Year in the Bible Daily Reading:
Genesis 35-37; Psalm 12; Mark 14 Listen to Today's Reading
Genesis 37:5-11
Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: 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.” 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. 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.” 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?” His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind. Genesis 37:5-11 (NIV)
Joseph was obviously a big dreamer, at least these two times. He also had many half-brothers. These brothers were jealous of Joseph and they were angry with him for his seemingly bold statements about his dreams. Their anger was actually in the form of hate! Have you ever been around someone who brags about how great they are? I can recall upper class members of mine while in high school who were like that. They were kind of full of themselves. They eventually grew up and were decent to others but in their younger years, they were a pain to be around! And maybe that was how Joseph was viewed by his many brothers! His father kind of liked him and he was a ‘Johnny come lately’ in his family. I have known families where the youngest seemed to be the favorite. Usually that view of the siblings changed as they all matured into adulthood. But in some families one of the offspring (and usually the youngest) remained the favorite throughout their life, and even to the death of the parents as reflected in their will. As you would expect, such favoritism was often met with disdain for the favorite child by the others. In those families the youngest did not get shipped off to some other place but the will was contested and chaos was the result. As one finds out by reading more of this chapter, Joseph was sold by his brothers. But that is another story! This story ends with the resentment of Joseph’s brothers, and even his father. The message is strong. A braggart in the family is not a good thing and can lead to a dysfunctional family.
Questions for Reflection:
- Do you know of any families who have a “Joseph” amongst their children? How have these families been able to manage without chaos, or did they?
- Is the favorite child always the youngest? Does that make any difference in the family dynamics?
Prayer:
Dear Lord, please forgive the favored children in all families. Help them to understand that their parents and siblings do love them but flaunting their family position is not the thing to do. They should follow your lead and love their family members! In Jesus name, Amen
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