‘Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him.’ Genesis 37:5 NKJV
The story of Joseph teaches that success can cause others to mistreat you. Not everyone will celebrate your success, including some of those closest to you. When Jesus’ fame began to spread, the first people to reject Him were from the town He grew up in. It caused Him to say, ‘A prophet is not without honour except in his own country.’ (Matthew 13:57 NKJV)
The Bible says of Joseph, ‘His brothers envied him.’ (Genesis 37:11 NKJV) There it is—envy! When God blesses you, those who feel left out may target you. Some may feel more worthy and deserving, and that your blessing came at their expense. That’s how Cain felt when he murdered his brother Abel. That’s how King Saul felt when David killed Goliath and the people sang, ‘Saul has killed thousands, but David has killed tens of thousands.’ (1 Samuel 29:5 GNT) Shortly afterwards Saul started throwing spears at David. And the spear left his hand only to plunge into his own heart. That’s because envy is like a boomerang; it comes back to hurt the one who throws it. When their father threw a party to celebrate the homecoming of his prodigal son, the older brother said, ‘These many years I have served you yet you never gave me a feast.’ (Luke 15:29 AMPC) He made three mistakes we often make:
(a) He compared himself to his brother.
(b) He exposed his brother’s sins and shortcomings.
(c) He failed to appreciate the extent of his father’s love for him and the blessings he had bestowed on him.
So learn from his mistakes.
SoulFood: Isa 4–7, Luke 1:11–25, Ps 90:7–17, Pro 1:5–9
The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright 2023
