⁣Genesis 37
Joseph grows up in a very dysfunctional home
Jacob had 4 wives & lots of children
Joseph had many brothers from multiple mothers
Great family drama
Jacob's favorite wife = Rachel but he had 3 others
Saying in the Middle East of why you need 4 wives
These wives all competed against one another
Sibling rivalry formed
One big dysfunctional family
Dinah
Genesis 34:1-2,
Dinah gets raped and brothers seek revenge
Jacob gets angry not because of the rape, or the brutatility of his sons but what it does to his image
Genesis 34:30-31
Jacob was a passive father
Genesis theme = Passive husbands & fathers create dysfunction
Adam & Eve
Abraham, Isaac & Jacob
Genesis teaches us 3 things about family life
1. Passive husbands/fathers lead to dysfunction in a family
When issues arise they must be dealt with
Sweeping them under the rug does not make them disappear
It causes a giant powder keg
US culture wants to create passive men
1940's teachers listed top issues
Talking out of turn, chewing gum, running in the halls
Recent survey of teachers
Drug abuse, suicide, robbery 7 assault
What changed?
Kids watch 4-5 hrs of TV per day; spend 35 min on average with dad
What advice for the ministry?
2. Dysfunction in a family will always produce jealousy in the family
Nothing is as cruel as jealousy
Solomon got it right when he said, “Jealousy is as cruel as the grave” (Song of Solomon 8:6)
Jealousy never corrects itself
3. Jealousy in a family leads to destruction in the family
This is what happened in Jacob's family
Joseph Dreams
Genesis 37:5.”
At 17 God gives Joseph a dream
Even in the midst of dysfunction Joseph had a relationship with God
You might be in a dysfunctional state of life but that doesn’t mean God can’t speak to you
Bible college - How do I know if it’s God?
God Still Speaks
Prayer is a dialogue not a monologue
God has not lost His voice
John 10:27 - My sheep know my voice
In order to hear you have to listen
Walkie Talkie
3 channels God speaks through
1. The Bible
Bible is a love letter
Every time you pick it up God is speaking to you
Get in the Word
2. Visions, Dreams, Images and Mental Pictures
Joel 2: 28
This still happens today
3. Audible Voice
Most rare but does happen
Sometimes soft
Other times loud
Begin listening for the voice of God
Proverbs 8:34
How to Test if it is from God
1. God's Voice will never contradict His Word
Psalm 89:34
2. God's voice will never tempt you to sin
Steal from your neighbor? Not God
Leave your wife for another married woman? Not God
James 1:13
3. God's voice will be confirmed by God's people
I will always share with those close to me
Proverbs 11:14
Joseph heard from God and then he tells his dysfunctional family
If you have ever shared with your family something from God it can sometimes go south
Joseph shares his dream and does not get a positive response from his super ultra competitive family
Be careful who you share your dreams with
Don't cast pearls before swine
Surround yourself with a Dream Team
The hatred in their heart towards Joseph will soon into tragedy
Unchecked hatred will eventually become a devastating action
That’s why the sermon last week is so important
Matthew 5:21-22
Anger in your heart creates a living hell
You can hear the jealousy and hatred in their voices
We always think we are Joseph, but many times we are like his brothers
Jealous of another's blessing or success
This robe that Joseph was wearing stood for everything they hated about Joseph and so it was the first thing to go
They then threw their younger brother down into this pit where he could not get out.
As their brother is in this pit they are eating a meal and some traders come by.
So instead of killing Joseph they decided to sell him and make some money off him. So here we have human trafficking taking place.
Imagine being Joseph. Here you are having done nothing wrong but you know find yourself in this pit and you are all of a sudden a slave on your way to Egypt.
Now here is Joseph; the man of God, called of God and given a dream at the age of seventeen.
He goes from a promise to a pit.
He has the whole world in front of him and he is ready to conquer it, but now he is a slave headed down to a foreign land where he does not speak the language, he is not used to the food and does not know how to act socially.
Everything in Joseph’s life has suddenly changed. Imagine the thoughts that were going through his mind: will I ever see my dad again?
Will I be killed when I get wherever they are taking me? What is going to happen to me?