Bible ReadingGenesis 37 “Jacob lived in the land of his father's sojournings, in the land of Canaan. These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors. But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him. Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. He said to them, 'Hear this dream that I have dreamed: Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.' His brothers said to him, 'Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?' So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words. Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, 'Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.' But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, 'What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?' And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind. Now his brothers went to pasture their father's flock near Shechem. And Israel said to Joseph, 'Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.' And he said to him, 'Here I am.' So he said to him, 'Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with the flock, and bring me word.' So he sent him from the Valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. And a man found him wandering in the fields. And the man asked him, 'What are you seeking?' 'I am seeking my brothers,' he said. 'Tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock.' And the man said, 'They have gone away, for I heard them say, "Let us go to Dothan."' So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan. They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him. They said to one another, 'Here comes this dreamer. Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams.' But when Reuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, 'Let us not take his life.' And Reuben said to them, 'Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him'—that he might rescue him out of their hand to restore him to his father. So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore. And they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it. Then they sat down to eat. And looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. Then Judah said to his brothers, 'What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.' And his brothers listened to him. Then Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt. Then Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, and he tore his clothes and returned to his brothers and said, 'The boy is gone, and I, where shall I go?' Then they took Joseph's robe and slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. And they sent the robe of many colors and brought it to their father and said, 'This we have found; please identify whether it is your son's robe or not.' And he identified it and said, 'It is my son's robe. A fierce animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces.' Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, 'No, I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.' Thus his father wept for him. Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.”
[28:20]Luke 23:34 “And Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’ And they cast lots to divide his garments.”
[01:08:22]Ephesians 4:26 “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,”
Matthew 18:21-22 “Then Peter came up and said to him, ‘Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.’”
Observation questions- In Genesis 37, what details made Jacob’s favoritism toward Joseph visible to the whole family, not just something felt in private? [39:50]
- What does the passage say happened to the brothers’ speech before their hatred turned violent, and why is that detail important? [54:20]
- What do Joseph’s two dreams have in common, and how do his brothers and father each respond to them? [59:32]
- What steps do the brothers take from the moment they see Joseph coming to the moment they bring the bloody robe back to Jacob? [01:04:47]
Interpretation questions- Joseph’s dreams were not just youthful ambition but something God was beginning to lay on his life. What does that suggest about how God may reveal a calling before a person fully understands it? [56:50]
- The brothers hated Joseph long before they sold him. What does this chapter show about how envy and resentment grow over time inside a heart? [55:24]
- The brothers tried to destroy Joseph and silence the dream, yet Egypt became part of the road God used. How does this shape the way suffering and human evil should be understood in light of God’s purpose? [01:06:44]
- Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them,” without pretending evil was good. How does that help define what forgiveness is and what forgiveness is not? [01:08:22]
Application questions- Favoritism can poison love inside a family. Where has comparison, feeling overlooked, or being treated differently left a mark on the heart, and how has that shaped present relationships? [39:50]
- Hatred often first shows up in the mouth. Is there someone toward whom kind words have become difficult, forced, or absent? What might that reveal about what is going on deeper in the heart? [54:20]
- Old family wounds can keep ruling the present if they are left alone. What relationship brings up the strongest resentment right now, and what would it look like to begin bringing that wound honestly before Christ? [01:08:22]
- God’s purpose is not canceled by betrayal, loss, or years of confusion. Where does life still feel like a pit or a long road to Egypt, and what would it mean to believe that God is fully aware of it? [01:06:44]
- Forgiveness does not mean calling evil good. Is there a hurt that still feels too serious to forgive? What makes it hard to release, and how might Jesus’ words from the cross speak into that struggle? [01:08:22]
- Scripture says, “Be angry and do not sin.” When anger rises, what usually pushes it toward sin—silence, sharp words, replaying the offense, or something else? How can that pattern be interrupted sooner?
- Jesus speaks of forgiving again and again. Is there someone who must be forgiven repeatedly because the memory keeps returning? What helps keep forgiveness from becoming just a one-time statement with no heart behind it?
