4.
Being matured
37:1-2
a.
The process of maturity — dealings in the last stage
37:1-2
1)
Being robbed of the treasure of his heart (Joseph) under God's sovereign hand
37:1-2
Gen. 37
:1
37:1
And 1Jacob dwelt in the land where his father had
asojourned, in the land of Canaan.
5.
The reigning aspect of the matured Israel as seen in Joseph
37:2-31
a.
Being a shepherd and the father's beloved
37:2-4
Gen. 37
:2
37:2
These are the generations of Jacob.
1Joseph, when he was seventeen years old, was
2shepherding the flock with his brothers while he was
still a youth, with the sons of Bilhah and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought an evil report of them to their father.
Gen. 37
:3
37:3
Now Israel loved Joseph
1more than all his sons because he was the son of his
aold age, and he had made him a
bcoat of many colors.
Gen. 37
:4
37:4
And when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.
b.
Viewing his people as sheaves of life and as the sun, the moon, and the stars of light
37:5-11
Gen. 37
:5
37:5
Then Joseph had a
1adream; and when he told
it to his brothers, they hated him even more.
Gen. 37
:6
37:6
And he said to them, Listen to this dream which I have had:
Gen. 37
:7
37:7
There we were, binding sheaves in the field, when suddenly my sheaf rose up and remained standing; and then your sheaves gathered around and
abowed down to my sheaf.
Gen. 37
:8
37:8
And his brothers said to him, Will you indeed reign over us and actually be a ruler among us? So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.
Gen. 37
:9
37:9
And he had still another dream and told it to his brothers and said, Now I have had another dream: There were the
asun and the moon and eleven stars,
bbowing down to me.
Gen. 37
:10
37:10
And he told
it to his father and to his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, What is this dream that you have had? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the ground to you?
Gen. 37
:11
37:11
And his brothers were
ajealous of him, but his father
bkept the saying
in his heart.
c.
Ministering to his brothers according to the father's will
37:12-17
Gen. 37
:12
37:12
Then his brothers went to shepherd their father’s flock in Shechem.
Gen. 37
:13
37:13
And Israel said to Joseph, Your brothers are now shepherding
the flock in Shechem. Come, and I will
1send you to them. And he said to him, Here I am.
Gen. 37
:14
37:14
And he said to him, Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and well with the flock, and bring word back to me. So he sent him from the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.
Gen. 37
:15
37:15
And a man found him; and there he was, wandering in the field, and the man asked him, saying, What are you seeking?
Gen. 37
:16
37:16
And he said, I am seeking my brothers. Please tell me where they are shepherding
the flock.
Gen. 37
:17
37:17
And the man said, They have moved on from here; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brothers and found them in Dothan.
d.
Living as a sheaf of life
37:18-31
Gen. 37
:18
37:18
And when they saw him from a distance and before he came near to them, they
1conspired against him to put him to death.
Gen. 37
:19
37:19
And they said one to another, Here comes this master of dreams.
Gen. 37
:20
37:20
Now then, come and let us
aslay him and throw him into one of the pits; and we will say, A wild beast has devoured him; then we will see what will become of his dreams.
Gen. 37
:21
37:21
But when Reuben heard
it, he tried to deliver him out of their hand and said,
aLet us not take his life.
Gen. 37
:22
37:22
And Reuben said to them, Shed no blood; throw him into this
apit that is in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him — that he might deliver him out of their hand to restore him to his father.
Gen. 37
:23
37:23
And when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped Joseph of his coat, the
acoat of many colors that was on him;
Gen. 37
:24
37:24
And they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty; there was no water in it.
Gen. 37
:25
37:25
Then they sat down to eat food; and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and there was a
acaravan of Ishmaelites, coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing aromatic gum and balm and myrrh, going to carry
it down to Egypt.
Gen. 37
:26
37:26
Then Judah said to his brothers, What gain is there if we
aslay our brother and conceal his blood?
Gen. 37
:27
37:27
Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let our hand not be on him; for he is our brother, our flesh. And his brothers listened
to him.
Gen. 37
:28
37:28
So when some
1Midianite traders passed by, they pulled Joseph up, lifting
him out of the pit, and they
asold Joseph to the
1Ishmaelites for twenty
pieces of silver. And
these brought Joseph into Egypt.
Gen. 37
:29
37:29
And when Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he tore his clothes.
Gen. 37
:30
37:30
And he returned to his brothers and said, The boy is not
there; so as for me, what shall I do?
Gen. 37
:31
37:31
Then they took Joseph’s
acoat and slaughtered a male goat and dipped the coat in the blood.
Gen. 37
:32
37:32
And they sent the coat of many colors and had it brought to their father and said, We found this; please examine
it, and see whether it is your son’s coat or not.
Gen. 37
:33
37:33
And he recognized it and said, It is my son’s coat. A
awild beast has devoured him; Joseph is without doubt
btorn to pieces.
Gen. 37
:34
37:34
And Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth upon his loins and mourned for his son many days.
Gen. 37
:35
37:35
And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted and said, Surely I will go down to
1aSheol to my son, mourning. Thus his father wept for him.
Gen. 37
:36
37:36
Meanwhile the Midianites had
1sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an official of Pharaoh, the
acaptain of the guard.
