Genesis 37 "Joseph" Part 1

Genesis 37:1 "And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan."

First we need a summary of this very important and famous chapter. It seems to have all the elements of a good plot.

*Joseph is hated by his brethren v2
*His two dreams v5
*Jacob sendeth him to visit his brethren v13
*His brethren conspire his death v18
*Reuben saveth him v21
*They sell him to the Ishmaelites v26
*His father deceived by the bloody coat mourneth for him v31
*He is sold to Potiphar in Egypt v36

Joseph is a young man of 17 years old and most favored by his father. Those two elements alone put him in a bad spot. He was also trusted by his father to check up on things and bring him word. Another thing that made himunpopular with some of his brothers. The coat that Joseph wore was special. It was a coat of many colors made by and presented to him by his father. All these things combined to make Joseph's brothers hate him.

V4 "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."

To top that off, Joseph had vivid dreams and told them to his brothers which were the last straw. Joseph is sent by Jacob to check up on the flocks. Joseph went to Shechem which is where his father thought the flocks were being fed but it turns out the brothers had decided to go to Dothan v17. My thought is that Joseph had done more walking than he planned and might have been low on food and water. I don't know for sure. But he was found wondering and had to ask where the flocks were v16. He may have been in bad condition when the brothers saw him at a distance and conspired against him.

Reuben tried to save him by telling them to put him in a pit instead of killing him so he could go back later and get him to take him to Jacob v22. didn't work out though since the other brothers sold him before Reuben got back to him. Reuben was the firstborn and should have been respected by the others but he may have compromised his position by going to bed with one of the brother's mother(chapter 35 v22,25).

Joseph has been sold. First to the caravan (descendants of Ishmael) then to Potiphar and officer of Pharoah's and captain of the guard. v36.

Proverbs 143:3 "For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead."