Читать книгу Boyd's Commentary - R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation - Страница 16

It has been said, “Family is where life begins and love never ends.” That being the case, who or what is to blame for the love lost between Joseph and his brothers? Clearly the plot to kill Joseph implicates his older brothers as the primary reason for what caused the love to fade. Certainly they are to blame, but are they the only ones? What about Joseph? Though he was the victim, could he also have contributed to his own misfortune?

Most of us grew up learning about Joseph being morally superior to his brothers. This wasn’t so. Joseph was not perfect and had flaws like everyone else. For example, Joseph leveraged his father’s favoritism in an unwise way. He was a tattletale, if not an outright slanderer of his brothers (Gen. 37:2). He accepted and wore the outward symbol of his father’s partiality. Perhaps, the greatest insult was when Joseph chose to tell his brothers, prematurely, of his dreams that seemed to imply he would rule over the family. So, in addition to his brothers, Joseph was also complicit in the love lost in the family.

Consider also the complicity of their father. Though he didn’t have a major role in Joseph’s narrative, Jacob’s contribution to the family’s dysfunction and subsequent loss of love among them was just as significant, if not more so. He purposely favored Joseph over the rest of his sons without regard of the consequence in so doing. Instead of addressing the tension between them, Jacob doubled down in his favoritism by making Joseph a special coat. For Joseph, the coat was the physical representation of his father’s favor, but for his brothers it was a constant sign that Joseph, not them, would receive the birthright blessing.

They all were responsible for the lost love, though not equally. When love is lost in the family, it is incumbent that everyone involved take ownership and responsibility to address the dysfunction. There usually is enough blame to go around. The good news in this passage is that family dysfunction can be overcome with love as the foundation. Joseph exhibited this type of love and saved his family from total destruction. His relationship with God made all the difference. When we turn to God, He will help us to do what is right.

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SEPTEMBER 7–13, 2020