Genesis 37:1-11 Click here for Bible Verses

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Genesis 37:1-11.  Let’s go!

Genesis 37:1-10 (NIV)
1  Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan.
2  This is the account of Jacob. Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them.
3  Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made a richly ornamented robe for him.
4  When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.
5  Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more.
6  He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had:
7  We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.”
8  His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said.
9  Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”
10  When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?”

On verses 1-10:  Joseph’s brothers thought they had many reasons to dislike Joseph.  First, as a teenager Joseph would come from the fields after shepherding his father’s flocks and bring a bad report about his older brothers (v2).  Second, Joseph was the favoured son in the family and would wear a long colourful robe that his father Jacob gave to him and not to any of his other sons (v3-4). Third, Joseph would share dreams he had of his brothers and even his parents bowing down to him (v5-9), such that his father Jacob would rebuke Joseph for his arrogance.

Joseph could not control the fact that his father favoured him over his brothers.  Still, even though the dreams he was having would turn out to be true, Joseph could have been more considerate and sensitive about how much he shared with his family.

What can we learn from this?  When you are especially favoured, be careful to wear that favour with humility, rather than gloating about it.  As a favoured child of God, may you wear God’s favour with humility.

Genesis 37:11 (NIV)
11  His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.

On verse 11:  Whereas Joseph’s brothers only felt jealousy and envy toward Joseph, Jacob “kept the matter in mind” (v11) when Joseph would share his dreams with him.  It reminds me of Mary who “treasured all these things in her heart” (Luke 2:51) when her young son Jesus would do things and say things that she didn’t expect.  I believe a lesson here is that parents and teachers, while called to serve as an instructor and guide for their children, also need to be teachable themselves.  If you are a parent or a teacher, may you be open to what God is doing in your child’s life, which may be different from what you might initially expect.

Heavenly Father, thank You for giving me Your favour and robing me in Your righteousness.  May I be careful to wear Your favour with humility.  May I also be teachable, especially when things don’t go the way I expect.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN!