Genesis 37

Jacob’s favoritism (vs. 1-4)—I reckon that most parents have their “favorites” among their children, but it’s not a good idea to overtly demonstrate that. Jacob did. “Now Israel [Jacob] loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colors. But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him” (vs. 3-4). Joseph was 17 years old at the time (v. 2), and probably the best of the sons. He was also the child of Rachel, Jacob’s favorite wife. So it all added up to nepotism and that will be the source of much sorrow and then much gladness.

Joseph’s big mouth (vs. 5-11)—It didn’t help anything that, either out of ignorance or some sense of pride, Joseph related two dreams he had had to his father and brothers. In both of the dreams, it appears as though his family is going to bow down to him. You can imagine how that made his brothers react. It simply added fuel to an already simmering situation.

Joseph sold into slavery (vs. 12-30)—The circumstance boils over into calamity. Jacob’s sons are feeding their flock at first near Shechem and then at a place called Dothan. Israel sends Joseph to find them. But when the brothers “saw him afar off, even before he came near them, they conspired against him to kill him” (v. 18). Reuben, the oldest, tries to save him, and does keep him alive. But Reuben leaves the group for some reason. The other brothers grab Joseph, rip off his coat of many colors, and toss him into a pit to decide what to do with him. A company of Midianite (Ishmaelite) traders happen by, and Judah suggests “What profit is there if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother and our flesh" (vs. 26-27). So selling him into slavery was better than killing him. There isn’t a whole lot to commend these men to us at the moment. They indeed sell Joseph and he’s headed for Egypt. Reuben returns and is quite upset because he had wanted to “deliver him out of their hands, and bring him back to his father” (v. 22). So the oldest brother—the one who, in the chapter 35, had lay with his father’s concubine—shows a bit more maturity and decency here. But it’s too late. Joseph is gone.

Reporting to Jacob (vs. 31-35)—Reuben wasn’t so mature and decent that he was above deceiving his father. The brothers rip Joseph’s tunic and dip it blood. They take it back to Jacob, who recognizes it as Joseph’s: “It is my son's tunic. A wild beast has devoured him. Without doubt Joseph is torn to pieces" (v. 33). It really caused distressed in the father: “And all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, and he said, ‘For I shall go down into the grave to my son in mourning.’ Thus his father wept for him” (v. 35). Hopefully, the brothers felt some sense of shame, but that isn’t indicated. Plus, they couldn’t force themselves to tell their father they had sold Joseph into slavery; as far as they were concerned, deception was better than the truth. And they had gotten some money for him--20 shekels of silver, no small sum.  Not a great a bunch of guys.

Joseph sold in Egypt (v. 36)—The chapter ends with this statement: “Now the Midianites had sold him [Joseph] in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard.” Keep in mind, Joseph is 17 years old. The Scriptures don’t tell us what was going through his mind, but no doubt he was greatly distressed. But, as we shall see, he made the best of it and never lost his faith in God. What a test he went through, though!