Year of the Bible: Part Two of Twelve Sample

Joseph: From Beloved Son to Enslaved Nobody.

In a tragic twist, Joseph is sold into slavery after first being the focus of a murderous plot by his brothers, crafted to get rid of him. The actions by Joseph's brothers bear the fruit of a failure on the part of their father, Jacob. As mentioned yesterday, Jacob failed to step into the rightful role of a loving father to lead his family and train up his children in fear of the Lord. The result of this failure is for his sons to repeat and imitate the worst of their mother's sins: rejection, jealousy, rivalry, and deceit.

God is always inviting you to walk in relationship with Him, and from that place, teach others to walk with Him. If you reject the invitation, pursuing instead a twisted form of freedom called independence, you, like Jacob, could end up attempting to decide for yourself what is the best way forward, missing the point and causing damage in the lives of those you love.

The dysfunction of Jacob's sons finds its roots in Jacobs's inaction in disciplining his sons and in his favoritism shown to Joseph. The consequences of his actions were rejection, jealousy, rivalry, and deceit. It's interesting to note that Jacob's actions directly and negatively impacted Joseph, the son he favored the most, which was the exact opposite of what he had desired for him.

Question: Are there patterns in your life and family that you want God's help to change? Maybe it's how you deal [or don't deal] with conflict, making your desires and dreams known, asking hard questions, or even expressing your genuine love to your family.

Prayer Focus: We need God's help. Ask God to search your heart to reveal how you fulfill your role as a parent, child, sibling, or friend. Seek to emulate the model of parenting our Father God demonstrates. He is merciful, loving, kind, and purposeful in His discipline [teaching] so that you may continue to be changed into the very likeness of Jesus.