Joseph’s Dreams and His Brothers’ Betrayal (Genesis 37:1-36)
Have you ever felt like someone didn’t like you just because you were different or because you had something special? That’s exactly what happened to Joseph in Genesis 37. His story reminds us that even when life feels unfair and people hurt us, God is still in control and working out a bigger plan.
Let’s walk through what happened.
Joseph’s Special Place in the Family
Joseph was one of Jacob’s twelve sons, and he had a special place in his father’s heart. Joseph was born to Jacob in his old age, and Jacob loved him more than all his other sons. To show his love, Jacob gave Joseph a beautiful robe, full of many colors.
This special attention made Joseph’s brothers very jealous. They could see that their father loved Joseph more, and because of that, they couldn’t even speak kindly to him. Their hearts were full of anger and bitterness.
Joseph’s Dreams
On top of that, Joseph had some strange dreams. In one dream, he and his brothers were tying up bundles of grain in a field. Suddenly, Joseph’s bundle stood up, and his brothers’ bundles gathered around and bowed down to his.
Then Joseph had another dream. This time, the sun, moon, and eleven stars all bowed down to him.
When Joseph told his family about his dreams, it only made things worse. His brothers hated him even more, and even his father wondered what the dreams could mean. Joseph didn’t mean any harm, but his dreams made his brothers even angrier.
The Brothers’ Betrayal
One day, Jacob sent Joseph to check on his brothers who were tending sheep far away. When the brothers saw Joseph coming, wearing his colorful robe, they saw a chance to get rid of him. First, they talked about killing him. But Reuben, the oldest brother, talked them out of it. Instead, he suggested they throw Joseph into a pit, planning to rescue him later.
While Reuben was gone, the brothers saw a group of traders traveling to Egypt. They decided to sell Joseph to them as a slave. The brothers got twenty pieces of silver for Joseph, and the traders took him away to Egypt.
Covering Up the Crime
When Reuben returned and found the pit empty, he was devastated. But it was too late—Joseph was gone.
The brothers then came up with a plan to cover up what they had done. They took Joseph’s beautiful robe, dipped it in goat’s blood, and brought it to their father. They let Jacob believe that a wild animal had killed Joseph.
Jacob was heartbroken. He tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and mourned deeply for his son. He refused to be comforted, saying he would mourn until he died.
What We Can Learn
Joseph’s story teaches us some important lessons:
- Jealousy leads to harm: When we let jealousy grow in our hearts, it can lead to anger, hatred, and hurtful actions.
- God’s plans are bigger than human mistakes: Even though Joseph’s brothers did something terrible, God would use it for good. Joseph’s journey to Egypt was the beginning of a bigger plan to save many lives.
- Honesty matters: The brothers’ lie caused deep pain. Lies often cause more hurt than we realize.
Final Thoughts
Joseph’s story reminds us that even when life feels unfair, God is still at work behind the scenes. Joseph didn’t deserve to be betrayed, but God would turn his pain into something powerful and good.
Think about this: How can you choose kindness and trust God even when things seem unfair?
Remember, God can use even the hardest moments in our lives for a greater purpose. Keep trusting Him—you never know what amazing plan He might be working on for you!
Genesis 37:1-36 (WEB)
37:1 Jacob lived in the land of his father’s travels, in the land of Canaan. 2 This is the history of the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. Joseph brought an evil report of them to their father. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age, and he made him a tunic of many colors. 4 His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, and they hated him, and couldn’t speak peaceably to him.5 Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brothers, and they hated him all the more. 6 He said to them, “Please hear this dream which I have dreamed: 7 for behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and behold, your sheaves came around, and bowed down to my sheaf.”8 His brothers asked him, “Will you indeed reign over us? Will you indeed have dominion over us?” They hated him all the more for his dreams and for his words. 9 He dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his brothers, and said, “Behold, I have dreamed yet another dream: and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars bowed down to me.” 10 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? Will I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves down to the earth before you?” 11 His brothers envied him, but his father kept this saying in mind.12 His brothers went to feed their father’s flock in Shechem. 13 Israel said to Joseph, “Aren’t your brothers feeding the flock in Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them.” He said to him, “Here I am.”14 He said to him, “Go now, see whether it is well with your brothers, and well with the flock; and bring me word again.” So he sent him out of the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. 15 A certain man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field. The man asked him, “What are you looking for?”16 He said, “I am looking for my brothers. Tell me, please, where they are feeding the flock.”17 The man said, “They have left here, for I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’ ”Joseph went after his brothers, and found them in Dothan. 18 They saw him afar off, and before he came near to them, they conspired against him to kill him. 19 They said to one another, “Behold, this dreamer comes. 20 Come now therefore, and let’s kill him, and cast him into one of the pits, and we will say, ‘An evil animal has devoured him.’ We will see what will become of his dreams.”21 Reuben heard it, and delivered him out of their hand, and said, “Let’s not take his life.” 22 Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but lay no hand on him”—that he might deliver him out of their hand, to restore him to his father. 23 When Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the tunic of many colors that was on him; 24 and they took him, and threw him into the pit. The pit was empty. There was no water in it.25 They sat down to eat bread, and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing spices and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt. 26 Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? 27 Come, and let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites, and not let our hand be on him; for he is our brother, our flesh.” His brothers listened to him. 28 Midianites who were merchants passed by, and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. The merchants brought Joseph into Egypt.29 Reuben returned to the pit, and saw that Joseph wasn’t in the pit; and he tore his clothes. 30 He returned to his brothers, and said, “The child is no more; and I, where will I go?” 31 They took Joseph’s tunic, and killed a male goat, and dipped the tunic in the blood. 32 They took the tunic of many colors, and they brought it to their father, and said, “We have found this. Examine it, now, and see if it is your son’s tunic or not.”33 He recognized it, and said, “It is my son’s tunic. An evil animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces.” 34 Jacob tore his clothes, and put sackcloth on his waist, and mourned for his son many days. 35 All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. He said, “For I will go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” His father wept for him. 36 The Midianites sold him into Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, the captain of the guard.