City Life Starter

Written by Efe Abbe

The Word

¹ 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. ⁴But 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.

Genesis 37:1-11

⁶ And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. 

Philippians 1:6 ESV

Reflection

As we continue the story of God’s promise to use Abraham’s family to be a blessing to all the families of the earth, we have begun transitioning to Jacob’s sons. Jacob didn’t learn any lessons from the consequences of his parents’ ‘parenting by favoritism’ and by repeating the cycle allowed this brokenness to pass down to a second generation. Jacob’s favoritism of Joseph made his older sons hate Joseph.

As we’ve seen previously in this story, God remains undeterred by this family’s dysfunction, having chosen them before time existed to carry this promise. It is a highly privileged position with a great responsibility that this family has not fully grown into. Still, God is at work and we know this because of Joseph and his dreams.

Joseph’s dreams were clearly divinely given to Him, a foretelling of future events in this family’s story. However when he shared his dreams with his family, even though they fully understood what they meant, his brothers’ jealousy and Joseph’s immaturity (don’t snitch or brag y’all) made it impossible for them to see and hear what God had told Joseph as a good thing. His family should have helped to guard and nurture this revelation from God but didn’t, rather they actively worked to destroy Joseph because of all their brokenness.

As we’ll learn in the rest of this story, even though it took many years, neither the wickedness of Joseph’s brothers, nor Joseph’s immaturity were barriers for God continuing His work in and through this family.

Application

Like Joseph, God has good plans for each of our lives (Genesis 50:19-20; Jeremiah 29:11). We may be in circumstances where the people who should help propel God’s mission for our lives do the opposite, working against us rather than working for our good. Or maybe due to our disobedience or immaturity, we have experienced seeming detours from God’s revealed plans. In the middle of our pain and our questioning, the great hope for us is that God is infinitely greater, His purposes are far more resolute, and His love is dependably faithful. Nothing and no one can get in the way of God completing His work in the lives of all who, through Jesus, are now His children. And the way to experience His faithfulness is by responding in obedience, repentance, and trust.

Prayer

Dear Father, I praise and thank You for being faithfully good even when no one is. Thank You for already completing Your plans for me in Your Son, Jesus. Please help me to submit to Your Spirit as You bring Your plans for my life to pass in Your specified time, amen.