"But his brothers hated Joseph because their father loved him more than the rest of them. They couldn't say a kind word to him." Genesis 37:4 NLT
Favouritism is one of the main problems in many families today. When a parent has 'a favourite', it allows hatred and jealousy to begin. This is why God has no favourites, we are all equal to Him, 'For God does not show favouritism' Roman 2:11. This was the root of all of the issues between Joseph and his brothers, and it grew into considering murdering him.
As a youngster Joseph was overconfident and discussed how his dreams showed he would one day rule over them all. It may have been better for Joseph to be more tactful and keep this to himself, but he was young and went ahead. This only added to his problems. When we look at the bigger picture, it is easy to see why the brothers turned against Joseph. He would tell tales about them and brag about things to them, especially with his precious coat. But the main culprit of all of this was, Jacob. His parenting skills were practically zilch. But Joseph had been forced into this lifestyle and it must have been upsetting to have his brothers turn against him. However, Joseph had something within him - God Himself. He helped Joseph contend with all of the taunts from his brothers, and eventually being sold into slavery. All this this was a learning curve for this young man. He knew God loved Him and he decided that he would put Him first in his life. And because of this, he prospered and was shown favour in all he did.
Joseph suffered betrayal and was deserted by his family; he was exposed to sexual temptation and even though he declined this, he was accused of attempted rape and thrown into prison. He endured a long prison sentence and was forgotten by those he had helped. God was with him every inch of the way and, Joseph was faithful to Him and everyone he met knew he was a Godly man. He was able to cope with everything because, his hope was in God. With every negative thing that came his way, he matched it with a positive and eventually, God brought him to the attention of Pharaoh, where he was made the Prime Minister of the land. Joseph rose in power and was known for his personal integrity. Think about it for a moment, there was nothing Joseph could do to free himself, he was snookered, therefore he put all of this work into God hands. And he received blessing
You may have been going through some difficult times lately but, what matters is not so much the events or the circumstances but your response to them. With God on your side any situation can be fruitful and full of success. With God on your side any situation can be used for good even though it is intended for evil.
Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.
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