Genesis 37

Genesis 37:1-36

Genesis 37:1-36(a) Joseph as a son (Genesis 37:1-36) Joseph was the favorite son of Jacob. The partiality of the old man for the child of his old age is shown by providing him with a coat of many colors. It was this partiality that aroused the envy and hatred of his brethren. Isaac and Rebekah had fallen into the same mistake of showing partiality between their children, Jacob and Esau. Emphasis is laid on the fact that Joseph was a dreamer. It may have been God’ s method in those days, in which there was no Bible, to make His will known through the medium of dreams (cf. Job 33:14-15). Today, however, the Word of God is that to which we must refer to know the will of God (Isaiah 8:19-20; Jeremiah 23:28). God’ s ideal for Joseph’ s life was revealed in a dream; God’ s ideal for our lives is revealed in the Bible. Joseph has been called a visionary and a dreamer. His dreaming has been ridiculed. But after all, it is a great thing to have high ideals. The man who never built a castle in the air never built one on the ground. Joseph had a divine ideal which he never doubted throughout all his experiences. So had Paul (cf. Acts 26:1-32; Philippians 3:12). So should we (Ephesians 1:17-22). Joseph was hated of his brethren. They did not believe in any revelation that differed from their own experience, so Joseph was looked upon as a mad enthusiast. His brothers would not speak to him, or if they did speak, they grew red in the face with anger and jealousy (Genesis 37:11). They would not exchange friendly greetings with Joseph. There are people today who refuse to acknowledge as genuine any experience that is different from theirs, and grow angry when you speak to them about it (cf. Job 4:12-16). Joseph is sold into Egypt, as Christ was sold by Judas, for a price. Jacob was deceived by the blood of the goat, just as he himself had deceived Isaac, his father, by the skin of a goat (Genesis 27:1-46).