Tuesdays with Jacob

Genesis 37:14-20

¹⁴ Then he said to him, “Please go and see if it is well with your brothers and well with the flocks, and bring back word to me.” So he sent him out of the Valley of Hebron, and he went to Shechem.

¹⁵ Now a certain man found him, and there he was, wandering in the field. And the man asked him, saying, “What are you seeking?”

¹⁶ So he said, “I am seeking my brothers. Please tell me where they are feeding their flocks.”

¹⁷ And the man said, “They have departed from here, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them in Dothan.

¹⁸ Now when they saw him afar off, even before he came near them, they conspired against him to kill him. ¹⁹ Then they said to one another, “Look, this dreamer is coming! ²⁰ Come therefore, let us now kill him and cast him into some pit; and we shall say, ‘Some wild beast has devoured him.’ We shall see what will become of his dreams!”

Sometimes we just don’t think about what we’re doing. As men, we can fail to grasp the relationship turmoil that can be brewing around us. Why else would Jacob send Joseph on a mission to report on his brothers? They already despise him and his favored status, so their desire to kill him shouldn’t come as a complete surprise.

When we don’t pay attention to relationships, we make similar mistakes. Though we are often task-focused—we want to get the job done—we must be alert to relationships, especially the ones that are crumbling around us. Pay attention to those you lead. Discipline yourself to be aware of their difficulties so you don’t create new situations that will prove to be problematic.

Joseph’s story will ultimately have a happy ending, but there are many years of heartache between this moment and the beautiful ending God will bring to this mess. Be smart about relationships and you can avoid a lot of unnecessary pain.

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.