While Israel’s life was not complete, we continue on our journey to look at the life of Joseph. Israel had 12 sons, but none made a bigger impact in his time than did Joseph. Joseph loved God and followed Him closely. He was loved by His father. That caused great dissention among his brothers and made life for Joseph an incredible adventure.
In our introduction to Joseph, God highlights his integrity, how his dad loved him, and that God revealed things to Joseph through dreams. Each of those things would play big roles in Joseph’s story. Still, first and foremost Joseph was a young man of integrity with great love for God and his Father.
Despite that, the brothers all despised Joseph because he was daddy’s favorite. Further, Joseph told them his dreams and in them the brothers were shown to be Subject to Joseph’s lead. He was just a boy. In that context, there was little good that the brothers felt for Joseph. Still, Joseph pushed forward and did as he was supposed to do.
In our lives, we are subject to difficult relationships–like Joseph. We must focus upon our relationship with the Lord and accept the fact that we will not be loved by everyone else. When we capture that, we are not devastated by the difficult relationships in our lives. Instead, we become grateful for what we have and not ungrateful for what we lack. It is a beautiful thing, and God uses that to make us more like Him. We have to learn to be content in all circumstance and realize we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us. Phil. 4:11-13.
God Bless You
Jacob lived in the land of his father’s sojournings, in the land of Canaan.
2 These are the generations of Jacob.
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. 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.[a] 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.
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.
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.
Walking With God 