more family dysfunction

Good morning brothers and sisters,
When we last heard about Jacob he was about to meet his brother Esau after many years apart. He sent presents ahead to soften his brother up since he was afraid his brother would still be angry about Jacob stealing his birth right and blessing. Their reunion turns out to be touchingly friendly. Esau immediately embraces Jacob and obviously forgives him. Jacob in a moment of humility says that to see Esau's face is like seeing the face of God since he has been favorably received. Shortly afterward the brothers go their separate ways and Jacob settles in Canaan, the land God promised would eventually be home to Abraham's descendants.

Now we see how Jacob's family grows up. If we remember, Jacob's favorite wife, Rachel, only had two sons, one of whom, Benjamin, is either not born yet or very young. Joseph is her Rachel's sons and his other sons Leah's and the two servants, Bilhah and Zilpah. This story is important because eventually it will bring Jacob's family into Egypt, setting up their slavery and the exodus, which is really the birth of Israel as a nation.

God bless,
Sam

Genesis 37:1-12

Jacob settled in the land where his father had lived as an alien, the land of Canaan. 2This is the story of the family of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was shepherding the flock with his brothers; he was a helper to the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. 3Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his children, because he was the son of his old age; and he had made him a long robe with sleeves. 4But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him.



5Once Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. 6He said to them, “Listen to this dream that I dreamed. 7There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright; then your sheaves gathered around it, and bowed down to my sheaf.” 8His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Are you indeed to have dominion over us?” So they hated him even more because of his dreams and his words. 9He had another dream, and told it to his brothers, saying, “Look, I have had another dream: the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 10But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him, and said to him, “What kind of dream is this that you have had? Shall we indeed come, I and your mother and your brothers, and bow to the ground before you?” 11So his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.