If there was a shining light among the children of Jacob, it was Joseph. The differences between Joseph’s circumstance and the circumstance of the other sons contributed to the difference in their character. Joseph was born late in the sojourn in Paddan-aram, and though he was exposed to the conflicts between Laban and Jacob, he would not be effected as his older brothers. He was the only child born in Haran of Rachel, the favorite wife. This made him a symbol of the rancor between Rachel and Leah. And Jacob openly treated him as the favorite, one more reason for his brothers to hate him (Gen. 37:3-4).

But Joseph was also favored by God because of his good heart. God showed him in dreams that one day his brothers, even his mother and father, would come and bow down to him (vs. 5-11) For this his brethren hated him even more.

Jacob sent Joseph to Dothan, to his brethren who were tending their sheep. When they saw him coming they conspired to kill him, but Reuben convinced them to put him in a pit so that he might later rescue him and return him to his father. While they were eating, a caravan of Ishmaelites, called also in the text Midianites, passed by, and Joseph’s brothers sold him to them for 20 pieces of silver. They then took Joseph’s "coat of many colors," his special gift from his father, dipped it in goat’s blood and took it to Jacob. In Jacob’s mind, Joseph was dead. The conflict between Leah and Rachel was over.

Joseph was blessed in Egypt (Gen. 39:2-4, 23). He was sold to an Egyptian named Potiphar, and was soon master over all that pertained to Potiphar’s house. When Potiphar’s wife made advances, Joseph refused, but was cast into prison, because she falsely accused him.

In prison his behavior soon made such an impression that the keeper of the prison put all under his hand (Gen. 39:21f.). In prison, Joseph met the butler and the baker and interpreted dreams for them (Gen. 40). The baker’s dream was interpreted by Joseph that he would be killed by Pharaoh in three days and hanged on a tree. The butler, on the other hand, was told that his dream meant that he would be restored to his position in three days. Both interpretations were from God. As a result, the butler who was soon released, told Pharoah of Joseph, who interpreted his dreams of seven years of plenty and seven years of famine. Joseph was made ruler of Egypt under Pharoah, and given charge of preparations for the famine that did come.

The famine reaches Canaan and the house of Jacob. The ten oldest sons are sent to Egypt where they have heard that there is food to buy. It is Joseph they must buy from, but he manages to keep his identity from them. He deals with them roughly, but he turns away to weep when he sees their confusion and guilt over what is occurring (Gen. 42:24). For all of the abuse he took from them, he was compassionate and loved them. He tricks them into bringing Benjamin to Egypt, and it is then that he makes himself known. It is not long before Jacob comes to Egypt, and they dwell as a family in the land of Goshen.

Jacob’s offspring present us with a picture of disbelief and insecurity. Certainly, what we know of the first ten sons is that they were worldly in their thinking, sometimes given to violence, and passionate in their hates and envies. Jacob, in blessing his sons in chapter 49, brings to mind both strengths and weaknesses of his sons. Reuben’s sin with Bilhah is not forgotten (vs. 4), neither is the violence of Levi and Simeon (vs. 7). Because of the character of the oldest three, the birthright and blessing passed on to the fourth son, Judah, whose record was not spotless. Nevertheless, the Judah would rule over his brethren until the coming of the Christ.

In all that happened to him, Joseph’s faith in God never waned. For his faithfulness, God saw to it that he prospered and used him to transfer his family to a place where they could grow into the great nation promised Abraham (Gen. 50:15-21). Joseph had two sons in Egypt, Ephraim and Manasseh, and each received a blessing from their grandfather Jacob, a testimony to the goodness of Joseph and the love that Jacob had for him. The faith of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was strong in the heart of Joseph, so strong that his last request was that he be buried in the land of that promise. He knew that God would keep his promise to bring them back and give them that land (Heb. 11:22).

This history of Joseph and Jacob were recorded for us to learn from (Rom. 15:4). We mentioned last week the disastrous effect of plural marriage and enmity among the caregivers had on Jacob’s children. But we see in all of this Joseph arising from the same family situation seemingly not effected by it all.

Attention was given to Joseph. As the favorite, it seems that he had the benefit of his father’s love and instruction, more than the others. That was important in the development of his character. It is a wonder, however, that Joseph grew up to be the man that we see in the scriptures. He grew up in an environment that was hostile, and it might seem natural that Joseph would become even more hateful and worldly than his brethren. Because his father favored him, he might have become a vengeful spoiled brat who could hardly wait to get even. After all, his brothers sold him to a bunch of foreigners as a slave. But Joseph was not guided by earthly concerns. Even in his treatment of his brothers when they came to Egypt, Joseph’s actions were a result of faith in the promises God had made concerning his family. Rather than using all of his misfortune as an excuse, Joseph overcame all through his faith in God. As he did, we are capable of overcoming through faith (Phil. 4:13). So, though environment may contribute to sinful behavior, the individual is still responsible for what he does (2 Cor. 5:10). We have choices to make, and Joseph made the right choices.

Jacob is described as a man of faith (Heb. 11:9, 20-21). It his faith and his understanding of the importance of God’s blessing that we should imitate. Jacob may have failed in the eyes of some with his older boys, but with Joseph, his influence for good was undeniable. From Jacob and Joseph we may learn that faith leads to obedience to God’s plan, teaching our children to honor God and the importance of the things of God. Great are the lessons to be learned from the story of Jacob and his family.