Genesis 37:3
“Now Israel loved Joseph more that all his sons, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a varicolored tunic.”
Joseph was a gifted person. People were drawn to him all throughout his life. This was true for Israel. Unfortunately, he didn’t temper this. He was obvious in his favoritism, as he gave him the flashy coat.
The next verse points out that his brothers saw this and hated him for it.
What I want to comment on is that we should not act on our reactions and impulses. This normally gets us into trouble. We have a host of thoughts that pass through our minds. Many aren’t good. Just as a piece of driftwood floats down a river, so we should let them float on by. Let them go.
As Israel responded to Joseph’s charisma, he distanced himself from the rest of his children. I’m sure he loved them, so he should attempted to spread out his affection. As he witnessed Joseph being himself, he should have praised him privately. It’s said of Mary’s thoughts of Jesus, “She treasured these things in her heart.” If a parent could have bragged about a kid, it was Mary. But she didn’t.
Phillipians 4:8 says, “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise dwell on these things.”
We are to control the content of our thoughts. This is easier said than done. If we were to inventory our thoughts, many would not be worthy of our time.
Lord, help us to dwell on the good.