Genesis 37:12-36

Genesis 37:12-36

Jacob continued to hold Joseph up higher than the rest of his sons, and one day when they were out with the flocks, Joseph was sent as almost a spy to them. Jacob sent him to Shechem to find them, and in the process Joseph discovered that he had traveled to Dothan instead. As he came closer, his brothers conspired to kill him. This almost seems rushed, but we must remember that there is much of this story that we do not know. Joseph may have had many more dreams that he had shared with them. Jacob might have shown his favoritism in some pretty obvious ways that had really ticked these men off. God has not given us the rest of the story, but we do know that they were extremely jealous of Joseph, and that was their reason for desiring to kill him. However, at least Reuben found it within himself to not want to kill him. But his plan was not much better. In the end, they decided to throw Joseph into a pit to sell him as a slave. They would then lie to their father, saying that he had died. This would rid them of their “problem,” and they thought it would make their lives better.

But notice what jealousy led to for these men. It began with one sin, that of jealousy. But the longer they let that stir in their hearts, it grew and turned into a desire to commit murder. Although all sins are equal, from a human level, we can see how this simple sin of jealousy escalated into something much more. Now although they did not end up killing Joseph, they did stage his death and the turn around and lie to their father about it. Just like these brothers, and even David, we must remember that one sin (although we may not see it as much of anything) can have devastating effects. We may not think that the consequences will be that great, but we also have no idea what that sin might lead to. That is why it is so dangerous to get entrapped in sin, and why we must daily fight to keep free from it.

They do end up selling Joseph to some men who would take him down to Egypt, and for them, they felt like they had gotten rid of Joseph for good. By not killing them, they appeared to feel better about themselves, and yet their goal was completed. No longer would they have to worry about Joseph and his dreams. If that were not enough, they did end up lying to Jacob about it, telling him that Joseph had been killed by a wild beast. Once more, their sin had some major consequences, for they sent their father into a state of mourning. They did not think about how this news would affect him. They sacrificed their father’s feelings to satisfy their desires. They did not care who they hurt in the process, Joseph or Jacob. All they were concerned about was what they wanted. So the last element of their initial sin of jealousy is selfishness. Granted they were selfish from the start, but this can really be seen in the way they handle the situation with Jacob. So many people get in their mind that life is all about them, and they do not pay attention to the people that they are hurting in the process. We must learn to put others’ needs first, and not our own.

Matt