Genesis 37:1-11

Joseph Has a Dream

Coat of Many Colors

 

37:1 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?"

 

11 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.

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This is the Word of the Lord ... It is meant to change the way that we think, and the way that we live.

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Commentary by Bob Pardue

Joseph's dream of greatness

If you are a parent, or a sibling, you know what it's like for a father to play favorites. Joseph was treated special by his father and his brothers resented it.

I'm sure that this envy and hatred did not all come about because of Jacob giving Joseph a "coat of many colors". There were most likely many other situations where Jacob ( now called Israel ) showed love to Joseph that he did not evenly share with his other children.

Thus, the jealousy and resentment festered to the point of downright hate for Joseph.

Favoritism is certainly not new, as this passage clearly states, but it is just as prevalent today as it was during the time of Jacob and Joseph.

If you have a favorite child you may not be able to change your feelings toward that son or daughter but you can change your actions toward the other children.

Just try to think it through and adjust your distribution of love and gifts so that the other children won't feel slighted and uncared-for.

Love in Christ

- Bob

Comments are welcome. Please email me with any questions or comments you may have.

Genesis 33:1-16 - Jacob and Esau Meet - Jacob was fearful for his life when Esau approached with 400 men. Esau had sworn to kill Jacob because of the deceit of old. But, the meeting turned out much different than Jacob ( Israel ) expected.