In the Land of Canaan
I love how this chapter begins by saying that Jacob lived in the land of Canaan. We read in Genesis 12:5-7 and 15:18-21 that God promised to give Abraham (at the time, Abram) the land of Canaan. So, in this passage, Jacob is already in the land that God has promised. But, as we read in Genesis 15:13, Abraham’s people are going to live in slavery in Egypt for 400 before they get to live in the land for good. We know from the last chapter of Genesis and the book of Exodus (and various other places in the Bible) that this did, in fact, happen. Isn’t this interesting? Jacob was already in the very place that God was eventually going to bring his people back to. This begs the question, “Why didn’t God just let them stay in the land?” We could look at this practically and say they weren’t large enough yet able to displace the Canaanites from the land. And this very well may be true. But I think the best answer is simpler, “Because staying in the land wasn’t God’s plan.” At first view, this may look like a “cop out” answer. But, I don’t think it is. God had a purpose to bring the Israelites through slavery before freeing them and allowing them to enter the Promise Land. We might get more into some of what that purpose might have been in a later discussion (though, to be fair, we might not), but that’s not the point I’m trying to make here. The point I am trying to make is this: I think that we have to be comfortable with “Because it’s not God’s will” being a satisfactory answer in our lives. Sometimes we might look at a situation and think that we have a better answer or a less arduous path. The truth is, however, that God always knows what is best and we need to trust His will no matter what. It’s never as important for us to know why God does something as it is for us to obey.
Favorite and Least Favorite
Genesis 37:2-4 gives us a short introduction to Joseph. Joseph was 17 years old at the time of the account of this chapter. We learn two very important, interconnected facts. Joseph was his father’s favorite but the least favorite of his brothers. This is no coincidence. As Genesis 37:4 indicates, it was because Joseph was favored by his father (he was loved more than his brothers) that his brothers hated him. They did not get along. I’m sure this was not helped by the fact that Joseph told on his brothers when they did something they weren’t supposed to.
He Had a Dream, Actually Two
We read about two different dreams that Joseph has regarding his brothers. Although the dreams are different, they have the same meaning. If they have the same meaning, then why would there need to be two dreams? Pharaoh had two dreams with the same meaning in Genesis 41. While giving Pharaoh the interpretation of his dreams, Joseph said, “And the doubling of Pharaoh’s dream means that the thing is fixed by God, and God will shortly bring it about.” (Genesis 41:32). Though it does not give a reason for Joseph’s two dreams in Genesis 37, perhaps the reason is the same. That is to say that perhaps Joseph had two dreams with the same meaning because it was a thing fixed by God and would come about shortly. Regardless, the two dreams can be summarized as follows:
- In the first dream (Genesis 37:7), Joseph and his brothers were binding sheaves in the field when Joseph’s sheaf arose and stood upright. Joseph’s brothers’ sheaves gathered around Joseph’s sheaf and bowed down to it.
- In the second dream (Genesis 37:9), the sun, moon and eleven (same number as the number of Joseph’s brothers) bowed down to Joseph.
As I said, these dreams have a similar interpretation to each other. Each depicts Joseph’s brothers bowing down to him. The only difference between them is that the second dream expands to include Joseph’s parents also bowing down to him. Genesis 42-43 shows the fulfillment of these dreams as Joseph’s brothers bow down before him.
Reaction to the Dreams
When Joseph told his brothers the first dream, we read that they hated him even more than they had already (Genesis 37:5, 8). When Joseph told his brothers the second dream, we read that they became jealous of him (Genesis 37:11). We read in Genesis 37:10 that when Joseph told his father the second dream, Jacob initially rebuked him for the dream, but in Genesis 37:11 we’re told that Jacob “kept the saying in mind.” In some ways you could say that Jacob’s initial reaction was similar to that of Joseph’s brothers. None of them seemed happy to be hearing that they would bow down to Joseph. But what they did with that information was completely different. Joseph’s brothers, who already hated him, allowed the dreams to cause more hate in their hearts for Joseph. Joseph’s father, who loved him, did not allow the dreams to cause hate. He kept them in mind. He never eliminated the possibility that the dreams could be true. We know that Jacob had himself experienced the Lord speaking to him in a dream (Genesis 28) so I think he was open to the notion that what Joseph was saying may have been true. I think this situation also teaches us about how hate can cloud our judgment. The hate in the brothers’ hearts didn’t allow them to accept the possibility that the dreams were true; it only allowed them to hate him more. Joseph’s brothers had hate, jealousy and bitterness in their hearts. We need to be careful never to allow those things to remain unchecked in our hearts, because they will only breed more negative thoughts and feelings. If they had already dealt with the hate they had in their hearts toward Joseph, they may have responded more in the way that Jacob did: initially annoyed but ultimately intrigued.
Law of Depravity
Genesis 37:18 says, “They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him.” We read in verse 19 that the brothers were still bitter about his dreams as they referred to him as “the dreamer” and in verse 20 they say that they will kill him and see “what will become of his dreams.” Because they had allowed these emotions of hate, jealousy and bitterness to fester unchecked in their hearts, their hearts were open to more sin. Unchecked sin is like a doorstop keeping the door of our hearts open so the enemy can gain access and introduce new sins. Their initial sin of hate was not premeditated, it was reactionary. But their plan to murder Joseph was done with premeditation. This is a classic example of the “Law of Depravity” at work. Small sins left unchecked lead to bigger sins which lead to bigger sins and so on. And not only do the sins become greater in number and scale, but they also become easier to commit. I always say that no man wakes up one morning with a completely healthy marriage and then goes to bed that night with another woman. Sins build on top of other sins. They always start simple and then get worse. If we don’t check our hearts, we are headed down a dangerous path that will not likely end well. This is why we must pray and ask the Holy Spirit to check our hearts and reveal sins to us.
Rescued, Sort of
Genesis 37:21 says, “But when Reuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, ‘Let us not take his life.’” In Genesis 37:22-24 we see that Reuben comes up with a solution to save Joseph. Instead of killing him, they only strip him of his robe (the one that his father gave him) and threw him into a pit. I’m not really sure how much credit to give Reuben. I mean, on the one hand, I love the fact that Reuben stood up to his brothers and spared Joseph’s life. I think it seems pretty clear that his intentions of sparing Joseph were pure because after Joseph’s brothers sell him into slavery (Genesis 37:25-28), Reuben went back to the pit to get Joseph (Genesis 37:29). We can tell from what happens that Reuben genuinely expected him to be there so he could save him. This also means that Reuben wasn’t in on the plot to sell him. So, from that standpoint, I guess I can’t really fault Reuben. But on the other hand, I can’t help but feel like Reuben could have done more from the onset. Even though his intentions were good, I’m not sure he went about it the right way. Maybe he was afraid that if he sided with Joseph too much, he too may have faced his brothers’ fury. I just feel like he could have handled the situation better. Of course, hindsight is 20/20. I will at least say this: Reuben was purer than his brothers in his heart.
The Cover Up
So, what happened after Joseph was sold into slavery? His brothers tried to cover it up. In Genesis 37:31, 32 we read that they took Joseph’s robe and dipped it into goat blood and then brought it to their father. Interestingly enough, it doesn’t say that they claimed Joseph was dead. They simply brought the robe dipped in blood to their father and asked him to identify it as Joseph’s. From there, they let Jacob connect the dots on his own Genesis 37:33). I’m sure that in their minds this probably justified them. I mean, they “technically” weren’t lying to their father, right? Of course, we see right through that. They intentionally went out of their way to kill a goat and dip Joseph’s robe in the blood to make it appear as though he was dead. They were using deception and they were wrong to deceive their father, regardless of whether or not they specifically said Joseph was dead. I think we all must be careful not to make this same mistake. We can rationalize our sin and try to justify ourselves, even though we know what we’re doing is wrong. Not telling the truth is the same thing as lying.
It’s Their Story and They’re Sticking to It
It was bad enough that Jacob’s sons deceived him, but I think it got worse. We see Jacob’s reaction in Genesis 37:34 which says, “Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days.” Jacob was heartbroken; he was devastated. Yet, even still, Jacob’s sons did not tell him the truth. In verse 35, Jacob basically says that he misses Joseph so much that life is no longer worth living. Even still, they do not tell their father the truth. In fact, earlier in Genesis 37:35 we read, “All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him…” So, according to this verse, Jacob’s sons “tried” to comfort him. Of course, they could have, at any moment, brought him some actual comfort by coming clean, but they stuck with their deception. They cared more about covering up what they did than they did about their father being comforted.
Meanwhile…
I love that after reading many verses about Joseph’s brothers and their hatred for Joseph and their plot and their deception, Genesis 37:36 begins with the word “meanwhile.” To me it’s almost like it’s saying, “Man has his plans, but "meanwhile" God is orchestrating His will!” Joseph’s brothers are busy doing their thing; “meanwhile” God is doing his. This brings to mind one of my favorite proverbs. It is found in Proverbs 19:21: “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.”
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