JOSEPH#2

Pastor Christopher Choo

Lesson 3598

JOSEPH#2

Joseph's family was dysfunctional from a lack of parental skills.

Jacob ignored issues that called for decisive action. Rachel and Leah spent more time trying to outdo each other than creating a stable, nurturing environment.

A child from such a family would suffer rejection without knowing it. 

Jacob was 91 when Joseph was born, 108 when Joseph was sold into slavery. He loved Joseph above the others because he was 

" the son of his old age" ( Gen.37:3 ). 

But why?

1. He was the child of Rachel - the woman he adored above all others.

2. Jacob was not even subtle in his affection for Joseph or Rachel.  He put Rachel and Joseph last in the rear to meet Esau ( Gen.33:1-2 ). Jacob was willing to jeopardize the rest of his family to keep Rachel and Joseph from harm.

His brothers felt rejected by their father, and Joseph was, in turn, rejected by his brothers. Everyone had a reason to feel insecure.

Today's lesson is clear: there are no winners when one child is shown preference.

Even so, kindly remember their parents also exposed their children to a godly, spiritual heritage - which helped Joseph in Egypt to mature spiritually.

Jacob may not have been the ideal parent but his life was being transformed by God - just as his name was changed from Jacob ( 'supplanter' ) to Israel ( 'he will rule' ).

But there comes a time when we must take responsibility for our actions and accept the cost. We can no longer blame others even our parents, circumstances, location, finances, upbringing, or God.

We cannot change the past, but we can use the experiences of our past to help us make wise choices for the future.

Joseph is our best example. Even if his heritage was often lacking, he chose a life of obedience, character, and integrity. Unlike his brothers, he somehow understood the fear of the Lord in spite of his upbringing.