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. (37:2–3)
Joseph was his father’s favourite, and his brothers knew it. That is a pretty bad foundation for the relationship between Joseph and his brothers. People fault Joseph for “tattling” (bringing a bad report) on the brothers who pastured the flock with him, but as we don’t know the context (were they doing things that would be harmful to the flock?) we can’t really know.
We do know that Joseph had two dreams where it seemed that his parents and siblings were bowing down to him, and it was probably unwise that he told his brothers these dreams. They were already jealous and resentful. They were so resentful that they plotted to kill him. Reuben persuaded them to throw Joseph in a pit, instead of killing him, and planned to rescue him later. However, while Reuben was gone, the other brothers ended up selling him to some Ishmaelite traders who were going down to Egypt. Reuben, when he found out, was distraught. The brothers took Joseph’s robe and put some goat blood on it, and showed it to their father who, assuming Joseph was dead, mourned deeply for him.
I am sure that Joseph was distraught as well. He was taken to Egypt and sold to Potiphar, an officer of Pharoah, the captain of his guard.
Note that it’s not necessary to share every dream, vision, prophetic insight, or even every thought we have with others. I tend to be a little more on the sharing side, forgetting to ask God if this or that is to share, and if so, when. We need discretion, discernment, wisdom.
Regarding favoritism: We might get along better with some people than others in a certain group or like some people better than others in that group—even in our own family—but we would do well not to show favoritism. It is harmful. At the same time, we need to be careful that in our effort not to show favoritism, we treat the one that we secretly favor, more harshly. I have seen that happen. And in any instances where we are the object of favoritism, let us not lord it over others, but rather let us try to lift others up.
Prayer: Lord, God, may I have wisdom in what I share with others and what I don’t, and help me not to show favoritism in any group that I am involved with. Amen.
