There, But For the Grace of God Go I


Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan.

2 This is the account of Jacob’s family line.

Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them.

3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate robe for him. 4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him. Genesis 37:1-4

We know from recent chapters that Jacob’s clan is not the model family in any sense of the word.

Joseph, however, seems to be different. He sees to be a snitch of some sort. We don’t know what they did but he returned home to complain about him. Now you just know that this will not go over with the sons and their families.

To make matters worse, Jacob made his youngest an fancy coat because he favored him. Jacob really wasn’t doing his son any favors with that gift. It made him stand out from the rest of his brothers, and that’s probably what he needed the least.

So while the brothers came to their sister Dinah’s defense, they began to shun Joseph. They really didn’t like that he was their father’s favorite. The brothers didn’t just become that way; Jacob’s actions revealed their true character.

You’ve met these people before: bitter, angry, jealous, vengeful. You can hear it in everything they say and do. You don’t want to be around them because they are infectious – and not in a good way. You may not know what their “deal” is, but you know something isn’t right.

They serve as a reminder to us what we could – or could have – become if we harbor bitterness and resentment.


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