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 manycolours. 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. Genesis 3:3-4Authorized (King James) Version (AKJV)
Suddenly Moses the writer of Genesis shifts the attention again to Jacob and gives us a reason for why he loved his eleventh son above the others.Some translations interpret this verse differently and some Hebrew scholars say that the original writings actually convey the fact that this love was moved by the fact that Joseph operated under a wisdom that was beyond his age. In other words, he was the kind of young man that made his earthly father proud. This has also been supported by the fact that there was still another son born after him.The man on the way to the Palace is one that is endowed with wisdom and surely one that makes his father proud.
Joseph was a favoured son and matters were made worse for him especially as his father flaunted his special love for him by giving him a coat of many colours. When I was much younger, I imagined this coat as having the several different colours of the rainbow but much study now has corrected my error.Commentators say that this coat was unlike what was worn by the everyday worker as it reaches to the ankles and wrists. This kind of coat was worn by heir apparent and royalty. Since the Bible tells us that Joseph worked,Joseph probably wore the coat at least once a week but everytime he wore the coat, he provoked envy. The reality of life is that not everyone is going to applaud our blessings. This is not to excuse Jacob for bad parenting as it is not right for parents to show favouritism in the family and considering his own particular household, he was just adding fuel to the already brewing fire of hostility, hatred and jealousy.
Suddenly Moses the writer of Genesis shifts the attention again to Jacob and gives us a reason for why he loved his eleventh son above the others.Some translations interpret this verse differently and some Hebrew scholars say that the original writings actually convey the fact that this love was moved by the fact that Joseph operated under a wisdom that was beyond his age. In other words, he was the kind of young man that made his earthly father proud. This has also been supported by the fact that there was still another son born after him.The man on the way to the Palace is one that is endowed with wisdom and surely one that makes his father proud.
Joseph was a favoured son and matters were made worse for him especially as his father flaunted his special love for him by giving him a coat of many colours. When I was much younger, I imagined this coat as having the several different colours of the rainbow but much study now has corrected my error.Commentators say that this coat was unlike what was worn by the everyday worker as it reaches to the ankles and wrists. This kind of coat was worn by heir apparent and royalty. Since the Bible tells us that Joseph worked,Joseph probably wore the coat at least once a week but everytime he wore the coat, he provoked envy. The reality of life is that not everyone is going to applaud our blessings. This is not to excuse Jacob for bad parenting as it is not right for parents to show favouritism in the family and considering his own particular household, he was just adding fuel to the already brewing fire of hostility, hatred and jealousy.
Another point to draw from here though is the fact that Jacob’s love for his son made him give something .We can give without loving(1 Corintians 13:3) but cannot love without giving (John 3:16) and giving does not have always have to be cash(1 John 3;16).
"Then they hated him and could not speak peaceably with him" Genesis 37:4b
If Joseph’s brothers were in any doubt of where their father’s affection lay, they had all doubts cleared when Jacob presented the coat of many colours to Joseph. Sometimes people hate us for reasons that cannot be helped and the man on the way to the palace is not bullied by the feelings of others towards his blessings.Some people walk around with their feelings on their sleeves and expect everyone else to acknowledge them.However, we have to love people enough to say “if you do not want to be happy, there is not much I can do about that as I can see it is your choice to be miserable but I will not join you to be”.
But this is a good time to also examine ourselves, perhaps for some of the people we are not getting along with, the issue may be that they have something we desire.This unfortunately may be the real reason we do not like them.If we believe that all good and perfect things come from above, then we should be ready to ask God who is the source(James 1:17)
Unlike the brothers of Joseph who so much desired a love their father was unable to give, we have a heavenly father who is able to love each one of us and is capable of meeting our desires(Romans 8:32). The Message).There is no need to hate people because of their blessings, all we have to do is to ask, yes, ask God(Matthew 7:7) who delights to give(Psalms 84:11).
In His Service,
Grace Tom-Lawyer.
"On the Way to the Palace" is still on broadcast every Saturday @11am GMT on Peace&Joy Radio .
Unlike the brothers of Joseph who so much desired a love their father was unable to give, we have a heavenly father who is able to love each one of us and is capable of meeting our desires(Romans 8:32). The Message).There is no need to hate people because of their blessings, all we have to do is to ask, yes, ask God(Matthew 7:7) who delights to give(Psalms 84:11).
In His Service,
Grace Tom-Lawyer.
"On the Way to the Palace" is still on broadcast every Saturday @11am GMT on Peace&Joy Radio .
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