The Successful Slave: Seeing God’S Faithfulness Through the Story of Joseph

By Ethan Ho

What was the most stinging moment that you have experienced, one that might have hurt you deeply and caused you to be angry, bitter, or even hopeless?

One of mine was when I received my performance review after clocking an average sixty-hour work week for eight months in a new position. I devoted myself to overcoming the challenges and excelling in my job. I stayed in faith and trusted in God for a breakthrough. It ended with my supervisor telling me, You know what? I think I made a mistake in employing you. Ironically, through the passage of time, God turned the same situation bottom up while transforming me inside out. I later conceded that my supervisor was right.

Similarly, Joseph fell from being a highly favored son to being a lowly servant before he ascended supernaturally to become the second most powerful man in Egypt. Yet Joseph still faced challenges after his promotion.

Written by a nonministerial Christian, The Successful Slave speaks of a journey of spiritual and emotional growth. It explores the meaning of success when God called Joseph successful at one of the lowest points of his life. It brings hope to its readers through personal testimonies that resonate with the challenges that everyone faces in their everyday lives.

Using the backdrop of Josephs story, the faithfulness of God is seen manifesting in my life as a full-time working adult. Every chapter not only speaks of Gods goodness toward me but also ends with an encounter in which I share Gods goodness with people around me. Be encouraged.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Dec 13, 2016
• ISBN: 9781512763393

Ethan Ho

Ethan Ho is very passionate about reaching out to people and helping them to discover the potential of what they can have and achieve in Christ Jesus.

Book preview

INTRODUCTION

The Biblical tale of Joseph’s life from his betrayal into slavery to his astonishing accession to the post of vizier, the second most powerful man in Egypt next to Pharaoh, is nothing short of miraculous; a story too incredible to be conceivable to most people. However, behind the spectacular deliverance is a treasure trove of supernatural happenings that made his deliverance believable and plausible. What intrigued me most in the story was a statement made by God in Genesis 39:2. At the point when Joseph was being traded off as a slave in a foreign land, God called him successful. What bewilderment!

The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. (Genesis 39:2 NKJV)

It piqued my curiosity to comprehend the truth behind the scripture which somehow led to the genesis of this book: The Successful Slave. Against the backdrop of Joseph’s story in the Book of Genesis, I endeavor to juxtapose the events that happened to Joseph with how God has left indelible teaching moments in my life over the years; lessons that have deepened my relationship with Him and crystalized my ongoing need for His daily grace. Choosing godly principles and applying them in times of life’s challenges to find myself emerging victorious out of them have taught me this: the process of spiritual maturity requires obedience to God.

though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. (Hebrews 5:8 NKJV)

But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. (1 Peter 5:10 NKJV)

Nonetheless, spiritual maturity will always be an unceasing process. There have been times when God has just delivered me out of a major challenge and I feel spiritually invincible to take on any punches the devil might dare throw at me, only to realize how helpless I am when trouble comes and I find myself running back into the arms of my loving Heavenly Father like a little child.

To be successful, we need to relentlessly make decisions and determine our course of action based on what we hear from the Word of God and the leading of the Holy Spirit.

It is rightfully said that one should not rest on one’s laurels of past victories and expect new revelations without spending time with God; a good reminder to myself. Not spending time with God will never affect your right standing with God or His love for you, but it will surely abate your affection for God and your passion for the things of God. Neither should we expect God to move on our behalf based on someone else’s testimony. How and what God wants to do for you or in you depends on the spiritual condition of your heart and the surrounding circumstances that are uniquely yours. But one thing you need to always hold dear to your heart is this: the unwavering agape love God has for you and that He never ceases to want to act on your behalf in your best interests if you allow Him.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV)

In The Successful Slave, I will be sharing how God, beyond the walls of church, has helped me navigate through life since the day I allowed myself to become a child of God; often hearing Him in the least expected moments, which were sometimes hair-raising too. God, Creator of all things, has the entire universe at His disposal to dispense His language of love to us to draw us near. If He could use a donkey to talk to a man (Numbers 22:28), how much more can He do to capture our attention and get His message across when necessary?

What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? (Psalm 8:4 NKJV)

This is a book written not by a full-time minister of God but by one of the millions of laymen in the body of Christ, to demonstrate the marvelous reality of God’s love towards humankind. At times, I felt inadequate and even foolish to write my testimonies down during times of trial, and to dwell on my unanswered prayers. In response, God asked me once, Wasn’t Paul doing the same when he was in prison? What a liberating answer! It appears to me that God often asks us questions in response to the questions we ask of Him.

I pray that the illustrations, testimonies or even statements made in this book may answer questions that you have been asking, or encourage you to press on towards pursuing God’s best for your life. One touch from God is better than a thousand words. Hopefully that divine influence can maintain or potentially change the trajectory of your life in the direction that God desires for you.

At the same time, have the mindset of wanting to be a blessing to others after being blessed in your own life! Joseph’s personal deliverance led to the deliverance of multitudes. His influence and blessings went far and wide, beyond the borders of Egypt, to save other nations from the tyranny of extreme famine upon the face of earth. At his death, Joseph left behind a legacy of wealth and power for the people of Israel, so much that it evoked the jealousy of the native Egyptians.

Lastly, at the end of each chapter I have added short accounts of experiences in sharing the gospel with the ones I love, to inspire the passion that you potentially possess to spread the love of God.

All in all, Joseph’s story fully captures the imagination of what the amazing grace of God can do in our lives, exceedingly abundant above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.

Without further ado, let’s dive right into the first chapter!

Chapter 1

LOOK UP AND LIVE OUT

For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,’ says the Lord. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.’

(Isaiah 55:8 and 9 NKJV)

Hey Ethan, you should sign up with LinkedIn, you know, Gabriel encouraged me. Everyone has an account with them. You can potentially attract headhunters or employers who might consider hiring you. He paused and took a sip of his drink. It’s like free advertisement for you!

I was having a casual lunch with an ex-colleague of mine and we were chatting about seeking new job opportunities. Gabriel turned out to be another advocate of one of the largest business-oriented social networking services for working professionals. It was not the first time a well-meaning friend or colleague had cajoled me into checking out LinkedIn. Thus far, I had been pretty apprehensive about signing up despite my intention of finding a new job. The truth was that I was not desperate enough. I was lazy and I thought God could supernaturally orchestrate a new job for me, just like He did previously for me. Yet I also recognized the need to keep current and do the due diligence to get what I really wanted.

A few days later, I relented and I found out what the buzz was all about with LinkedIn.

It was impressive. The platform was like a massive confluence of individual billboards screaming, Hire me! This social network not only proactively suggests new job openings with the best fit on a regular basis, it also automatically connects you to everyone who has an email address on your email contact list. LinkedIn revived my memories of people whom I had long forgotten until I saw their names and faces again. It was fun and it was powerful!

To some extent, LinkedIn is like Facebook, but it is more than that. One stark difference is this: most people generally set privacy conditions on Facebook to keep people from knowing everything about them. The opposite applies to LinkedIn. It is free for all to see, and people want you to notice them. All the members on LinkedIn want you to see their accomplishments, the awards they have won, how far they have progressed in their careers, their aspirations for their next career move, the highest education they have received, their thoughts in their specific area of expertise, and so on and so forth. The list is not exhaustive. Everyone is positioning himself or herself as the most valuable player in his or her field of expertise. Everyone seems so successful.

But after a while, the thrill of preparing my own personal marketing content and satisfying my curiosity about how my friends, schoolmates and colleagues had progressed in their career started to turn somewhat depressing.

Perhaps it was because I was looking for new job opportunities. It would be fair to say that most people harbor the intention of leaving their current position due to some degree of dissatisfaction. They want a job with a higher salary, a better boss, a better working environment, more opportunities for career progression, and more exposure – just to name a few legitimate reasons. The end in mind: to be more successful.

So when I started to see my peers gaining ground in their respective professional fields, and having acquired trophies of higher education accreditation, I was immensely impressed. Wow! Things were certainly working out well for them. One of my ex-colleagues who started out in the same mid-level managerial position as me, rose to become the sales director of a multinational company in one of the largest countries in the world – all within the span of four years after I left the company. To top it off, he managed to turn the business around by generating twenty million dollars in less than two years. This was a great accomplishment, as I am acutely aware of the kind of corporate environment he operated in. Consequently, he received the most prestigious award that the CEO confers each year and naturally, it became a noteworthy trophy on his LinkedIn account. Respect and awe were what I had for him, and this was even more so because he was several years younger than me and it was a rare achievement for his age.

So when I started looking at my current state, I began to feel small. They looked so successful; I looked mediocre. They progressed so much; I appeared to stay stagnant. They led huge teams; I remained a sole contributor with minimal direct reports. Somehow, it became more depressing when I recalled how I used to lead my classes in academic studies and accomplished results that parents would be very proud of.

Have you felt the same way? Perhaps you might have held a high position in a company but were asked to leave during a recent restructuring exercise. Why me? you asked yourself. Am I not worth it? Perhaps you recently caught up with your ex-classmates and, they told you with great passion and enthusiasm about their overseas experiences, the places they went to and the Michelin star restaurants they patronized, but you were not able to relate to their conversation because you did not have the financial resources to afford these experiences. Perhaps you realized that almost all of your peers were living in private apartments, some owning more than one property, but you were still living in public housing. Perhaps after a great annual night out with your peers, you bade farewell and all of you went to pick up your cars in the common carpark – but when your friends unlocked their cars, all the cars that beeped around yours were bigger or sexier or more luxurious. The situation can be rather embarrassing. All of you started out on equal footing upon graduation many years back. But look how much they have prospered! You might begin to ask yourself, What have I been doing all this time?

Prosperity in life does not limit itself to material gains and high social status. Prosperity also includes peace and harmony in your family, your relationships with people, and having good health. Some people might have gotten hold of this truth, while some people might take slightly more time to embrace it. Some people might not even get it till the day they breathe their last breath. But even if you know that prosperity encompasses more than financial prowess, under the circumstances described above, you will not be able to help making the comparison, like it or not. If you are not careful, self-condemnation might creep in and you will begin to feel bitter in your heart.

The solution is to have hope that you will walk out of your situation. You need to cast away thoughts like Am I not good enough?; What did I do wrong?; How come I am not as successful as them? I want to encourage you to know that the Bible offers us hope and a very different view of success.

The Kind Of Hope God Expects Us To Have

First, the hope that the Bible speaks of is not the type of hope that offers no basis for trusting in a good outcome; it is not about leaving it to what the world calls fate. If things turn out well, we are happy and we feel lucky. (By the way, the word luck does not appear in the Bible). If things turn out otherwise, it offers the popular excuse of, All things happen for a reason.

No, biblical hope is different.

Biblical hope gives you a sanctified and confident expectation of good happenings in your life. An attitude in life can be imparted to you that helps you look beyond and above the current circumstances, even if things don’t turn out the way you want in this moment. How can this be possible? It is possible because the One, who created the universe and you and me, is holding you in the palm of His hand. Not only is God holding you in His palm, He has carved your name into it. And I believe it must be large and visible enough to remind Him of you every single day.

… Yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands … (Isaiah 49:15 and 16 NKJV)

God wants you to trust Him. He wants you to succeed and He is able to help you overcome the challenges that you are facing today. He, through the Holy Spirit, will steer you in a way that might be beyond your natural reasoning, and He does this in order to bring you out of your situation to a place far above your expectation. The reason is that He loves you dearly and He delights in your prosperity.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV)

… Let the Lord be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant. (Psalm 35: 27 NKJV)

For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8 and 9 NKJV)

Just having good intentions is not enough. What matters most is corresponding action. I like what Pastor Prince says, God gave His heaven’s best – Jesus – to save the earthly worst – us. I am so thankful to Jesus for His sacrifice on the cross. His blood washes away all the sins we have ever committed, are presently committing or will commit in the future. I have lost count of the number of times that I have sinned both in thoughts and in actions. I would have lost confidence and lived under condemnation if not for the super-abounding grace of God. For in Him, I am made the righteousness of God, not by my human efforts; so that every single moment I am able to stand before God without guilt or shame but rather constantly receive His lovingkindness and mercy. The same applies to you too!

To make the heavenly deal even sweeter, Jesus’s sacrifice unlocks all the spiritual promises that God gave Him and releases them upon us. Those who believe will receive, for God now sees us as He sees Jesus. God loves us as much as He loves Jesus because through the covering of Jesus’s blood, God sees us pure, perfect, blameless, flawless and sinless. Therefore we can claim all the spiritual blessings God promises us to physically manifest in our earthly lives. We can have hope!

The Kind Of Success God Wants Us To Embrace

Secondly, the Bible gives a very different perspective on what it means to be successful.

In the story of Joseph, he was condemned to live a life of slavery when he was seventeen years old, the prime age of any young man’s life. He had so much to see, so much to learn, the opportunity to marry and have a family. In that instant, the course of Joseph’s life turned for the worst anyone could imagine. Yet God called him successful. If God calls you successful, you are successful. Either He means what He says, or He is making a joke out of you. No two ways about it. God called Joseph successful right after he was sold as a slave. Not after he became Pharaoh’s right-hand man. Isn’t that paradoxical to our logical minds?

You may be feeling down and lousy because something unpleasant happened moments ago or today; or something reminded you of a nasty event that happened this week, last month, last year or many years ago. Regardless of whether it was your own doing or someone else’s, God does not want you to dwell below what He desires for you. God wants us to have joy even in the midst of our challenges. Hard feelings are undeniably real in certain situations, and no one can judge how much pain you are going through unless they are in your shoes; not your closest friend, your spouse or even your pastors. Especially when the scars are deep, these hard feelings can be pretty haunting. Even if you are in the process of letting go of something or someone that hurts you, God can still elevate you out of your mental torment while you are on your journey to be emotionally restored. It is not easy, I know, but you can be spiritually strong yet emotionally down. It is possible. Remember, we can rebound because God’s grace super-abounds. By looking at the spiritual promises Jesus unlocks on the cross, we can see through the challenges towards God’s providence. For Joseph, it took thirteen years for his supernatural deliverance to happen. In your case, it might be delightfully shorter or painfully longer. Regardless, it is only a matter of time. Therefore, let us look up and live out God’s promises for us.

This sets the tone of how the subsequent chapters will unfold as I go over the testimony of Joseph’s life, coupled with actual modern life experiences to explore in a practical manner why and how Joseph was successful during his time of captivity. I believe the contents of this book will bless you, and it is my deepest desire for God to use any portion of this book to speak to your heart and provide the necessary edification at the right time in the right season of your life.

Be blessed.

Encounter 1 ~ AN UNCOMMON CONNECTION

Eighty-five ringgit? I asked as I lugged my luggage towards the taxi driver.

One hundred, sir, the thin dark-skinned taxi driver answered as he reached for my luggage.

No, no, the hotel staff just told me it is around eighty-five ringgit, and I want to pay by what the meter reads, I negotiated. I turned my head back to look for the hotel porter, but he had already gone back into the hotel.

One hundred, sir. One way trip, no meter. Don’t worry, I get you to your airport in time. Trust me. Okay? he said.

I looked around, analyzed the situation and felt that this taxi driver was probably my best. The taxi driver behind him looked even shadier, while the taxi in front looked old and dilapidated. Furthermore the taxi drivers in this country ranked near the bottom worldwide in terms of their reputation. Meeting his expectation would at least ensure I got a safe and fast trip to my destination. After all, the company was paying for my taxi fare and I wanted to get to the airport in time. Fifteen ringgit more was definitely worth a bet.

Okay, okay. Let’s go, I said.

Thank you sir! the driver exclaimed.

The taxi driver was very chatty and he spoke fast.

You are Singaporean, right? he asked.

Yes, I replied.

You know what? he said, Singapore jail is good. One cell sleeps four persons. My country jail is not so good. One cell sleeps more than ten people. In Singapore jail, you just do your own thing and no one disturbs you. In my country’s jail, things are more complicated. I don’t like it in there.

I was pretty taken aback, although I did not show it. I remained cool about it. But in my mind, I was asking myself, Why is this guy offering me this piece of information, and why must it be in a taxi in this country?

So you’ve been in Singapore? I asked politely.

Yes. I worked there many years ago. Where do you live? he chirped.

From this point onwards, our conversation got really interesting. This taxi driver, named Sly, started telling me how he was barred from Singapore after committing some crime there, how he became a fugitive, hiding in one province after another with his wife, with whom he eloped. He also told me about the places in his country that provide physical pleasures at a reasonable price, how his customers applauded his knowledge of the vice dens, offered him F1 tickets for free, and lots of other interesting information that would have appealed to me very much back in my younger days when I was not a Christian. His choice of words was blunt and crude. Nonetheless, I was not offended as I was used to such language in the past; I found it downright funny at times. I do not encourage the use of vulgarities and I do not use them. God changed me. However, there are times when such words are the most fitting and amusing. Anyway, I initially planned to have a restful and quiet trip to the airport but now, I found myself intentionally seeking for a crack in our conversation to ease in the person of Jesus to Sly. This guy is sinful and he needs God! I cried out in my heart.

You know, I want my son to be a policeman. But he has tattoo. As a result, the rules say he cannot be a policeman. Otherwise, I would make him the most famous policeman in town. Why? Because I know where all the hanky-panky businesses are. I make sure he gets promoted in the police force, I tell you! Sly boasted.

I laughed. Later he also revealed that his daughter was now studying at the university and doing very well. Despite his past, I could tell that Sly loved his family very much.

Noticing the airport sign on the expressway, I gauged that we were nearing our destination. I did not want to waste any more time. By the way Sly, are you a Christian? I asked, knowing well that the chances are very slim.

Oh no. I am a Catholic actually, Sly said.

I was surprised and glad that he was a Catholic.

So have you said the salvation prayer? I asked.

I do not think so. What is that? he asked.

Asking Jesus to come into your life, I said.

I do not think so. Anyway my wife is a Hindu, he said. I go to church and my wife goes to her temple. But sometimes I go church, sometimes I don’t …

I stopped him before the conversation deviated to other topics. Anyway Sly, I believe you know yourself that you have done some pretty bad stuff in the past. But do you know that Jesus died for your sins? His blood washes away all your sins, so that if anything unfortunate happens to you, you will go up for sure.

I could feel the whole atmosphere in the taxi turn calm. There was a sense of substance in the taxi. Very different from the sex, drunkenness, drug, crime talk that we had earlier when Sly was raving about his experiences.

Uh huh. He paused for a while before saying, Brother, I do not steal, I do not touch women, I only do drugs. You know when I was very young, I was so poor that I had to use a safety pin to secure my pants…

Now I knew he was jailed previously due to drug trafficking. I interrupted Sly again and said, Wait, Sly, what has this got to do with God? God does not care what you have done in the past, Sly. Before you draw your last breath, you must ask Jesus into your life. Just say, ‘Jesus, come into my life. I want you to be my God.’ Simple. At that instant, you will become a child of God. I paused. God loves you just like you love your son and daughter. I can tell that you love them very much from the way you spoke about them.

Sly was quiet for a while.

Brother, I hope I have not offended you in any way, I said sincerely.

No, no. It is okay, Sly said, Every god is the same. One day, my son asked me, ‘Dad, I follow you or I follow mummy?’ I told him you choose yourself lah … Our conversation slowly deviated into more secular subjects.

However it was only a short while before I reached the airport. Before I got out of the taxi, I said to Sly, Brother, you may not remember me or what we talked about, but one thing you must remember: You must ask Jesus into your life before you take your last breath. With that I quickly handed him the taxi fare and five dollars more.

Wah, you gave me more ah? Sly exclaimed.

Yes, I smiled.

Thank you, sir! he said.

No problem!

Hopefully one day, Sly will remember what I have shared with him and start raving about the goodness of God in his life to his passengers instead. For this, I have to leave it to God.

Chapter 2

YOUTHFUL ARROGANCE

Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.

(Proverbs 16:18 NKJV)

I am nothing without God! my pastor proclaimed with gusto from the pulpit, punching his fist into the air. Hmm, that was a pretty bold statement, I thought to myself as I sat among the congregation and listened to my pastor preaching on a Sunday morning. It was not the first time I heard ministers of God telling their audience the same thing. Have you heard the same thing? The thing is, I have difficulty accepting what they said wholeheartedly and saying that for myself. For some time, I pondered these pastors’ declarations. I never seemed to be able to comprehend how they could mean what they said and then say it with such conviction; at least this was the impression that they gave me. Every now and then, I would ask myself, Would anyone really be that weak, to see themselves incapable of doing anything if not for God? It is quite pathetic to go around telling everyone you are nothing. Then I reflected on my own life and thought, Even though I might be facing some challenges at work, I can still make relatively good decisions and get things done. It is not so bad that I cannot even resolve an issue without God’s divine intervention. Either my pastor was displaying a false image of humility before men, or he was conveying a genuine pure sense of humility he had before God. I could not catch their revelation, but eventually God helped me see what they saw as I continued to walk with Him. The process was not fun, but the pride of men is the bane of men. God abhors pride.

The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverse mouth I hate. (Proverbs 8:13 NKJV)

Jesus, Our Perfect Epitome Of Humility

How Satan caused his own downfall and how Jesus began His earthly ministry are marked by two starkly contrasting characteristics that each of them embraced in their heart – Pride and humility. Satan thought he was better than God and he wanted to usurp the position of God. In His wrath, God cast Satan out of heaven into the lowest pits of hell. Satan’s pride got the better of him.

"How you are fallen from heaven,

O Lucifer, son of the morning!

How you are cut down to the ground,

You who weakened the nations!

For you have said in your heart:

"I will ascend into heaven,

I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;

I will also sit on the mount of the congregation

On the farthest sides of the north;

I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,

I will be like the Most High."

Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol,

To the lowest depths of the Pit."

(Isaiah 14:12-15 NKJV)

Jesus, on the other hand, humbled himself for the sake of saving people. The Author of creation became the subject of creation. He allowed His breath to be taken away by the very men whom He first gave breath to. His humility marked the beginning of His eventual great exaltation.

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. (Philippians 2:5-8 NKJV)

God does not want us to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think. When a negative sense of pride creeps into our heart, it blinds us to our own weakness and weakens our ability to learn and accept ideas contrary to our own, even if it is for our own good. Then we begin to develop a sense of entitlement and despise those we deem of a lower value than us. This is always a very dangerous place for us to be in. We start to see ourselves apart from our dependence on God and attribute our successes to our own brilliance. We boast of our own human efforts. Soon, the actions that we sowed with our stinking attitude will bring about circumstances that trouble us. God does not want that to happen to us. If the knowledge of how Satan initiated his own destruction is not sufficient, throughout the Bible God repeatedly warns us against being gripped by this characteristic in our heart.

Young Joseph

Joseph was the second youngest son of Jacob. From what the Bible tells us, Jacob loved Joseph more than all his other sons. Perhaps it was because Joseph was the son who lost his mother, Rachel, at a tender age and Jacob felt sorry for him. Rachel died while giving birth to Joseph’s younger brother, Benjamin. But more than likely, looking at Joseph reminded Jacob of Rachel, his first love. Both Rachel and Joseph were physically very attractive and to a great extent, I believe Joseph inherited his mother’s looks.

… Rachel was beautiful of form and appearance. (Genesis 29:17 NKJV)

… Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. (Genesis 39:6 NKJV)

Jacob so loved Rachel that he willingly bound himself to serve Laban, Rachel’s father, for fourteen years just to win her hand, even though he was fully aware it was an unfair condition laid out by Laban. Can you image the devotion Jacob had for Rachel?

As a result, Joseph was the highly favored son and Jacob had no qualms about expressing his feelings explicitly. He made a tunic for Joseph and this tunic was special. It was not a plain tunic but one of many colors! The act of making the coat outstanding revealed his intention to really make Joseph look special. The hours Jacob devoted to sewing this work of love for Joseph speaks volumes of his great love for him. What kind of man sews? I asked myself. I then recalled Jacob was a mild man, who dwelled in tents and helped his mother (Genesis 25:27). Apparently Jacob’s act of favoritism did not sit well with his other sons. I am convinced that this was not the first public display of affection Jacob had showered on Joseph. The Bible says that Joseph’s brothers hated him and could not speak peaceably to him. There were ongoing tensions between Joseph and his brothers.

Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colors. But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him. (Genesis 37:3-4 NKJV)

Now, the mix of being the most favored one and having an air of arrogance is deadly and intoxicating. I believe Joseph was fully aware of his privileged status. He probably walked around with the attitude of I am the most favored son and there is nothing you can do about it. How can we tell? Joseph wore his colorful tunic around. He was not abashed about showing off and reminding everyone he was the highly favored one. He even wore it to meet his brothers when his father asked him to check on his brothers tending the flocks. (Genesis 37:32). Joseph was also known to carry tales about his brothers to his father (Genesis 37:2). Joseph’s attitude effectively earned him the title of Public Enemy Number One.

I understand that sibling rivalry is common. During moments of strife, we keep each other at arm’s length. There are times when we entertain thoughts of strangling them because they’re so annoying. However, to purposefully act on that intention is a totally different level of play. All of us have read historical accounts of royal descendants plotting to kill each other to claim the throne as the next in line. Great power, fame and riches awaited them. To a certain extent it is understandable. But in the case of Joseph and his brothers, Joseph must have offended his brothers on several occasions that fed the festering bitterness in their hearts. Whatever it was, Jacob, being the doting father, bore his share of the blame too. The Bible reveals two incidents that led to Joseph’s downfall.

The Arrogance Of Joseph

Come over here, guys. Gather around me, Joseph called out to his brothers. I have something important to share with you. And Joseph told them about his first dream.

So he said to them, Please hear this dream which I have dreamed: There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf. (Genesis 37:6-7 NKJV)

The way I interpret it: Joseph was essentially telling his brothers, One day, I will rule over you and all of you will submit to me. What a way to talk to your eleven brothers! Either Joseph was a very insensitive and tactless boy, or it was a plain show of sheer arrogance. At the age of seventeen, Joseph should have sufficient emotional intelligence to know how his brothers would respond to those words. While we know what will eventually happen, this episode is clearly an example of the right words spoken at the wrong time. As a result, his brothers hated him even more. This is the second time the Bible mentions that Joseph’s brothers hated him.

… So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words. (Genesis 37:8 NKJV)

The last straw for the brothers came when Joseph shared a second time that he would lord it over his brothers and his parents in the future. Even Jacob was offended by his declaration.

Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me … and his father rebuked him … (Genesis 37:9-10 NKJV)

Have you wondered why Joseph’s brothers would take it to heart so seriously, and envy him upon hearing his dreams? Why would they be offended? And why would Jacob keep the matter in mind by making a mental note of it? The Bible gives us some glimpse of Joseph’s gift. Over the years, I would assume Joseph had proven his ability to interpret dreams accurately. Why would these words matter if he had not done so?

And his brothers envied him, but his father kept the matter in mind. (Genesis 37:11 NKJV)

From that point onwards, the bitterness that had been so deeply rooted in the brothers’ hearts began to yield its ugly fruits. They began to entertain thoughts of getting rid of Joseph for good. What you think in your heart will eventually produce corresponding actions.

So what led Joseph to where his brothers wanted him to be? Pride. Joseph had showed himself to be an arrogant young man.