Genesis 37

Genesis 37 begins the story of Joseph, Jacob's favorite son. Joseph was of course the first born of Jacob's favorite wife Rachel, and Jacob loved him. Jacob showed his love for Joseph by giving him a special coat. This was a sign of luxury, since you would not wear a coat like that tending the sheep or goats off in a field. Often when I think of Joseph, I see the man in Egypt, who is a pillar of our faith. But here in Genesis 37, I see a spoiled, arrogant, teenager who reveled in his father's favoritism. He has two dreams, which later will come true, that Joseph interpreted as his brothers bowing down to him one day. When Jacob sent Joseph one day to find out how his brothers were doing and give him a report, his brothers seized the opportunity to take revenge on their brother Joseph. Had it not been for his oldest brother Reuben, Joseph's life would have been taken. Instead, they were sold to some Ishmaelites who took Joseph to Egypt where he would late be sold into slavery.

What a change for Joseph. He went from the favored son, living a life of luxury with his coat of many colors given to him as a special gift by his dad, to the bottom of the cistern, waiting to be sold into slavery, betrayed by his brothers. He was stripped of his coat, stripped of his identity, and sold out for just a few pieces of silver. This was a low point for Joseph, but as we will soon discover, God was with Joseph in the middle of his crisis.

With the economic situation, chances are that some of you reading this story today maybe able to relate to Joseph. Your job might have been stripped from you. It might feel that you are in the bottom of a pit. However, you can have hope because God is with you in the midst of the crisis.