Genesis 37

God is writing his story in you, and it is an amazing story. Sure, there are twists and turns, bumps and detours. Sometimes, we get stalled, disappointed, even discouraged, but through it all, God never wastes our time. His work today prepares us for tomorrow. That’s what we see in the life of Joseph. He becomes Moses’ person of focus beginning in Genesis 37.

Let’s begin by reviewing our outline of Genesis:

God’s Work in Creation (1-2)

God’s Work with Humanity (3-11)

• • Adam (3-5)
  • Noah (6-10)
  • Nations (11)

God’s Work with His Covenant People (12-50)

• • Abraham (12-25)
  • Isaac (25-26)
  • Jacob (27-36)
  • Joseph (37-50)

Jacob’s deceitful actions caused him to run for his life. After twenty years, he returns to Canaan with his family and a wealth of possessions. Jacob has faced adversity along the way, but he is soon to be hit by a virtual tsunami. His beloved wife, Rachel, died giving birth to her second son, and Jacob has just buried his father, Isaac. Now, another heartbreaking tragedy is coming—for Jacob and his son, Joseph. Let’s check out the story.

Genesis 37:1-3
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. 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.

From his own childhood experiences, Jacob should have known the dangers of showing favoritism. However, it seems he couldn’t help himself. For many years, Rachel was unable to have children. Then God graciously blessed her with Joseph. Now, Rachel is gone. Maybe this loss has motivated Jacob to tangibly demonstrate his preferential feelings for Joseph by making him a special tunic. The Hebrew meaning of the word that describes the robe is unclear. The accepted view that it was a coat of many colors comes from the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament. Whatever the appearance of the coat, it set Joseph apart as one with favor.^[1]

Joseph’s relationship with his brothers would have likely suffered repercussions from the bad report he brought back to their father. Was Joseph the quintessential snitch? Or was he reporting a possible threat to the family business? Regardless, the account is straightforward in attributing Joseph’s favored status as the reason for his brothers’ contempt. Joseph’s brothers hated him and could not speak to him without showing their disdain. And then there were the dreams….

Joseph had two dreams that infuriated his brothers, and even Jacob admonished him. One dream was about sheaves of the field (Gen. 37:5-8), and the other was about the sun, moon, and eleven stars (Gen. 37:9). Both dreams indicated that his brothers were bowing before him.

Genesis 37:10-11
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.

We have seen in our study of Genesis that God often used dreams to communicate with his people (e.g., Gen. 28:10-16; Gen. 31:11-13; et. al.). And we know that Joseph’s dreams are eventually going to come true. Even so, was it wise for Joseph to share these with his brothers? They already hated him, but now they hated him “even more for his dreams and for his words” (Gen. 37:8). Some commentators note a hint of uneasiness with the brothers, wondering if these dreams would really come true.

Once again, Jacob sent Joseph to check on his brothers, who had taken the herd to Shechem. Joseph made sure to wear his prized coat. When they saw him coming, they devised a plan to kill him.

Genesis 37:20-24
“Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams.” ²¹ But when Reuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.” ²² And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him”—that he might rescue him out of their hand to restore him to his father. ²³ So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore. ²⁴ And they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.

Don’t miss Genesis 37:25. After the brothers threw Joseph in the pit, “they sat down to eat.” There was no remorse, no second thoughts. We can surmise that Joseph would have been begging for his life, yet they went on about their day until they looked up to see a caravan of Ishmaelite traders. These descendants of Abraham’s son, Ishmael, were headed to Egypt with their goods. They were also called Midianites (a son from Abraham’s marriage to Keturah).  It was Judah’s idea to sell Joseph to the merchants. The deal was settled for twenty shekels of silver (Is this a foreshadowing of Jesus being betrayed for thirty pieces of silver?). According to the text, the only brother that wanted to spare Joseph’s life was Reuben. He convinced the other brothers to not be the ones to physically kill Joseph but leave him in the pit to die. Reuben planned to rescue Joseph, but he was too late. Joseph had already been sold and was on his way to Egypt.

The deed had been done. The problem of Joseph was solved. Only one thing left to do; they had to tell their father.

Genesis 37:31-35
Then they took Joseph’s robe and slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. ³² And they sent the robe of many colors and brought it to their father and said, “This we have found; please identify whether it is your son’s robe or not.” ³³ And he identified it and said, “It is my son’s robe. A fierce animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces.” ³⁴ Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. ³⁵ All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, “No, I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” Thus his father wept for him.

Every time I consider this sequence of events, I try to imagine the thoughts that must have been going through Joseph’s mind. Here’s how the psalmist described the ordeal.

Psalm 105:18-19
[Joseph’s] feet were hurt with fetters; his neck was put in a collar of iron; until what he had said came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him.

Think of it. One day Joseph was a seventeen-year-old without a care in the world. He was his father’s preferred son. He was given favored status with a specially embroidered coat to prove it. Joseph had dreamed big dreams, but now his feet were in shackles, there was an iron collar around his neck, and his hands were fastened by a rope as he was led as a slave to a foreign land. This would be his first test, but not his last, until thirteen years later, his dreams “came to pass.”

PERSONAL TIME WITH GOD
Read Genesis 37. As you read this story, put yourself in Joseph’s place. Imagine the questions you would have if you were sold into slavery by your own family.

Talking to God
Talk to God about the words in the psalm explaining that Joseph was tested until God’s plan came to pass. Perhaps you are going through a time of testing now. Never forget that God’s Word will come to pass. Thank God for what he is doing.

Have Questions?
There are two questions you may want to ask our team. First, does Joseph’s betrayal for twenty pieces of silver foreshadow Jesus’ betrayal? Is Joseph a type of Jesus? Also, “Sheol” is mentioned in today’s passage. We have a great team ready to interact with you. Submit your question below, and we’ll get back to you soon.

^[1] Biblical Studies Press, The NET Bible First Edition Notes (Biblical Studies Press, 2006), Gen 37:3.