Did you grow up with brothers and sisters? Did you ever feel like they were the favorite? I would say at times I did. I was the oldest and that always has its own perks. Yet, I was good at testing the waters and trying to stay out of trouble while doing it. I wasn’t always successful and my younger brother was able to learn from my mistakes. He seemed to get all the breaks that I always hoped for.
We all have different family dynamics, and in today’s reading, we see that Joseph, while not the youngest, is seemingly the favorite. The text comes right out and says that Joseph was Jacob’s favorite. I have tried not to have favorites between our children. For me, I have a favorite child to cook with, to watch a football game with, to play music with, and to go shopping with. But overall, no favorites. I love them all equally. Continue reading “Genesis 37:1-11 – The Favorite”
I’ve never really been a fan of reading through genealogies in the Bible, and yet tracing my own family history has been intriguing. In fact, in my college freshman J-term, I took a course in it. My maternal grandmother had done a lot of the work on that side of the family already, so I was able to build on that and compile other data as well. It was fascinating, and it will help the generations to come to know who they are related to. In fact, on my father’s side, we would have reunions every 5 years of the relatives related to the original couple that came to the U.S. from Norway. We often had hundreds of cousins gathered for what has now turned into a weekend event! 
Jacob lost two of his loved ones in today’s short reading. And, we see that Jacob’s oldest son, Reuben sinned against him by sleeping with Jacob’s concubine, the mother to two of his brothers. Interesting family dynamic to be sure. Not a lot of emphasis was placed on this act, but be watching for consequences down the road.
Having just had a family crisis, it was time for Jacob to move his family. God told them where. Following the defilement comes purification. It was time for the idols to go. Jacob didn’t want his family and household to have any reminders of pagan gods or good luck charms to distract. It was time to focus on God alone.
It’s not often we hear of a rapist falling in love and wanting to marry his victim. One thing is for sure, Dinah’s brothers were very protective of her and her reputation. I was a little surprised though in their deceitful behavior.
