THROUGH THE BIBLE IN THREE YEARS
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When you're four years old in church it's easy to get a little mixed up. One little boy prayed, "Lord, please forgive us our trash baskets as we forgive those who put trash in our trash baskets."
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Gen 37:1-4
1 And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan.
2 These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.
3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.
4 And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.
KJV
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While Essau was building a kingdom in Mt. Seir, Jacob was living at Hebron.
A very interesting and wonderful story is about to begin here: the story
of JOSEPH. Joseph is now old enough to work with his brothers. When Joseph saw the wrongs that his brothers did, he told them to his father. He was probably called a "tattletale."
But we should notice, at the very beginning of this interesting story, that Joseph cared about doing right things. And he didn't want to cast a shadow upon the family with wrong things.
Joseph was the oldest son of Jacob's preferred wife Rachel, and Jacob showed
preferential treatment here. You'd think Jacob would have learned from his own family life and not done that.
Whatever you decide about the meaning of the name "coat of many colors," it surely set Joseph apart from his brothers. And it certainly showed preferential treatment.
This treatment caused Joseph's brothers to put a lot of "trash in his basket!"
Joseph became a symbol of our Lord in that:
1st - He cared about doing what was right,
2nd - He was "preferred" by his father, (see John 1:15)
3rd - He was "hated" by his brothers, (Is. 53:3)
4th - He was SENT to his brethren, (John 1:11)
5th - He was sold into slavery by his brethren, (Matt. 26:15)
6th - He became their saviour in a troubled time.
Listen Christian, whatever you believe about yourself, you have been given preferential treatment by your Father in heaven! You have been washed in the blood of Jesus, your name is written down in His "book of life," and you have been given the "cloak" of His Holy Spirit to cover you in all that you do.
More than this though, you are SENT to your brethren on this earth. They may sell you into slavery at times; but you can become their help for salvation in troubled times.
Live so you'll lead them to Jesus!
Love ya,
Bruce