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A Favorite Son–A Despised Brother
Scripture Reading — Genesis 37:1-11
When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him. . . .
— Genesis 37:4
Jacob should have known better. He knew what it was like to have a brother whom his father loved more than him (Genesis 25:27-28), but he favored his son Joseph over his other sons anyway. Sadly, that led to jealousy and resentment among Joseph’s brothers.
When Joseph’s older brothers looked at him, their blood pressure went up and hatred filled their hearts. Still, they might have kept their emotions in check if Joseph hadn’t stirred the pot with notions about the dreams he had had.
God had provided the dreams, but Joseph took pride in them. He interpreted those dreams as showing that he was better than his brothers, and even his father rebuked him for the self-centered nature of those interpretations. The meaning of those dreams became clear later (Genesis 41-47), but all that the brothers knew now was that they didn’t want anything to do with Joseph!
In this story we eventually see that God can take the human failings of all of these broken family members to bring about something good, despite the sinful attitudes in each individual’s heart. We also learn in life that God works through the troubles in our world and in our hearts to make something new and better. He is faithful to the purpose and plan that he holds and creates for us.
Lord, thank you for being willing to meet us in the messes and troubles of life. Open our eyes to see the sin in our own hearts before we see the failings of others. Help us to live in unity as your family and to spread your love and blessings to others. Amen.
About the author — Jul Medenblik
Rev. Jul Medenblik is a former attorney who was called to pastoral ministry and became the church-planting pastor of a congregation in New Lenox, Illinois. Since 2011 he has served as the seventh president of Calvin Theological Seminary, which, together with Calvin University, is celebrating 150 years of God’s faithfulness in their history as the educational institutions of the Christian Reformed Church in North America (see calvinseminary.edu/150th). Jul and his wife, Jackie, have been married for over 40 years and are blessed with two adult children and a son-in-law.
Scripture Reading — Genesis 37:1-11
When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him. . . .
— Genesis 37:4
Jacob should have known better. He knew what it was like to have a brother whom his father loved more than him (Genesis 25:27-28), but he favored his son Joseph over his other sons anyway. Sadly, that led to jealousy and resentment among Joseph’s brothers.
When Joseph’s older brothers looked at him, their blood pressure went up and hatred filled their hearts. Still, they might have kept their emotions in check if Joseph hadn’t stirred the pot with notions about the dreams he had had.
God had provided the dreams, but Joseph took pride in them. He interpreted those dreams as showing that he was better than his brothers, and even his father rebuked him for the self-centered nature of those interpretations. The meaning of those dreams became clear later (Genesis 41-47), but all that the brothers knew now was that they didn’t want anything to do with Joseph!
In this story we eventually see that God can take the human failings of all of these broken family members to bring about something good, despite the sinful attitudes in each individual’s heart. We also learn in life that God works through the troubles in our world and in our hearts to make something new and better. He is faithful to the purpose and plan that he holds and creates for us.
Lord, thank you for being willing to meet us in the messes and troubles of life. Open our eyes to see the sin in our own hearts before we see the failings of others. Help us to live in unity as your family and to spread your love and blessings to others. Amen.
About the author — Jul Medenblik
Rev. Jul Medenblik is a former attorney who was called to pastoral ministry and became the church-planting pastor of a congregation in New Lenox, Illinois. Since 2011 he has served as the seventh president of Calvin Theological Seminary, which, together with Calvin University, is celebrating 150 years of God’s faithfulness in their history as the educational institutions of the Christian Reformed Church in North America (see calvinseminary.edu/150th). Jul and his wife, Jackie, have been married for over 40 years and are blessed with two adult children and a son-in-law.
