January 25 Daily Devotional

Genesis 37

Of the twelve sons Jacob loved one more than the others. It was Joseph, the oldest son of Rachel. He was a good and obedient boy. Joseph tried to do what was right while his older brothers were not so careful, and their wrongdoing brought much pain to Jacob’s heart. Joseph told his father about the mischief of his brothers. This made them angry, and more so when Jacob gave Joseph a beautiful coat of many colors. They hated him and could not speak kindly to him.

Once Joseph had a strange dream, which he told to his brothers. He dreamed they were in the field, binding grain into bundles, and his sheaf stood up, while all the rest of the sheaves came and bowed down to his. A little later he reported another dream to them, I dreamed that I saw the sun, and the moon and eleven stars, all came and bowed down before me.

Soon after the dreams, Joseph’s brothers had gone to pasture their flocks at Shechem, some distance away from Jacob’s home. One day the father sent Joseph to them. When they saw him coming they said, “Behold this dreamer cometh … Let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hast devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.” But Reuben said, “Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness.” When he came near, they took off his beautiful coat and cast him into the pit. Then they sat down to eat. And they lifted up their eyes and saw Ishmaelites coming with their camels, bearing spicery and balm down to Egypt. Judah said, “What profit is it if we slay our brother? … Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites.” So they sold him for twenty pieces of silver.

Reuben, the oldest brother, had not been present when Joseph was sold. When he came back and did not find him he thought that his brothers had killed him. He cried, “The child is not, and I, whither shall I go?” The brothers now killed a goat and dipped Joseph’s coat in the blood and sent it to the father saying, “This have we found: know now whether it be thy son’s coat or no.” When Jacob saw the coat he knew it, and sorrowfully he cried, “It is my son’s coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces.” He mourned for his son many days. And his sons and daughters tried to comfort him, but it was of no use, He said, “I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning.”