February 27, 2019
Central Truth
God's work in our lives often includes dying to the things of the world. But we can take heart because we know God is at work and that a life with Him is better than a life pursuing the world.
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."
1 Jacob lived in the land of his father's sojournings, in the land of Canaan.
2 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. 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. 1 37:3 See Septuagint, Vulgate; or (with Syriac) a robe with long sleeves. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain; also verses 23, 32 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.
5 Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. 6 He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed: 7 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.” 8 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.
9 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.” 10 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?” 11 And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.
12 Now his brothers went to pasture their father's flock near Shechem. 13 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.” 14 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. 15 And a man found him wandering in the fields. And the man asked him, “What are you seeking?” 16 “I am seeking my brothers,” he said. “Tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock.” 17 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.
18 They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him. 19 They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer. 20 Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. 2 37:20 Or cisterns; also verses 22, 24 Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams.” 21 But when Reuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.” 22 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. 23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore. 24 And they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.
25 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. 26 Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? 27 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. 28 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 3 37:28 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt.
29 When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he tore his clothes 30 and returned to his brothers and said, “The boy is gone, and I, where shall I go?” 31 Then they took Joseph's robe and slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. 32 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.” 33 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.” 34 Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. 35 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. 36 Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.
We’re introduced to a character in this chapter named Joseph, but we get to take a look at part of his story that we often skip over or forget. Joseph's story changes from one of worldly enjoyment to one of God-glorifying significance.
Joseph, the son of Jacob, is a seventeen-year-old young man who seems to have it all. He's his father's favorite son (Genesis 37:3), he enjoys material possessions and status symbols, and he lives a privileged life with freedom to relax while his brothers worked (Genesis 37:13).
The story changes when God gives him two dreams (Genesis 37:6-9). The first dream has his brothers bowing down to him, and the other dream shows his whole family bowing to him! Joseph probably had high hopes of what his life would look like and a clear expectation of how God would work in his life, much like we often do when reading the promises of God.
But how does the story continue? Joseph is torn from so much of what he had likely come to love. His relationship with his father (Genesis 37:18-20, 32-35), his possessions and status symbol (Genesis 37:23), and his lifestyle of comfort (Genesis 37:27-28). This is certainly not what many of us would expect if we had a dream like Joseph's!
What do we do with what seems to be a disappointment of a chapter? We can take heart that God is near, and He sympathizes with our troubles like He did with Joseph's (Hebrews 4:15). We can also be reminded that God's provision in Joseph's life meant removing him from comforts and possessions he had probably come to love. We shouldn't be shocked if God's work in our lives means doing the same for us (Matthew 6:24). God is a giver of good gifts, though! There's something better than those possessions and comforts! We can be encouraged that a life of God-glorifying significance is so much better than what the world offers us as an alternative.
1. What is something God took out of your life to replace with something better?
2. How have you seen God's gifts be better than what the world has to offer?
3. Does your life show that you trust God's will for your life more than your own? How so? If not, what would it look like if it did?
4. Who can you think of that has a story like Joseph's: one whom God removed from worldly comforts to give something better?