Jacob - Part 3 of 8

Genesis 37:1-11

37 So Jacob settled again in the land of Canaan, where his father had lived as a foreigner.

2 This is the account of Jacob and his family. When Joseph was seventeen years old, he often tended his father’s flocks. He worked for his half brothers, the sons of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah. But Joseph reported to his father some of the bad things his brothers were doing.

3 Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other children because Joseph had been born to him in his old age. So one day Jacob had a special gift made for Joseph—a beautiful robe. 4 But his brothers hated Joseph because their father loved him more than the rest of them. They couldn’t say a kind word to him.

5 One night Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him more than ever. 6 “Listen to this dream,” he said. 7 “We were out in the field, tying up bundles of grain. Suddenly my bundle stood up, and your bundles all gathered around and bowed low before mine!”

8 His brothers responded, “So you think you will be our king, do you? Do you actually think you will reign over us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dreams and the way he talked about them.

9 Soon Joseph had another dream, and again he told his brothers about it. “Listen, I have had another dream,” he said. “The sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed low before me!”

10 This time he told the dream to his father as well as to his brothers, but his father scolded him. “What kind of dream is that?” he asked. “Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow to the ground before you?” 11 But while his brothers were jealous of Joseph, his father wondered what the dreams meant.

Dear God,

I intended to go through the whole story until Joseph was sold into slavery and the boys lied to him, but Jacob made such a terrible parenting decision at the beginning of this passage that I had to stop there.

To show such favoritism among your children and make Joseph a special coat is a huge parental mistake. Most parents know that. But as I think about it, Jacob had some pretty bad boys, and I wonder how much of this was disgust or frustration with them. This family of multiple children by multiple mothers was a complicated mess.

Another thing I notice about Jacob is he only seems to care about his boys’ activities when they threaten him. To my memory, the only times Jacob admonishes his children are when Levi and Simeon slaughter the town, and he gets mad because now he will be hated, and they have to move. And now, at the end of this story, he gets mad at Joseph because Joseph suggested that Jacob and the entire family would one day bow down to him.

The great thing about this story? Well, it is nice to see that you were working all of this together for your plan. Jacob’s foolish parenting. Joseph’s arrogance. This is how you would provide for the nation of Israel. And the writer of Genesis recorded it all here for us. If this is how you work, then there is hope for redemption for my foolishness too.

Father, I do not want to be a foolish parent. I want to instruct my children for the right reasons, not because of how it will reflect on me or my ego. But I also feel some freedom and some hope that you have made your plan me-proof. While you have what you know is your best for me, you also know all and will accomplish your plans regardless of my mistakes. Thank you for the peace that comes with that knowledge. Now, please help me to be the father, husband, son, brother, and friend you need me to be, and do it for your glory and not mine.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen