Reading: Genesis 37:1-10 and 23-28
The main thought in this chapter is that God sent Joseph to Egypt so that later he would save his family.
In Genesis 36 Moses described the genealogy of Esau, in 37 he returns to the history of Israel.
Jacob’s sons were jealous of their younger brother Joseph because Jacob loved him. Their jealousy turns into anger when Joseph tells his dreams. Who does this little brother think he is? They totally reject the idea that one day they would all bow down to Joseph. Even his father rebukes him. However God reveals here that in the future Joseph will have dominion over them all because He has selected Joseph to do great things. These great things are summarised in Genesis 45:7-8 “And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you who sent me here, but God.”
God, ensures the whole family knows about it, so that when the dreams come true they will know that it was God’s will. God will take Joseph and the rest of the family along a road of twists and turns, mountains and valleys. By such complicated methods God accomplishes His plans.
In this history, we have a very beautiful example of God’s amazing sovereignty and wisdom; to build and preserve his church He directs events by wonderful and unusual ways. We also learn that He brings salvation of his Church, not by magnificent splendour, but through hardship and suffering; even the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23).
The road Jesus Christ had to walk to bring salvation for the church was even more difficult; it required complete humiliation and the horrible death on the cross.
Key text: Genesis 37:28 “Then Midianite traders passed by; so the brothers pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.”
Question: When we read the history of Jacob’s family we should not focus in the first place on the people, but on what God is doing. Why?