The Penalties for Favoritism

With so much resentment and anger building up in the family, a crisis was imminent and would yield severe repercussions. Unresolved anger is dangerous since it doesn’t remain static but evolves into hatred.  Compassion and understanding diminish as deep-seated animosity forms to harden the heart. 

  

Joseph’s brothers were waiting for an opportunity to get revenge for Joseph’s flaunting his position as favorite son of their father. Joseph was special because his mother Rachel was the soulmate and love of Jacob’s life. Favoritism is inexcusable because it generates hatred and envy to the point of becoming explosive.

Hatred is dangerous because it can become lethal when projected onto others. The good news is that hatred can be neutralized by sincerely asking God to bless the one who is the object of your hatred. In your clearest, most distinct, audible voice, continuously ask God to bless the one you hate. God will cause hatred to dissolve so you can praise and thank him for the freedom you now possess.  

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“But I say to you who listen now to me, practice loving your enemies, practice doing good to those who hate you, continue to bless those who curse you, and continue to pray for those who abuse you.”

~LUKE 6:27-28 Williams

Favoritism: Creator of Jealousy and Envy

As it became obvious that Joseph was Jacob’s favorite son, the older boys’ hatred for Joseph and their father intensified. To make matters worse, Joseph shared his dreams of supremacy with his brothers. These dreams caused the brothers’ hatred and envy to escalate since they believed dreams foretold the future. 

 

Listen as Joseph taunted his brothers with his dream. "We were binding bundles of grain in the field when suddenly my bundles stood up while yours gathered around mine and bowed down to them." Imagine the brothers’ feelings when they asked, “So, do you intend to rule us?" Joseph fueled the fire of hatred by telling other similar dreams.

When Jacob gave Joseph a beautiful coat, his brothers resented the place of privilege Joseph enjoyed with their father. They coveted the love and affection Joseph received from Jacob. As we consider our relationship with God our Father, it’s important to believe God does not discriminate. His love is unfailing and is extended to everyone regardless of place or position. 

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Now as it happened, Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other children, because Joseph was born to him in his old age. So one day Jacob gave him a special gift – a brightly colored coat.

~GENESIS 37:3 The Living Bible

God doesn’t have any favorites!

~ROMANS 2:11 Contemporary English Version

The Awful Truth of Favoritism

Jacob was his mother’s favorite son, so he set up the same system with Joseph, his firstborn son with Rachel. The favoritism Jacob felt is stated in Genesis 37:3: “Now Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other sons and made him a beautiful ornate coat.” Jacob’s prejudice caused hatred and resentment to intensify between Joseph and his brothers. Hatred and resentment nourished by envy give rise to strife and alienation. 

Try to imagine parents today giving their youngest son or daughter an expensive sports car after passing down used family sedans to their older children. This favorite son or daughter is given credit cards while the older children work to pay for gas, insurance and repairs. 

Displaying favoritism hurts everyone. The favorite child often suffers from being indulged. If this child has a conscience, guilt will be an issue because he or she knows it isn't right. Parents have the responsibility to love their children with impartiality. God is impartial with us, so parents are summoned to follow his example.

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Parents, do not treat your children in such a way as to make them angry. Instead, raise them with Christian discipline and instruction.

~EPHESIANS 6:4 Good News Bible

If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.

~JAMES 2:8-9 New International Version

Playing Favorites

When Jacob returned to his homeland, he arrived with a new name that reflected an encounter with God. Rachel, the wife he dearly loved, died after giving birth to Benjamin. She had prayed for a second son, so Joseph could have a full brother. Jacob had twelve other children, so Benjamin was born when he was past sixty years of age.

However, it was Joseph, his first-born son with Rachel, who became his favorite. Genesis 37:3 explains: "Now Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other sons because he had been born in his old age."  Favoritism exposes a special bonding between parent and child but can create resentment and hatred in the other siblings.

The negative fallout for the favored child may be a lack of maturity in relating to others. Joseph either was unable to detect the anger in his older brothers or simply flaunted his status as the favorite son. God's love is unconditional and excludes favoritism. He expects us to be a model of his character.  

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Peter fairly exploded with his good news: “It’s God’s own truth, nothing could be plainer: God plays no favorites! It makes no difference who you are or where you’re from – if you want God and are ready to do as he says, the door is open.

~ACTS 10:34-35 The Message

My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism.

~JAMES 2:1 New International Version

Deliverance from Trouble

Trouble has the capacity to upset our emotional and physical equilibrium. Tolerating suffering that originates from trouble is not an easy task. The Greek philosopher Seneca confirmed that "our troubles may originate from behaviors that invite trouble." This implies that our attitudes and behaviors can open the door to trouble.

God's purpose for Jacob was to transform him into a person epitomizing God’s transformation. Continuous trouble persuaded Jacob to return to Bethel, where God first spoke to him in a dream twenty years earlier. God renewed his covenant to bless Jacob as he was being transformed into the man God intended. The Apostle Paul teaches that "we are daily being transformed into the likeness of Christ Jesus.”

Transformation doesn’t shield us from trouble. Psalm 34:19 certifies that "a righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all." God will give us strength to change old attitudes that are an invitation to trouble. Thank God for his goodness and mercy. 
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Nothing between us and God,...our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him. 
~2 CORINTHIANS 3:18 The Message Study Bible
      Sidebar: ...if we're exposed to Christ, our lives are changed. The change is a result of our relationship with him. By opening ourselves to him, we come under his influence and are changed into his likeness,...from one level of maturity to another...
Eugene H. Peterson, The Message Study Bible, page 1803

Pursued by Troubles?

It seemed as if he were always looking over his shoulder for trouble that consistently pursued him. Minor troubles weren’t what plagued him, but major ones that threatened his very existence. Jacob’s attitude toward life was an open invitation to trouble even after God personally changed his name to Israel, which means "one who wrestled with God and prevailed."

Jacob's transformation was a progressive development. The Apostle Paul warns us "not to conform any longer to the patterns of this world but be transformed by the renewing of our mind." This indicates that transformation is an on-going process and does not prevent trouble from pursuing us.

Perhaps God uses troubles we must endure to bring to the surface hidden possibilities that lie dormant within us. Oliver Wendell Holmes was fond of saying, "Troubles create a competence for managing them." It is God's will that we mature and grow strong in faith, so we can serve Him and His church in a hostile world. God gives us strength to overcome and be victorious.
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Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but be a new and different person with a fresh newness in all you do and think. Then you will learn from your own experience how his ways will really satisfy you. 
~ROMANS 12:2 The Living Bible

Face Your Troubles ~ God Will Help

Trouble followed Jacob like a faithful companion. I'm sure he could identify with Job’s assessment of "man being born for trouble as surely as sparks from fire fly upward." He had just settled in at Shechem when a young man raped his daughter Dinah. Jacob’s sons avenged the rape by murdering the perpetrator and other adult men in the community.

C. S. Lewis noted that "God, who foresees your troubles, intends for you to accept them and the accompanying pain." Understand that pain and suffering are agents for enhancing maturity whereas running away from trouble prevents growth and maturity. Our self-esteem is enriched by facing trouble head on.

          Trouble in this life is predictable, but how we manage it determines the outcome. Trouble overflowed in Jacob’s life because of his choices. Seeking God’s help when facing trouble is a necessity. Faith encourages you to believe God not only listens but answers your prayers. This can be your confidence as you trust in God to help.
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God is our shelter and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not be afraid... ~PSALM 46:1-2a  Good News Bible