SSL 9 - Gen. 37:5-11, 19-27
INTRODUCTION: Other than brief mentions in Chapters 30 and 33, the story of Joseph begins with Chapter 37 and continues until his death in Chapter 50. However, the background for the story begins with Jacob's great love for Rachel, Joseph's mother, and Laban's deception, which resulted in Jacob's marriage to Leah and Rachel, along with the gift of their handmaids, Zilpah and Bilhah, who become Jacob's concubines, and Jacob's subsequent fathering of 13 children by all four women (Chapters 29, 30 & 35). In situations like this, there are always tensions among the women for the attention of the man, and those tensions are directly transferable to the children. As we will see in this lesson, the family tensions are quite high. The story we will study today is just the beginning of an extended account of God's providential control of history. Through Joseph, a young man, God chooses to save Jacob and his family, and in so doing, sets the stage for the founding of Israel. It is also a story of God redeeming His people-a story that must have given the Children of Israel comfort during their many trials, and likewise, a story that should give comfort to Christians today in a world that seems to be more and more opposed to God. Joseph's story reminds us that God is at work behind the scenes, shaping the lives of His people and shaping history as it unfolds.
Context-Gen. 37:1-4: Having left Shechem, Jacob now lives in the vicinity of Hebron near where his father Isaac had lived. His son Joseph, now 17 years old, works among his brothers to care for the family's livestock. In those days, younger brothers were generally expected to be seen but seldom heard. While older brothers are often protective of younger brothers, they expect them to know their place and lower status in the family pecking order. v. 2 relates that Joseph brought a negative report about his brothers to his father, and regardless of whether or not it was justified, it certainly would have led his brothers to view him as a sneaky little tattletale. In v. 3 we learn that Jacob loved Joseph more than his other sons and showed it by giving him a multi-colored coat, which would make him a real standout. Not very surprisingly, v. 4 reports that Jacob's favoritism toward Joseph caused his brothers to hate him and speak to him in a nasty way. Can you see where this is going?
Read Gen. 37:5-11 - JOSEPH'S TWO DREAMS
5 Then Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. 6 He said to them, "Please listen to this dream which I have had; 7 for behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and lo, my sheaf rose up and also stood erect; and behold, your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to my sheaf." 8 Then his brothers said to him, "Are you actually going to reign over us? Or are you really going to rule over us?" So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words. 9 Now he had still another dream, and related it to his brothers, and said, "Lo, I have had still another dream; and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me." 10 He related it to his father and to his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, "What is this dream that you have had? Shall I and your mother and your brothers actually come to bow ourselves down before you to the ground?" 11 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.
v. 5-6: "Then Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. 6 He said to them, "Please listen to this dream which I have had;" - In Genesis, dreams are normally associated with divine revelation, and the word used here for "dream" (Heb. chalam [khaw-lam']) is the same word used in Gen. 28 when Jacob saw the ladder to heaven. But despite the dream's origin, Joseph had to be aware of his brothers' animosity toward him, yet shows a complete lack of judgment in telling them about it. Some commentators see Joseph making a display of self-centered pride due to his privileged status. But even so, he was 17, a man in those days, and certainly old enough to be more discerning than this.
v. 7: "for behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and lo, my sheaf rose up and also stood erect; and behold, your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to my sheaf." - The symbolism is obvious-the upright sheave is Joseph and the eleven bowing sheaves are his brothers-and his brothers understand it at once. They were probably amazed that he would say such a thing to them.
v. 8: "Then his brothers said to him, "Are you actually going to reign over us? Or are you really going to rule over us?" So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words." - It's obvious that the brothers perfectly understand that Joseph implied that he would hold power over them in the future, which only intensified their hatred of him. Also, since the dream relates to sheaves of wheat, it predicts that Joseph's future status over them will have much to do with food.
v. 9: "Now he had still another dream, and related it to his brothers, and said, "Lo, I have had still another dream; and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me."- In the second dream, again, the symbolism is obvious: The sun and the moon represent Jacob and Leah (Rachel is dead) and the stars the 11 brothers, which pictures the entire family bowing down to him.
vv. 10-11: "He related it to his father and to his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, "What is this dream that you have had? Shall I and your mother and your brothers actually come to bow ourselves down before you to the ground?" 11 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind." - Joseph describes his dream not only to his brothers, but also to Jacob. If Joseph was unwise in telling the first dream, he is totally thoughtless in telling the second. Even though Jacob loves Joseph above all of his sons, he was deeply offended by Joseph's dream and sharply rebuked him for it. Joseph seems to be so focused on how much his dreams elevate him, that he completely ignores how they sound to others. Yet, the second dream does foresee a future time when Joseph rises to position of authority in Egypt that will give him the power of life and death over both his brothers and Jacob, and v. 11 suggests that Jacob will remember it.
TRUTH 1: The story of Joseph in this chapter shows us that favoritism in the family can be deadly. The fact that Jacob loved Joseph more than his brothers was not in and of itself wrong, but the fact that he openly showed it in front of his other sons was only not foolish but became the primary source of the brother's hatred for their younger brother. The multi-colored coat not only favored Joseph materially but implied that Jacob considered Joseph to occupy a position "over" his brothers, which only added fuel their existing resentment. Jacob, given his experience of his own father's favoritism toward Esau, should have understood this. James 2:9 states, "But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors." The key word is "show."
Summary of vv. 12-18: After the brothers took the flock to Shechem (about 45 mi. north of Hebron) for better pasture, Jacob instructed Joseph to go check on them. It's hard to understand Jacob's mindset here, but he was either oblivious to the sons' hatred for Joseph or, even if he was aware of it, couldn't imagine that they would do him any harm. Later, when Joseph arrived in Shechem, he couldn't find his brothers, but a stranger told him they had moved to Dothan (13 mi. further north). As Joseph was nearing the place, his brothers saw him coming and immediately began planning a way to put him to death. The brothers probably noticed Joseph from a distance because he was wearing his multi-colored coat, something they deeply resented. The initial decision to kill Joseph was made quickly and without disagreement, a clear indication of how much all of them truly loathed him.
Read Gen. 37: 19-24 - THE DREAMER COMES
19 They said to one another, "Here comes this dreamer! 20 Now then, come and let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; and we will say, 'A wild beast devoured him.' Then let us see what will become of his dreams!" 21 But Reuben heard this and rescued him out of their hands and said, "Let us not take his life." 22 Reuben further said to them, "Shed no blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but do not lay hands on him"-that he might rescue him out of their hands, to restore him to his father. 23 So it came about, when Joseph reached his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the varicolored tunic that was on him; 24 and they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty, without any water in it.
vv. 19-20: "They said to one another, "Here comes this dreamer!20 Now then, come and let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; and we will say, 'A wild beast devoured him.' Then let us see what will become of his dreams!" - A literal Heb. translation of "dreamer" would be "master of dreams." Moving to the next step, the brothers devise their murder scheme: (1) kill Joseph, (2) throw him into a pit, and afterward (3) tell everyone he was attacked and slaughtered by a wild animal. Sounded like a foolproof plan, provided that all of the brothers could stick to the same story. It's also important to recognize that the brothers not only wanted to kill the dreamer; they also wanted to kill his dream-which would never come true if Joseph were dead. Make sense?
vv. 21-22: "But Reuben heard this and rescued him out of their hands and said, "Let us not take his life." 22 Reuben further said to them, "Shed no blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but do not lay hands on him"-that he might rescue him out of their hands, to restore him to his father." - Reuben balks-the plan is already coming apart. Reuben, as the oldest, might have disliked Joseph as much as the others but nevertheless felt some responsibility for him. After all, it would be him who would have to explain the circumstances of Joseph's death to Jacob. He would have to help Jacob with the funeral plans, and help him through his grief-invent a tapestry of lies. It's no surprise that he's having second thoughts. Incident to this and unknown to the others, Reuben secretly plans to rescue Joseph and return him to his father. But understand, Reuben is no hero here: there's no indication that he really cared about Joseph; he simply wanted to extricate himself from a potentially difficult and stressful situation-an obvious case of self-protection.
vv. 23-24: "So it came about, when Joseph reached his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the varicolored tunic that was on him; 24 and they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty, without any water in it." - Not surprising that the brothers' first act was to strip Joseph of his coat-the symbol of his hated status. This is important: because of the arid climate, nighttime temperatures could drop to freezing-a matter or life or death. The pit was likely a cistern, one that held water in the rainy season. These cisterns were normally carved out of the rock in a deep bottle shape, wide at the bottom and narrow at the top, making any attempt by Joseph to escape impossible. So, he was left there to die of dehydration or freezing, or both.
TRUTH 2: The story of Joseph shows us that if envy, jealousy, and resentment gain a foothold in our lives, it can lead to destruction. It might not lead us to the extreme of considering murder, like Joseph's brother, but it can certainly destroy the bonds that hold families together. How many families have you seen torn apart by smoldering resentment? Notice it starts with "envy." Solomon said it this way: "A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot." Prov. 14:30.
Read Gen. 37:25-28 - WHAT PROFIT IS IT IF WE KILL OUR BROTHER?
25 Then they sat down to eat a meal. And as they raised their eyes and looked, behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing aromatic gum and balm and myrrh, on their way to bring them down to Egypt. 26 Judah said to his brothers, "What profit is it for us to kill our brother and cover up his blood? 27 Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh." And his brothers listened to him. 28 Then some Midianite traders passed by, so they pulled him up and lifted Joseph out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. Thus they brought Joseph into Egypt.
v. 25: "Then they sat down to eat a meal. And as they raised their eyes and looked, behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing aromatic gum and balm and myrrh, on their way to bring them down to Egypt." - These men would have to be completely cold-blood to have an appetite for food after leaving their younger brother in a pit to die. This doesn't say much for Jacob's fathering skills. There is a textual problem with the identity of the caravan people, called Ishmaelites in this verse then Midianites in v. 28, one of those scholarly issues we needn't worry about. Ishmaelites are descendants of Abraham by Sarah's maid, Hagar, and Gilead is an area to the east northern Canaan, across the Jordan river. The Midianites, also descendants of Abraham, through his second wife, Keturah, came from an area bordering the Red Sea east of the Sinai peninsula.
vv. 26-27: "Judah said to his brothers, "What profit is it for us to kill our brother and cover up his blood? 27 Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh." And his brothers listened to him." - Judah was no hero either, and his motives aren't apparent from the text. It could be that he didn't wish to see Joseph die or that he only saw it as an opportunity to make some money. Judah's reference to Joseph as "our flesh" and that "his brothers listened to him," was apparently a deciding factor: that selling him into slavery is somehow less terrible than allowing him to die.
v. 28: Then some Midianite traders passed by, so they pulled him up and lifted Joseph out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. Thus they brought Joseph into Egypt." - You can see the textual confusion here: they saw Midianites but sold him to Ishmaelites-whatever. In any case, they pull Joseph out of the pit and sell him for 20 shekels, the going price for a healthy young male slave in those days, and Joseph is now en route to Egypt. Everything has fallen into place just as God, in His sovereign power, planned it.
TRUTH 3: In the midst of all the troubles that befell Joseph in this chapter, we could see God's grace at work. (1) Reuben's intervention, "shed no blood," (v. 22) was the first step; (2) Then Judah's suggestion, "let us sell him," was the second next (v. 27); and (3) the arrival of the Ishmaelite/ Midanite traders, which caused him to be taken to Egypt. Of course, we're all somewhat familiar with the rest of the story: Joseph ultimately rises to a position in Egypt that allows him to save his family. Much later, after Jacob dies and the brothers fear that Joseph might still seek revenge, Joseph says this to them: "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive." Gen. 50:20. In hindsight, Joseph saw that even the worst evil of men can lead to the path used to bring us to the best of God.
