Genesis 37:12-24 (ESV)

Now his brothers went to pasture their father's flock near Shechem. And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.” And he said to him, “Here I am.” So he said to him, “Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with the flock, and bring me word.” So he sent him from the Valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. And a man found him wandering in the fields. And the man asked him, “What are you seeking?” “I am seeking my brothers,” he said. “Tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock.” And the man said, “They have gone away, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.

They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him. They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer. Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams.” But when Reuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.” And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him”—that he might rescue him out of their hand to restore him to his father. So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore. And they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.

Jacob’s growing relationship with the LORD doesn’t prevent this dreadful conspiracy. That’s just chilling. Every Christian longs to see their faith transmitted to their loved ones, especially their children. Imagine things in your family going this badly! If Jacob had found out about what his sons were up to, it might have killed him – literally.

We aren’t given many specifics about how Jacob modeled his new found faith for his family (other than clearing out all the foreign gods) but they must have seen the altars and other things he built for the LORD. Surely they were also told of the covenant blessings they’re heir to. It’s just gut-wrenching to think how totally ineffective that was. His sons are truly evil at this point (except for Reuben, who plots to save Joseph).

This great sin sets the stage for a great repentance. That’s how Jacob’s faith does, eventually, get transmitted to his sons. Funny how that works.

Jacob’s failure to transmit his faith to his kids while they were young becomes the cornerstone of how it’s transmitted so effectively and completely in the end.

Let’s lift up our unbelieving relatives. As Genesis keeps illustrating, we can’t control faith. Still, we are called to pray for our unbelieving loved ones. Our prayers glorify God and He honors them – though his timing can be intriguing.

Take heart. As discouraging as some situations are, they can’t be much worse than what these boys were up to. Everyone’s path to faith is a glorious “come from behind” miracle finish. Some more than others.

The weekly study guides, which include discussion questions, are available for download here:

https://www.ailbe.org/resources/itemlist/category/91-deep-studies