Genesis 37

"They saw him in the distance, and before he had reached them, they plotted to kill him."
Genesis 37:18

We're all pretty familiar with the story of Joseph and his colorful robe.  In this chapter, Joseph's brothers become jealous because he is the most-beloved son, and because he has dreams in which his brothers and parents bow down before him.

Jealousy, by itself, is not a terrible thing.  What makes jealousy evil are the things it can cause us to do if we're unwise about handling it.  For example, I'm an extremely jealous husband!  I want my wife to be mine and nobody else's!  A bad way to handle this would be to lock her up or prevent her from ever going out and being seen by other men.  A good way to handle this is to trust her judgement and allow her the freedom to come and go at her leisure.

What makes Joseph's brothers' jealousy unhealthy?  Is it wrong to want your father to love you the way he loves your brother?  No.  But it is wrong to even think about murdering your brother because of that jealousy.  Only Reuben was man enough to overcome his jealousy and ask that his brothers not kill Joseph.  Instead, they threw him into a pit and then sold him into slavery.  Then, they lied to their father, showing him a robe soaked in the blood of an animal, and leading him to believe that Joseph had been mauled and eaten.

Prayer of the Day

Clear my heart of all unclean thoughts.  Help me to see through jealousy and act instead out of grace and compassion.  Direct my thoughts away from evil, and towards holiness.  Amen.