Joseph Goes to See His Brothers Who Hate Him
April 25, 2024
Commentary
The events of this chapter took place a few years before Isaac’s death, while Jacob and his family were living near Hebron (v. 1). The story begins with Joseph, the 17-year-old son of Jacob, bringing a bad report to his father about his half-brothers (v. 2). Naturally his brothers Envy him for this. We find that Jacob loved Joseph more than all his children (v. 3). He made a special robe for him which cased his bothers to envy him even more (v. 4). This shows that he had not learned his lesson from a previous experience as it had separated him from his mother (Gen. 27:1; Gen. 28:5), and it would separate Joseph from Jacob. This shows what parental favoritism will do to a family. It was evident that his brothers really envy him and sooner or later their anger was going to cause a serious problem.
Then Joseph had two dreams which he shared with his bothers that caused even deeper envy (vv. 5-6). These dreams which had to do with sheaves of grain (v.7) and the sun, moon, and stars (vv. 8-9) symbolically pointed out that Joseph would one day rule over his whole family. Rather than recognizing this as God’s choice, his brothers set out to destroy him (vv. 10-11). One day the opportunity came while the brothers were shepherding the family flocks in Dothan (v. 12). Jacob asked Joseph to go and see how they were getting along (vv. 13-14). Despite the envy Joseph knew his bothers had for him, he complied with his father’s wishes. When Joseph was near Shechem he met a man who told him that he heard someone say his brothers were going to Dothan (vv. 15-17). Immediately he left and found his them in Dothan. Knowing that his brothers were angry at him you would think Joseph would have questioned his father about going to find his brothers. It appears that Joseph was enjoying the favoritism so much that he didn’t care what his brothers thought about him.
Application
Joseph did what his father asked him to do even though he knew his brothers envied him. The question is, am I willing to do what my heavenly Father asks me to do no matter what others think?
Genesis 37:1– 17 (NET)
1 But Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, in the land of Canaan.
2 This is the account of Jacob. Joseph, his seventeen-year-old son, was taking care of the flocks with his brothers. Now he was a youngster working with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. Joseph brought back a bad report about them to their father.
3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons because he was a son born to him late in life, and he made a special tunic for him. 4 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated Joseph and were not able to speak to him kindly.
5 Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it they hated him even more. 6 He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: 7 There we were, binding sheaves of grain in the middle of the field. Suddenly my sheaf rose up and stood upright and your sheaves surrounded my sheaf and bowed down to it!” 8 Then his brothers asked him, “Do you really think you will rule over us or have dominion over us?” They hated him even more because of his dream and because of what he said.
9 Then he had another dream, and told it to his brothers. “Look,” he said. “I had another dream. The sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 10 When he told his father and his brothers, his father rebuked him, saying, “What is this dream that you had? Will I, your mother, and your brothers really come and bow down to you?” 11 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept in mind what Joseph said.
12 When his brothers had gone to graze their father’s flocks near Shechem, 13 Israel said to Joseph, “Your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem. Come, I will send you to them.” “I’m ready,” Joseph replied. 14 So Jacob said to him, “Go now and check on the welfare of your brothers and of the flocks, and bring me word.” So Jacob sent him from the valley of Hebron.
15 When Joseph reached Shechem, a man found him wandering in the field, so the man asked him, “What are you looking for?” 16 He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Please tell me where they are grazing their flocks.” 17 The man said, “They left this area, for I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.
Illustration: FB Meyer Prayed That God Would Bless Charles Spurgeon
When F. B. Meyer was the pastor of Christ Church in London, Charles Spurgeon was preaching at Metropolitan Tabernacle, and G. Campbell Morgan was at Westminster Chapel. Meyer said, “I find in my own ministry that supposing I pray for my own little flock, ‘God bless me, God fill my pews, God send me a revival,’ I miss the blessing; but as I pray for my big brother, Mr. Spurgeon, on the right-hand side of my church, ‘God bless him;’ or my other big brother, Campbell Morgan, on the other side of my church, ‘God bless him;’ I am sure to get a blessing without praying for it, for the overflow of their cups fills my little bucket.” (Wycliffe Handbook of Preaching & Preachers, W. Wiersbe, p. 193).