Jealously Damages Our Relationships
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Well, here we are, the first Sunday of 2021. God has allowed us to see the beginning of a new year, isn’t that wonderful?
And I must say what a joy it is to see you all!
I am truly blessed, I’m blessed by each day the Lord gives me, so very thankful to stand and preach the Word of God, and to share that word with you my friends.
Now with this being the first Sunday of a New Year, we begin a new sermon series.
We will be walking our way through the life of Joseph. Joseph is a complex and key character in the Bible and is used by God to first ensure that not only do God’s people live in a very difficult time....
And secondly, Joseph is used to fulfill Scripture as well. You see Joseph will be a picture of Jesus in the OT, a deliverer if you will, saving the children of God, even in the midst of their sin.
So this morning we are going to the Old Testament book of Genesis, and find chapter 37, we will look at the first 11 verses...
1 Jacob lived in the land of his father’s sojournings, in the land of Canaan.
2 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. 3 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. 4 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.
5 Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. 6 He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed: 7 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.” 8 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.
9 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.” 10 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?” 11 And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.
Jacob, also known as Israel is living in the land of Canaan, the land promised to his grandfather Abraham by God, Genesis chapter 12.
Jacob has had quite the journey in life if you will, loving one woman immensely, to only be given her sister Leah instead. That didn’t stop Jacob, He continued to work for the love of his life, Rachel. Through these 2 women and their handmaidens: Bilhah and Zilpah), he produced 12 sons, but I think we could say he probably loves Rachel’s children a little more, especially Joseph.
Now Joseph is a special character, his life is full of ups and downs and it is marvelous to see just how God is using the ups and downs of his life for His glory and the good of Joseph’s family.
So what can we discover from these 11 verses and what will God seek to show us.
I want to share these three thoughts with you … Sorry no alliteration on this one.
1.) Great Relationships, 2.) Wonderful Position and 3.) God’s Favor.
So lets look at this first point this morning....
1. Great Relationships...
1. Great Relationships...
So let look at this, I bring this thought to mind to share with you something that we will see more than once in the Scriptures that Joseph had great relationships in life, He had great relationships with many different people throughout his life. The first of which we could consider is with His father, Jacob.
Jacob loved Joseph. He was the first born son to Rachel, the woman He loved more than the rest.
Lets go back to verses 3 here in the Scriptures
1 Jacob lived in the land of his father’s sojournings, in the land of Canaan.
2 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. 3 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.
I want you to know there as always been contention in this family, some wanting more than the others, frustrations over who was more important and who was better. Jealously my friends is a evil trait of the devil to ruin people and the relationships with those around them.
Consider this.. Reuben is first born, He is due more than all the rest socially, His voice, position and power within the family should have been great.
Reuben couldn’t save Joseph from His brothers jealously and hatred. While they may not have killed him, they couldn’t bring Joseph home safely to his father
And looking back later in life, when Joseph is already in Egypt, Reuben, who is the could not persuade his father later on to release Benjamin to travel on down to Egypt which we will talk more about later on, but Judah did… So in some was, Judah held more of his father’s ear than the first born, Reuben.
Reuben the first born had no power, his relationship wasn’t respected by others. He had poor relationships...
And consider Joseph...verses 1-2 tell us he was 17 and His father has sent him out to check on the other brothers, to see if they are doing what the ole man wanted them to be doing..
Joseph while 17, his relationship with the Father keep him close to him, maybe not serving as some of the other brothers did, He had a great relationship with His Father..
But verse 2 says that Joseph brought back a bad report, literally means disparaging . So Joseph could be viewed one or two ways , the brothers probably saw him as the pesky tattletale and Jacob may have seen him as a responsible son, following the Father’s wishes.
Now Jacob, as I mentioned loved Joseph, and the Scripture says he and by implication Benjamin were sons in His old age. What does that mean...
Now this is an interesting phrase because “age” isn’t the true matter here, it is the miracle of birth after many years of marriage. It is the true work of God in their lives and Jacob cherished that, he loved that God had shown mercy to the woman he loved so much, Rachel.
If you remember Isaac, the son of Abraham, was indeed a son in His old age. But the truth is that he was a son of God’s own will to bless this couple and give them a wonderful child that would also fulfill the will of God.
We see this in Luke chapter 1, Zechariah is given the promise of a son in His old age, since they had never had children.
Jacob loved Rachel, and her children probably more than the rest because after many years she bore him two sons, and Jacob probably cherished those two boys all the more with the untimely death of Rachel.
This truth of Jacob’s love is the beginning of a great relationships in Joseph life.
Let me ask you about your relationships, it is easy for them to grow calloused if we are not careful. It’s easy for jealously to slip in…
We must protect our relationship with God and with each other. if God blesses a brother or sister in a different way than you… don’t sit there and say why didn’t I get something like that.. Instead thank God for showing them favor and realize we will you as well as you live for Him.
Be careful with all your relationships, especially your relationship with God.
And then secondly,
2. A Wonderful Position....
2. A Wonderful Position....
I give you this thought, Joseph had a wonderful position with his father Jacob, and with God as well. But lets concentrate for the moment with Jacob.
Now I am not saying Jacob didn’t love his other children, but it appears he had favorites… Joseph was clearly the greatest of these… and He gained a wonderful position.
Let go back to verses 3 and 4
3 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. 4 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.
Because of this great relationship, and the position he shared, His father awarded him a great gift, a gift that revealed his position.
Jacob made his son Joseph a coat of many colors… Now consider this the coat of many colors is a coat that is richly ornamented, beautifully crafted, designed and made for Him and him alone.
Wow, al the sons have robes, but being colorful, rich and beautifully made, one would think Joseph was a a member of royalty.
And here is what that coat did… it really set Jacob apart from everyone else. The one who was next to last being born is suddenly standing higher in statue than anyone else in the family.
Joseph is loved and is rewarded by His father more than any of the other brothers, I guess we could say he was the favorite.
Wow… what a blessings my friends.
And while Joseph was blessed, His brothers were angry.
And again we see the old hateful trait called Jealously....
Let me take you to the Scriptures again my friends.... Look at verse 4
4 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 remember there is strife already in this family, His first wife, Leah was not loved. She was forced upon Jacob by Laban in trickery… and to prove the truth that Leah was unloved, Jacob worked an additional 7 years for Laban to secure his love, Rachael.
So these two children of Rachael, Joseph first and then Benjamin, these remember were the children born in His own age. A miracle if you will like Isaac was a miracle of God to Abraham and Sarah.
Now some may reject the idea of a miracle, but I would challenge, they are advanced in years like Zechariah and Elizabeth, and Abraham and Sarah. God has indeed blessed Jacob and opened Rachael’s womb.
God was at work, He was on the move if you will in the historical setting of His chosen people as they move in His ways.
This coat, this realization that He is favored, loved more than most of the rest… it provoked jealously…
They hated him. the word is (sa-ne) in the Hebrew, it means to detest, to loathe, they didn’t even want to breath the same air as he did...
The final portion of verse 4 speaks to the measure of it… “…and could not speak peacefully to him.”
The idea there is just that greeting of “Shalom”, the idea of walk ing past a person and saying peace to you my brother, they could even play nice in regard to Him.
Jealousy had ruined it....My friends if we are not careful, jealously can ruin our lives. And think about out easy it can come in...
Someone gets something new and you didn’t or can’t instead of being happy for the person… you talk bad about them and it
Someone is promoted ahead of you, you not happy, yo keep telling yourself I deserved that, I’m better than they are… Do we ever think God knows our needs and the direction He as for us… all in good time.
I mean that list can go on and on… and man it just east at us and my friends it ruins us, it drives of deeply into sin and what that jealously does two things.
Ruins our relationship with the person 2. More importantly, it ruins our relationship with our heavenly Father...
Joseph was given a wonderful position, no one really understood all that this coat meant for his future…
And I want to stress my friends to you, no matter our place in life, do not let jealously find refuge in your heart.
Now just one last thought for today my friends....
3. God’s Favor...
3. God’s Favor...
Here is one of the most unique situations my friends that a person can experience in this life, it is the wondrous opportunity to have God’s favor to rest upon you.
God’s favor speaks to a demonstrated delight God has upon a person, God is blessing and working in that person’s life.
We can see it all through Joseph's life, in the good and the bad events that befall him… God has His hand upon His life...
Now let’s go back to the last portion of our text today...
lets look at verses 5 to 8
5 Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. 6 He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed: 7 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.” 8 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.
So during the night, as Joseph slept that God spoke to Joseph in a dream and the nature of the dream made his brothers hate Joseph all the more.
Now that is one of the ways God speaks to us, he addresses us verbally at times, I believe it is possible to hear His voice. It believer He speaks to us through the word of God, through others and through dreams and prophecies.
So God sent a message to Joseph. The dream we understand is a prophetic vision of Joseph’s future and it did involve his family.
Now perhaps Joseph probably didn’t share it carefully, perhaps being a little excited about the nature of it.. we don’t know… We don’t even know why He shared it but being 17 he is probably to excited about what he has seen by the Lord’s help.’
The dream said they were gathering and binding sheaves of grain, and there as they were doing this, his arose, was in a tall and uplifted status and the others, that represented the brothers even his own Father were bowing to him.
It made the brothers mad… they didn’t want to hear that Joseph, who was one of the youngest, the son the Father loved more than them would rule and reign over them… Now we know this all will be fulfilled in the days to come as Joseph ministers in Egypt years in the future.
but jealously is the problem again, they hated him all the more..
And if you look again to verses 9 to 11, we see another dream. Look at verses 9 to 11.
9 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.” 10 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?” 11 And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.
This dream is a little more intense, Joseph shares again the sun, moon and 11 stars were bowing down to him…
But when he told it to Jacob, even he rebuked him saying “Shall I and your other and your brothers bow ourselves to the ground before you..”Verse 10.
These dreams are one in the same, like Pharaoh's dreams in the days to come with Joseph in the land of Egypt.
And of course this second dream, while it does reference His family and His roles reversed in the days to come… but the sun moon and stars illustrate that all the heaven will witness what God is doing...
Verse 11 says His brothers were jealous of him for it…
My friends the more Joseph prospered, the more it seemed that he was rising up, His brothers couldn’t stand it… Think about that, jealously ruining their relationships...
It always damages our relationships with man and with each other...
What is more interesting is that Jacob kept all this in his mind… He understood perhaps something was happening here from above, like the night he wrestled with God. He doesn’t know or understand what is happening with Joseph, but he knows something is happening.
It makes me think of Mary as the shepherds visited and told her what the angels had said, she stored these things in her heart. She didn’t understand it all, but she understood God was at work.
God’s favor rested on Joseph. His life wouldn’t be easy but God was at work in Him
Here my friends is the greatest lesson of Joseph,life isn’t easy but God is at work in us, His favor rests on his people.
Don’t allow all that God intends to do in your be sidelined by jealously and sin, instead of looking so much at what is happening in the life of another, instead keep your eyes and heart on God and what He is telling you to do, trusting Him that He is able to accomplish what he has set forth in in you.
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