joseph. Hate, then even more, then even more.

Still…Joseph is ready to pour gasoline on the hot coals of hatred.

Joseph’s Second Dream

Genesis 37:9 ESV

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.”

This got out of the fields and into the heavens. And the Sun and Moon can only mean Jacob and Leah, the first wife.

And these stars, sun and moon were bowing down to Joseph, not just a sheaf of grain.

It didn’t sit well. He was getting his brothers murderously mad.

Genesis 37:10–11 ESV

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.

Joseph on errand

Something Special from the Brothers

Reuben Steps In

Joseph Gets Put out of the Way

The Brothers Return to Jacob Without Joseph

Jacob is Inconsolable

Joseph is Sold into Slavery

Joseph’s Problem Was Pride

Joseph’s is a story of a young man who was way too full of himself. Oh, sure, he had his dad’s favor. Oh, sure, he was spoiled. Oh sure, he seemed to have a line to God that the others didn’t have. But mostly he showed to his brothers, and even his father, his pride.

This became his undoing. It built up so much andger among his brothers that somethings bad was bound to happen. Even his doting father Jacob was put off by how he shared his dreams. Jacon was willing to take note of the dreams, for he did thingk God had something to do with it.

But I want you to think a bit about the effects of pride. Joseph’s character would need a good number of years in slavery, prison and hardship to re-form his character.

God needed to break down the pride of Joseph so that God would use the talens of Joseph to save his family and to sace a nation during one of the worst famines the ancient world ha seen.

God can use anyone, but we don’t have to pur ourselves into a position where God needs to break us before we can be made useful for God’s purposes.

Pride is Dangerous and Must Be Faced

Pride is one of the most dangerous attitudes we can take in our lives. We will dtop notiving it, and begin to start to think others owe us their adoration.

In fact, pride will get to the point that maybe even God should show us a little doting excess of unbalanced love too.

When you think about it, you know that is not going to work well.

Pride can also get in the way of just being honest with ourselves and honest with God. We don’t want to admit we are sinners in need of a saviour. We don’t want to admit we are weak and in need of God’s help. We don’t want to admit that God has been the one responsible for all our success.

Pride doesn’t just get us in trouble with our brothers. It puts us in an attitude of superiourity that can really mess up our relationship with God and everyone else.

The only thing to do is humbljy face our fautlts, starting with pride, and confess it as sin as we seek God’s forgiveness and help.

Pride is universal, but some people are really well-practiced in their pride of life.

Don’t be one of those guys.