Tehillah Generation Chapel
Daily Manna | Tuesday, July 3, 2018 | Topic: Conscience 61
Scripture: And when they saw Joseph afar off, even before he came near to them, they conspired against him to slay him. Genesis 37:18
Note: Unknown to Joseph, his approaching movement towards his brothers had been timed out in the most savage and vicious manner that should ensure that it was the last of him being seen in the land of the living. Joseph’s brothers had a problem with his dreams. His serialised dreams, indicative of future supremacy and dominion over them, didn’t go down well with his siblings. Rivalry among siblings had been triggered, threatening to get out of control. This lingering issue of sibling rivalry had reached the point where Joseph was under serious consideration for homicidal death at the hands of his siblings.
Joseph’s problems were multifaceted. The first on the priority list was his dreams that were understood to belittle them before him in the future. Closely following on the heels of the first was the unique coat of many colours, made for Joseph by his father. The third on the list was the open show of love for Joseph by Jacob, a factor that demonstrated bias against them, simply because Joseph had been reporting their secret, evil ways to their father, endearing him to his dad, who trusted him more than them. The fourth and last on the list was because Joseph was birthed by Rachel, Jacob’s heartthrob and first love.
Jacob’s overwhelming love for Rachel when he was a young man, was so strong that he was willing to labour for 14 years for her hand in marriage. After the first 7 years of labour for Rachel’s hand in marriage, Jacob was deceived by Laban into a forced, arranged marriage of convenience to Leah. Jacob didn’t love Leah. Thus, this loveless, arranged marriage that produced sons by Leah for Jacob, failed to light up the spark in the heart of Jacob for Leah. The ensuing results were heart wrenching periods of humiliating endurance for Leah, with Jacob not helping matters for Leah, showing open and biased affection for Rachel, leaving Leah lonely, loveless and hoping for redemption through his sons.
Thus, the rivalry between Leah and Rachel, became the power fight for the prize of their husband’s love. Leah was blessed by God with sons but Rachel, whose womb was by then shut by God, had the upper hand to the heart of Jacob. The sons of Leah therefore became the bargaining chips for her if ever she was to stand any chance of gaining the attention of her husband. Hence, the fierce rivalry between the two wives was innocently, ignorantly and recklessly cascaded down to the children, who weren’t supposed to be involved in the battle for supremacy. The perfect stage for the continuation of a first generation rivalry, now being fought among the children who are the second generation, had reached the point where it’s threatening to destroy the house of Jacob.
Food for thought: Little fight, little rivalry, little jealousy, little envying: these are the building blocks for a monstrous and destructive relationship in the future.
Declaration: For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little. Isaiah 28:10
©Author: Rev Fred Aboe
