“[1] Jacob lived in the land of his father’s sojournings, in the land of Canaan.”
Good job, Jacob!
After a long time of dilly dallying, Jacob has gone to the land God told him to go to! He’s living in the land of his father’s sojourning, in the land of Canaan.
Now, I do I think this bit of information is intended to peek our attention a little, especially in light of what we just read. Jacob is living in the land of his father’s sojourning, as a sojourner himself, while at the same time Esau has become planted in the land of Seir as an established nation and kingdom.
This is a small and subtle reminder that this isn’t our home. We are sojourners in this world looking ahead to a place that we will one day dwell with God for all eternity.
Now, verse 2 is a little strange, “[2] These are the generations of Jacob.”
This verse is what theologians would call a toledot. A toledot is a marker that divides Genesis into different sections.
So, this verse is telling us that we are about to enter a new part of the story. The camera is shifting. There’s a new main character. We are no longer following Jacob; now we are following Joseph.
“Joseph, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father.”
So, Joseph was a shepherd, and he was shepherding with his brothers. And the text explicitly says that he was with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah. He was with his brothers Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. And we don’t know what they were doing that was warranting a negative report. But they were seemingly doing something wrong. Therefore, he brought to his father a bad report.
Now, as we will see later in verses 12-14, Jacob will later send Joseph out to Shechem to bring a report back to him on how things are going for his brothers. So, it seems likely Jacob trusted Joseph and regularly sent him out to bring reports on his other brothers. And, in this instance, the report he sent back was not a good one.
In modern day terms, it seems like Joseph was a goodie two shoes and a little bit of a snitch. And, as the saying goes, “Snitches get stitches.” Or, as we will see in a moment, “Snitches get thrown in ditches.”
Now, I say that lightly. But, let me be very clear. I do not think the problem of this story rests on Joseph’s shoulders. He’s not to blame. There’s nothing in the text that indicates Joseph’s reports were false. And there’s nothing in the text that indicates Joseph was wrong to bring the report. The problem will lie within his brothers hearts due to his father’s favoritism.
Let’s continue reading.
“[3] Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors. [4] But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him.”
If you remember, Joseph was born later in Jacob’s life. Leah had conceived and bore Jacob four sons. Rachel, becoming jealous, gave Jacob her servant Bilhah, who bore him two sons. Then Leah did the same with her servant Zilpah, who bore him two sons. After all of that, Rachel finally conceived and bore Jacob a son, and that son’s name was Joseph. And much later, Rachel would give birth to Benjamin.
Because Joseph was the son of Jacob’s old age and the son of Rachel( the woman Jacob loved deeply) Joseph became Jacob’s favorite. And Jacob made that favoritism visible by giving Joseph this special robe. And this causes a rift in the relationship between Joseph and his brothers, as we see in verse 4– “But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him.”
Hate and jealousy are tough emotions to navigate, aren’t they?
It’s ruled their hearts and impacted how they relate to their brother. Long before the pit, long before the plan to murder, Joseph’s brothers couldn’t even speak peacefully to him because of the hate in their heart.
Have you ever noticed how what takes place in your heart toward your neighbor eventually impacts how you relate to your neighbor? You can dislike someone in your heart long before you ever say anything to them. And eventually, what is happening inside your heart starts coming out in the way you speak to them… the way you look at them… and the way you treat them…
That’s what is happening here. The brothers don’t simply dislike Joseph. Their hatred has become so deep that they “could not speak peacefully to him.” What takes place in your heart toward someone will eventually find its way into your relationship with that person.
Let’s continue reading.
[5] Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. [6] He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed: [7] Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.” [8] His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.”
So, Joseph has a dream, and he tells his brothers about it.
And the dream is essentially this: Joseph’s sheaf stands upright, and his brothers’ sheaves gather around it and bow down. In other words, his brothers are going to bow down before him. And the brothers immediately understand the implication.
“Are you going to reign over us? Are you going to rule over us?”
There’s some interesting wordplay here. The Hebrew word translated “reign” is malak, a word associated with being king or reigning. The word translated “rule” is mashal, which means to rule, govern, or exercise authority. So they are essentially saying, “Are you going to be king over us? Are you going to have authority over us? Are we going to bow down to you? Are we going to serve you?”
And this dream only intensifies their hatred for him. It fanned the coal of hatred in their hearts.
Now, some commentators have suggested that Joseph wasn’t exactly the most socially aware seventeen-year-old. He likely already knew his brothers hated him, and then he tells them about a dream in which they bow down to him.
I think there’s some validity to that idea. But I also want us to be careful because the text doesn’t tell us that Joseph is sinfully boasting. It tells us that he had a dream, and eventually the story will make clear that these dreams were significant to God’s purposes.
So rather than spending too much time trying to determine Joseph’s motives here, let’s focus on this… God has revealed something about Joseph’s future, and his brothers hate him because of it.
Let’s continue reading.
“[9] Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” [10] But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?” [11] And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.”
So, Josephs first dream was that his brothers would bow down before him. And his second dream broadens the reach of the first dream.
Some commentators believe that the eleven stars would represent his 11 brothers and the sun and moon would represent his father and mother. They come to this conclusion because of Joseph’s response, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?”
This was like adding gas to the fire of hatred in his brother’s hearts, leading to them becoming more jealous of him. But, his father rebuked him and also “kept this saying in mind.”
If you remember, Jacob has experienced God speaking through dreams before. So, he knows God can reveal things in unexpected ways. And while he doesn’t understand everything that is happening, he doesn’t simply dismiss it.
Let’s keep reading.
[12] Now his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock near Shechem. [13] And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.” And he said to him, “Here I am.” [14] So he said to him, “Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with the flock, and bring me word.” So he sent him from the Valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.”
This detail about Shechem is easy to read right past. But do you remember Shechem?
Shechem is where Jacob had settled earlier rather than continuing on toward the place God ultimately directed him. Shechem is where Dinah was violated. Shechem is where Simeon and Levi slaughtered the men of the city. Put simply, Shechem is associated with some of the darkest moments in Jacob’s family.
And now Jacob’s sons are back near Shechem.
We don’t know exactly what Jacob is thinking when he sends Joseph there. The text doesn’t tell us that he is specifically worried because of what happened before. But it certainly makes sense that Jacob would want to know whether his sons are doing well and whether the flock is safe.
So Jacob sends Joseph, “Go now, see if it is well with your brothers.” But, when he gets to Schechem, his brothers aren’t there.
Look at verse 15,
[15] And a man found him wandering in the fields. And the man asked him, “What are you seeking?” [16] “I am seeking my brothers,” he said. “Tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock.” [17] And the man said, “They have gone away, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.”
So, Joseph has found his brothers in Dothan (He went down I-10 and up 231, and got to Dothan). And as he approaches, look what happens next.
[18] They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him. [19] They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer. [20] Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams.”
Now, just a quick side note. A pit would be a large cistern, an underground reservoir used to collect or store water. We see in verse 24 that the pit he would be thrown into was “empty” and “had no water in it.” So, the plan is to kill him and throw him into a pit.
Now, I also want you to notice the consistent frustration of the brothers that is centered around Joseph’s dream– “Here comes this dreamer… let us kill him… and we will see what will become of his dreams.”
The brothers cannot stand Joseph. And they especially cannot stand his dream.
The jealousy that once ruled their hearts is now impacting their actions. Left unchecked, the sins of our heart will one day impact our lives. The hatred of their brother has led to them seriously considering murdering their brother,.
Church, I really believe that adultery really begins with resentment. Murder begins with jealousy. Big sins grow from small seeds that are planted into the soil of our heart. Which is why we want to pray with the Psalmist, “May the words of our mouths and the meditations of our heart be pleasing to you, O God!”
Now, friends, please do not miss the parallel to the gospel here.
There is a beloved son. There is a son who has been given favor from his father. There is a son whose future includes reigning. There is a son who is hated by those around him. There is a son who is seeking his brothers, while his brothers are seeking his harm.
Could Joseph here be a faint shadow of the one who is to come to save sinners? Absolutely!
One day later the beloved Son would come born of a virgin. And he would be rejected, hated, and handed over to death by sinful men. And yet the evil intentions of men do not overturn the good purposes of God. And, as we will see, as we work through the rest of Genesis, what the brothers intend for evil, God will intend for good. It’s the evil intentions of the brother that God will use for the good of, not just Joseph, not just Jacob, but Joseph’s brothers, too. In the same way, what man intends for evil at the cross, God intended for good. Through the cross, God was accomplishing the greatest good the world has ever known.
So, the brothers are prepared to kill him. But Reuben intervenes.
Look at verse 21,
[21] But when Reuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.” [22] And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him”—that he might rescue him out of their hand to restore him to his father.”
This is a profound moment to me. Reuben, the son who just laid with his stepmother, is sticking up for his brother. The son who had no compassion for his father now has compassion for his brother. He rescues him out of their hands. And he tells them to throw him into a pit. And he tells them to do this because he intends to return and rescue him and restore him to his father.
Now, some speculate that perhaps Reuben is seeking to get back in good standing with his father after what he did with his father’s wife. We don’t know that to be the case, for sure, but there could be some legitimacy here. But, speculation aside, what we do know is that Reuben’s actions are right. His goal is to rescue and restore. He is using his position of prominence to protect the venerable.
Men, may we be careful to not follow the mob, if the mob’s intentions are harmful. And may we use any power or strength that the LORD has given us to protect and restore the venerable.
Now, with that being said, I also don’t want to completely celebrate Reuben’s actions… because I think they’re incomplete. Although his intentions might be good. His actions have fallen short.He doesn’t confront his brothers and say, “No. We are not doing this.”
Instead, he devises a plan to rescue Joseph later. And while Reuben is gone, Judah steps forward.
Let’s continue reading,
“[23] So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore. [24] And they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.
The robe that had represented his father’s special affection for him is now taken from him by his brothers. And they throw him into the pit.
“[25] Then they sat down to eat..”
Gosh what a cold moment in the story!
“And looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. [26] Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? [27] Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him. [28] Then Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt.”
So, Judah’s words reveal to us the reality that Joseph’s brothers hadn’t moved on from the idea of killing Joseph. Reuben’s intervention saved Joseph momentarily. But, apparently they hadn’t put to death the idea of killing Joseph. So, as Joseph sat in the empty pit, Judah speaks up.
Judah, the one in whom the messiah comes through, doesn’t speak up and side with Reuben. Instead, he says, “Let’s make some money off of him.” Judah’s motives isn’t the safety of his brother; it’s the padding of his pocket. He doesn’t rescue Joseph; he monetizes him. He doesn’t restore his brother; he turns his brother into a transaction.
Church, money isn’t inherently evil. You can glorify God through the making of money and through your stewardship of money. But, God cares about how you make money and how you use money. Better is no money doing the right thing than a lot of money doing the wrong thing!
And at this point in time, Judah has reversed the two. He’s elevated money over family.
This is a low moment for Judah! And his brothers agree to selling his brother to the Ishmaelite for twenty shekels of silver.
***The price of 20 shekels would be estimated to be a few hundred dollars, later it will become the prescribed value of a young male.
Now what’s interesting is if you were to fast forward to the cross, there was another innocent man who had a price put on his head. Jesus, like Joseph was betrayed and sold for thirty pieces of silver (Matt 26:15). A beloved son. A rejected son. A son betrayed by those closest to him. A son handed over for silver. Joseph’s life is a faint, faint shadow of a greater Son who is to come.
So, Joseph is carries away to Egypt. And they brothers think they’ve solved their problems. Gone is the favorite brother.
Let’s continue reading,
“[29] When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he tore his clothes [30] and returned to his brothers and said, “The boy is gone, and I, where shall I go?”
Tearing your clothes symbolized extreme grief and horror. So, Reuben is heart broken.
He’s distraught. His intention was to save his brother, but his brother is gone. And he exclaims, “The boy is gone, and I, where shall I go?”
It’s as if he’s saying, “What am I going to do now? How am I going to face my father after I’ve failed in such a way as this?”
We’ve all felt this before, haven’t we?
Have you ever made a mess of something and thought, “How am I going to face the consequences of what I’ve done?”
Reuben has. He’s failed as the first born. And he doesn’t know where to turn.
Sin has a way of shaking our world like a snow globe. It turns our world upside down, leaving us saying, “I’ve made a mess, and where should I go? How do I undo what I’ve done?”
Let’s continue reading,
“[31] Then they took Joseph’s robe and slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. [32] And they sent the robe of many colors and brought it to their father and said, “This we have found; please identify whether it is your son’s robe or not.” [33] And he identified it and said, “It is my son’s robe. A fierce animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces.” [34] Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days.”
So, the brothers use the robe to deceive their father. And, like with Reuben, Jacob tears his garments, symbolizing extreme grief and horror. Jacob is heartbroken. But, notice he doesn’t just tear his garments, he also put on sackcloth. Sackcloth was a rough, course material usually made from things like goat of camel hair.
This would have been material that would have been uncomfortable to wear, which would have been intentional on Jacob’s part. He wants no comfort as he mourns the loss of his son. He’s intentionally grieving the loss of his son for “many days.”
And look at verse 35, “[35] All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him…”
Pause. Feel the audacity of this verse. The brothers have come to comfort their father over the death of the son they sold into slavery. They are seeking to comfort the man they have deceived, leaving him in the dark.
“…but he refused to be comforted and said, “No, I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” Thus his father wept for him. [36] Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.”
Sheol, in this context, represents the place of the dead. So, Jacob is saying, “No, I don’t need any comfort. My son is dead, and I will eventually join him, and I will remain in mourning until that time.” In other words, Jacob is saying that the rest of his life will be marked with grief, until he is with his son again one day after death. And as the clouds roll in in verse 35, the sun peaks quietly behind those dark clouds in verse 36, “Meanwhile he Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the caption of the guard.”
What a word, meanwhile.
As Jacob mourns the loss of his son, God is meanwhile working behind the scenes, preserving the life of the son he’s mourning the loss of. While Jacob is mourning, God is moving. While Jacob is broken, God is working. There will be times in our lives when we can’t see the whole story, but meanwhile, God is always working.