Genesis 37:1-22
READING
1 Jacob lived in the land where
his father had stayed, the land of Canaan.
2 This is the account of Jacob’s family line.
Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the
flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his
father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them.
3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his
other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an
ornate[a] robe
for him. 4 When
his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated
him and could not speak a kind word to him.
5 Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his
brothers, they hated him all the more. 6 He said to them, “Listen to
this dream I had: 7 We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field
when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered
around mine and bowed down to it.”
8 His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign
over us? Will you actually rule us?” And they hated him all the more because of
his dream and what he had said.
9 Then he had another dream, and he told it to his
brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and
moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”
10 When he told his father as well as his brothers,
his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream you had? Will your mother
and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?” 11 His
brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.
BOARD –
FINALLY
FAMILY
FAVORITE
FEELINGS
FUTURE
FINALLY – 1
ROUND 1 –
Account of Esau’s family ends
in chapter 36 with the tribal chiefs of Esau’s clan – Esau, as we saw in the
previous chapter, did not stay in Canaan.
In verse 1 we see Jacob back
in the land of Promise but as a sojourner as his father was. I.e. 25:11
Note Hebrews 11:13 –
strangers on earth
Jacob was finally where he
was to be and now the next generation’s story would begin to be told
ROUND 2 –
Are you where God wants you
to be? What is your truth to the world
that will be written down about the X family?
What is your lineage going to
look like? What is your story to your
children about who they are to be and what God has done for you and your
family? Have you told it to them? Have you:
- Fought with your brothers and sisters?
- Lied to your parents?
- Wrestled with God?
- Been blessed by
God?
- Been given a promise from God?
- Know where you are supposed to “be” based on that
promise?
ROUND 3 –
Jesus
fulfilled the place he was supposed to be and
the time he was supposed to be there whether lauded on Palm Sunday or
Crucified. Jesus was always on mission
for the will of the Father.
FAMILY – 2
ROUND 1 –
Joseph brings a bad report
about the brothers – obviously showing these are not the greatest guys and,
note that they are adults compared to him.
ROUND 2 -
- As you are raising adults, what will they be
like?
- What will they take after?
- How do they treat each other and how do they talk
about each other?
ROUND 3 –
THE
report about us is the same as about the brothers – bad – Romans 3:23
FAVORITE – 3-4
ROUND 1 –
Favorite son and robe to
symbolize it
Robe is brought up again in
23, 31, 32, and 33
Brother’s were jealous and
hated him for the love bestowed and shown
ROUND 2 –
Do you show favoritism? If so, how is it symbolized? How does that affect your family? If you were to ask a family member who your
favorite was or how a favorite affected your family what would your family
member say?
What, if anything, should you
do about it?
ROUND 3 -
Jesus as the favorite son and
a symbol we have to symbolize it.
How did this affect the
relationship between Jesus and those around him? How does this affect the relationships you
have around you?
It is a
fairly well-established fact that Jesus Christ was publicly executed in Judea
in the 1st Century A.D., under Pontius Pilate, by means of crucifixion, at the
behest of the Jewish Sanhedrin. The non-Christian historical accounts of
Flavius Josephus, Cornelius Tacitus, Lucian of Samosata, Maimonides and even
the Jewish Sanhedrin corroborate the early Christian eyewitness accounts of
these important historical aspects of the death of Jesus Christ.
As for
His resurrection, there are several lines of evidence which make for a
compelling case. The late jurisprudential prodigy and international statesman
Sir Lionel Luckhoo (of The Guinness Book of World Records fame for his
unprecedented 245 consecutive defense murder trial acquittals) epitomized
Christian enthusiasm and confidence in the strength of the case for the
resurrection when he wrote, “I have spent more than 42 years as a defense trial
lawyer appearing in many parts of the world and am still in active practice. I
have been fortunate to secure a number of successes in jury trials and I say
unequivocally the evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is so
overwhelming that it compels acceptance by proof which leaves absolutely no
room for doubt.”
What do others
think of the cross? What do others think
of you as a Christian (even your family)?
If
it is essentially established fact that Christ was crucified and rose again
what does that do to other religions and their relationships to God?
FEELINGS – 5-8
ROUND 1 –
Dream 1 –
Joseph tells the truth.
Grain sheaths in different
roles
2X the brothers are told they
hate him for both the dream and for him telling it (truth and saying it) –
verse 5 and verse 8
Just tells the brothers
ROUND 2 –
Truth is told amongst the
children (adults but of that generation).
The prophecy hurts the feelings of the others. Do you see differences in those in families
(either your kids, your siblings, or other families)? Are there personalities and roles for
each? Why would having a role as ‘in
charge’ matter to those in family?
Does one of your brothers or
sisters make more or less than you? Have
more authority that you? Have a better
job, house, or car than you?
ROUND 3 –
What do other religions and religious
leaders think about bowing down to Christ?
What have you seen when it comes to those that think they are equal to
Christ and what they do when they realize that they will all bow?
FUTURE - 9-11
ROUND 1 –
Dream 2 –
11 brothers (stars) and the
Father and Mother are bowing down to him.
Father asks him for this
dream as if he and his mother will bow down to him.
Brothers are jealous
Dad keeps this in mind
ROUND 2 –
What is God doing when He
choses to enable one (even through extreme hardship in Joseph’s case which we
will see) to be more or have more authority than even his father?
Do we look to God and what He
has promised for us and His tapestry or do we just ok when everything is what
WE want it to be?
Do we remember what He has
said (this case was prophecy) and our case we can use the bible about who we
are in Christ and who we will be or are we jealous of others and what He has
made them?
Remember even the disciples
asked who would be the greatest in heaven!
ROUND 3 -
What does the final ‘all
knees will bow and all tougues confess’ do to people around the world?
What will that do to
you? What has it done to you?
ROUND 1 – SUMMARY
OF DREAMS
WHY 2 DREAMS? – 41:32
Fast forward to 42:6 and 42:9
when these dreams are remembered
What does Jacob later say
about this Joseph? 49:22-26
ROUND 2 – SUMMARY OF
DREAMS
Instead of wanting
relationship with Joseph his brothers were still jealous – Do your kids accept
the positions, skills, intelligence, etc that God has given them or do they
focus on what the other brother, sister has?
Do you focus on what others
have in these areas or what God has given you?
What would be the change in attitude if there was a change in focus?
ROUND 3 – SUMMARY OF
DREAMS
The clear story told over and
over in the bible articulates to multiple churches and over and over again that
Christ and faith in Him is the only way.
