Panorama-life of Joseph (section D)

All the evil meant for Joseph turn to good by God

¹⁸ And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants. ¹⁹ And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? ²⁰ But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive; Gen: 50:18-20.

Joseph’s brothers were given a chance to repent from their evil ways and they were extremely sorry and repentant of the evil they had done in plotting and betraying Joseph. We find here that Joseph did not hold any resentment or grievances against his brothers but with grace stated that ‘what they meant for evil, God intended for good, to save many lives’. Joseph not only did hold anything against his brothers but assured them that he will provide for them so that they will not perish during the famine. This is again an awesome picture of our Lord Jesus Christ who was betrayed and was planned to do Him harm. The whole picture of the life of Jesus was pointing towards those who did evil, and for the lost humanity God intended to do good. God loved this world so much that He gave His Son Jesus Christ to die for the whole world in order to save the world from perishing. 

¹² Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fullness? ¹³ For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: ¹⁴ If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them. ¹⁵ For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead? Rom: 11:12-15. The millennial blessings that will come upon the Jewish nation after they genuinely accept Jesus Christ are the fulfillment of this type and Paul is mentioning this in the Scriptures. Joseph from his betrayal at the hands of his brothers, to his exaltation and authority over the Egyptian empire; from his taking of a gentile bride, to his final reconciliation with his Jewish brothers; all is a glimpse from God of past, present and even future history!   

As parents we learn for Joseph’s story not to show favouritism towards one child, because it can have effects on other children as well as on the child to whom favouritism is showed.

Joseph’s story can be used how to flee from sexual temptation because God’s faithfulness is unfailing; Gen: 39:3, 5, 12, 21, 23; as the Lord was with Joseph He will be with us whoever who calls upon Him genuinely. ²² Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart; 2 Tim 2:22.

This story may be applicable to some of us where we are dealt unjustly and never understood, but God’s faithfulness in all situations are unchanging. Joseph showed mercy to his brothers who did unjustly and God of mercy requires mercy above all other sacrifices we may offer Him in our live; ⁶ For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings, Hos: 6:6. Joseph’s story presents amazing insight into how God sovereignly works to overcome evil and bring about His plan.

There is a Divine and human element in every successful life and the trials and experiences we face are meant to prepare us for greater success. Faithfulness in little things are preparations for greater things and we really cannot control our situations but we can control how we react to situations. One who serves faithfully to God with supreme devotion will serve man faithfully and we see that in the life of Joseph. There will be different sorts of famine in our lives but, God in Christ has plenty to offer and His resources and grace for different situations never run dry.

What is the Gospel application through Joseph story?

Jesus came to this earth to suffer and die to save the world and He seeks us before we seek Him. It is important we come to the knowledge of our sin, and acknowledge that to Him, to have Him in our life. We should be genuinely sorry and remorse for the evil we have done and the desire to do the good deeds must follow. Jesus come to us and He is willing to abide with us, supply our needs to save us from the spiritual famine of worldliness. Salvation is for the whole world, our family, friends, neighbours and in a nut shell for all those who are lost. We are called to go forth as demonstrations of God’s Divine abundance and invite whom God brings in our path to accept Christ as Saviour.

End Notes:

¹Seven deadly sins - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_deadly_sins

The seven deadly sins, also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins, is a classification of vices ... such as jealousy (closely related to the sin of envy). ...

2,Hey, Jealousy | Desiring God

www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/hey-jealousy

Topics: Killing Sin; ... vulnerability, and the possibility of deep pain and betrayal. And yet, human jealousy is unique in that it contains insecurity, ...

³Bible Study: Jesus is the Life of Joseph - Jesus Plus Nothing

www.jesusplusnothing.com/studies/online/jcjoseph.htm

Bible study focused on the types of Jesus in the Old Testament character of Joseph. ... Jesus in the Life of… Joseph – The Suffering Servant . by I Gordon .

Website References:

1. What should we learn from the life of Joseph?

www.gotquestions.org/life-Joseph.html

... as we learn from the account of Joseph’s life, by remaining faithful and accepting that God is ultimately in charge, we can be confident that God will reward ...

2. Lessons From Joseph - Article - Andrew Wommack Ministries

www.awmi.net/extra/article/lessons_joseph

How many of life’s lessons have you ... Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: For, behold, we were ... I produced a series called Lessons from Joseph.

3. What should we learn from the life of Jacob?

www.gotquestions.org/life-Jacob.html

What should we learn from the life of Jacob? ... What should we learn from the life of Joseph? What should we learn from the life of Elisha?

4. Joseph in the Bible: Character Study

bibleseo.com/old-testament/joseph-bible-character-study

What can we learn about Joseph in the bible? ... Lessons learnt from Life of Joseph: God’s plans and purpose are greater and better than ours!

5.-Lessons From The Life Of Joseph |

tafj.org/2009/12/24/lessons-from-the-life-of-joseph

Lessons From The Life Of Joseph. As we consider ... viewpoints are opportunities for us to learn from ... the life of Joseph, we will find our hearts ...

6. BBC - Religions - Judaism: Joseph

www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/judaism/history/joseph.shtml

The Bible tells us that Joseph and Benjamin are the sons of Jacob's second ... However some new scientific evidence helps to support the case of a historical Joseph.

7.Joseph (son of Jacob) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_(son_of_Jacob)

For the New Testament Joseph, ... There have been many attempts to trace the story's redaction history ... In the Bible, Joseph discloses himself to his ...

8.Bible Study: Jesus is the Life of Joseph - Jesus Plus Nothing

www.jesusplusnothing.com/studies/online/jcjoseph.htm

Bible study focused on the types of Jesus in the Old ... So let’s look at some of the clearer pictures in Joseph’s life that have their fulfilment in the life ..

9.Read more: http://www.gotquestions.org/life-Joseph.html#ixzz3Cl38hCfw

Book References:

1. Allender, Dan and Tremper Longman III. Intimate Allies. Carol Stream.: Tyndale House publishers, 1995.

2. Jay E. Adams. Critical Stages of Biblical Counseling, Finishing Well, Breaking Through, Getting Started.  New Jersey: Zondervan, 2002.
3. Jay E. Adams. How to Help People Change, The Four-step Biblical Process. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1986.
4. John F. MacArthur, JR. Wayne A. Mack & The Master’s College Faculty. Introduction To Biblical Counseling, A Basic Guide To The Principles And Practice Of Counseling. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1994.
5. Jay E. Adams. Lectures on Counseling. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1978, p.192-203.

6. The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Women of Destiny Bible. Women Mentoring women Through the Scriptures, A Spirit Filled Life Bible. Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1982.
7. Allender, Dan and Tremper Longman III. Intimate Allies. Carol Stream: Tyndale House publishers, 1995; pgs, 301, 346.

8. Allender, Dan and Tremper Longman III. Intimate Allies. Carol Stream: Tyndale House publishers, 1995; pg331.

9. David A. Norris. Lasting Success; Quality Decisions, Relationships and Untamed Emotions. Ames, Iowa: Alpha Heartland Press, 2003.

Panorama-life of Joseph (section C)

Joseph was exalted

³⁹ And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art: ⁴⁰ Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou. ⁴¹ And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt. Gen: 41:39-41. Pharaoh gave his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger, dressed him in fine linen of Egypt, put a gold chain around his neck and made him ride in a chariot as his second in command. Here we see that Joseph from being condemned in prison went to be with Pharaoh’s right hand in a day and there was none greater than Joseph in the land apart from Pharaoh. This is again a beautiful picture of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ who was dead and buried and resurrected and now seated at the right hand of God the Father in His high exaltation. Jesus said all authority is given to Him by His Father in heaven and the beautiful thing is He is interceding for us before His Father! This is mind blowing to me, overwhelming and again a picture of a suffering servant. Egyptians bowed at the feet of Joseph and Pharaoh had given all authority to him in the land.

 ⁸ And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. ⁹ Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: ¹⁰ That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; ¹¹ And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father and the entire world one day will bow at the feet of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Phil: 2:8-11

Joseph marries Pharaoh’s daughter

⁴⁵ And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnathpaaneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On. And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt. First of all Joseph was exalted by Pharaoh in Egypt and then Pharaoh’s daughter was given to him as a bride. This is again a huge picture of our Lord Jesus Christ after His ascension took the Bride for Himself which is the Church from among the Gentile Nations! So we continuously see the hidden Hand of God in the life of Joseph and this is very similar to our suffering servant Jesus Christ.

Seven years of famine

⁵³ And the seven years of plenteousness, that was in the land of Egypt, were ended. ⁵⁴ And the seven years of dearth began to come, according as Joseph had said: and the dearth was in all lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. ⁵⁵ And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do. ⁵⁶ And the famine was over all the face of the earth: and Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt. ⁵⁷ And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn; because that the famine was so sore in all lands.

This is where our study moves from the present, and into the future. Currently, the Lord Jesus Christ is taking for Himself a bride from the gentile nations (predominantly). But Scripture reveals that God has set aside one final seven year period, after the removal of the church, where He will again deal with the nation of Israel to bring them to repentance, and acknowledgement of their Messiah, Jesus; Ref: Dan 9:20-27. This is what we also see here in the life of Joseph. God used a seven year period of famine and extreme hardship to force Joseph’s brothers to seek out aid and help. This Jesus’ natural brothers, the Jews, will do but again it will only be a time of extreme hardship that forces them to do so. Speaking of that last seven year period, the Bible declares -³

Joseph could not refrain himself!

Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. ² And he wept aloud: and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard. ³ And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence. ⁴ And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. ⁵ Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. ¹⁴ And he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck. Gen: 45:1-5, 14.

Family reconciliation is always beautiful and also this is a time for emotional outbursts of joy, sadness and it is a time of mixed emotions. This scene is emotionally very hard for Joseph because there is reconciliation between Joseph and his brothers who had betrayed him and told his father that Joseph was dead. When the famine struck on their first visit Joseph did not reveal himself to his brothers, but he did reveal himself in his second visit. Joseph’s brothers would have been shocked and bewildered to note that the brother whom they betrayed is not only alive, but was the ruler of the entire land where they had come to buy corn because of famine in Canaan.

Israel did not recognize Jesus when He was born in a manger, but one can expect the weeping and huge reconciliation that is yet to come at His second coming. Prophet Zechariah spoke of that great and awesome day; ¹⁰And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. ¹¹ In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon. ¹²And the land shall mourn , every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart;Zech: 12:10-12.

Panorama- life of Joseph (section B)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Silver coins and the betrayal

²⁶ And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood? ²⁷ Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content. ²⁸ Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt. Anger and jealousy are two strong negative emotions and if not dealt Biblically at an earlier stage, it will spiral down to devastation and for the detriment of both the parties.

Anger and jealousy are two strong negative emotions and if not dealt Biblically at an earlier stage, it will spiral down to devastation and for the detriment of both the parties. Very often I have related these strong negative unbiblical emotions to a sine wave, which is a mathematical function. The sine wave or sinusoid is a mathematical curve that describes a smooth repetitive oscillation. It is named after the function sine, of which it is the graph. If we observe the sine curve which is red line, it has valleys and mountain tops and it gets repeated over a period of time. Though it is a mathematical function, I am using this to elaborate and explain how jealousy can perpetuate over a period of time. Bible says who can stand before jealousy, and if not guarded it is very repetitive and it has the capacity to destroy a person. Please refer to my article on ‘taming the untamed emotions’.

Sine wave - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sine_wave

The sine wave or sinusoid is a mathematical curve that describes a smooth repetitive oscillation. It is named after the function sine, of which it is the graph. It ...

Over time it can go into peaks and valleys and when people are in valleys of sin, it would be detrimental to their health. In other words, non-organic illnesses can become organic, if proper attention is not given to these emotions. These emotions should be handled immediately before they would go in a spiral and it is God’s beautiful way of telling us something is not right and we have to make it right before God and man. The anger and jealousy reached a peak for Joseph’s brothers and Joseph was sold for measly 20 pieces of silver. What Joseph did not understand at this point of betrayal was that God had other plans in his life to prosper him. He least understood that he would be exalted and through him give a means by which both Gentiles and the Jews would be saved.

 

In the life of Jesus, He was betrayed by His closest and was sold for 30 pieces of silver by Judas. ¹⁴ Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, ¹⁵ And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. ¹⁶ And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him; Matt: 26:14-16. This is in fulfillment of the prophecy by Zechariah and here God was priced and betrayed for 30 pieces of silver!  ‘And the LORD said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the handsome price at which they priced me! So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the LORD to the potter.’ Zec: 11:13.

 

Potiphar’s wife cries rape

¹⁷Then she told him this story: "That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me. ¹⁸But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house." ¹⁹When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, "This is how your slave treated me," he burned with anger. ²⁰Joseph's master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined. But while Joseph was there in the prison; Gen: 39:17-20. Joseph’s life went on a spiral of troubles from one to another at this stage, and he soon finds himself accused of a crime that he did not commit and was thrown in prison where he had no say even though he is innocent.

This is similar to the false accusations of Jesus and His trials and He had done no wrong but He did not stop the accusers because God has a Divine plan! ⁵⁵ And the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put him to death; and found none. ⁵⁶ For many bare false witness against him, but their witness agreed not together. ⁵⁷ And there arose certain, and bare false witness against him, saying, ⁵⁸ We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands. ⁵⁹ But neither so did their witness agree together. ⁶⁰ And the high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, saying, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee? ⁶¹ But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? ⁶² And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. ⁶³ Then the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, what need we any further witnesses? ⁶⁴ Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye? And they all condemned him to be guilty of death.

Butler, Baker and Joseph’s ministry in prison

⁴And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them: and they continued a season in ward.  ⁵And they dreamed a dream both of them, each man his dream in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, which were bound in the prison.Gen:40:4-5. Each dream has its own meaning and we see here that God had a Divine plan even while Joseph was in prison. The cupbearer and the baker of the King of Egypt had a dream and Joseph was ministering to them. We see here Joseph was not alone even in the prison and this can be symbolized for Jesus in His prison, upon the cross. Jesus was crucified with two thieves one on each side. ³⁸ Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left; Matt 27:38. If we analyze the dreams of the butler and the baker there is release and exaltation for one and death for the other.

³⁹ And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. ⁴⁰ But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? ⁴¹ And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. ⁴² And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. ⁴³ And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise. One prisoner and thief would die and one prisoner and thief would find real life and be released and exalted into a higher place. This is indeed one of the most amazing salvations ever to happen!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Panorama- life of Joseph (section A)

No other story in the Bible has stirred up my emotions like the narrative of Joseph. Here is a true story of betrayal, jealousy, death plot, false accusation, character assassination and in the finale exaltation of Joseph for his faithfulness. It is extremely difficult to serve in impossible situations and the story of Joseph is one of that, and I believe his faithfulness in little things rose him up to a higher position because he served God with supreme faithfulness. Time and again we see God is Sovereign in all situations and circumstances and He proved Himself to be very faithful. This is a beautiful but painful story where the Divine intervention and human intervention played a huge role and we have so much to learn and draw from it.

‘Joseph understood what they were saying and removed himself from their presence because he was caught in emotion’. ... Bernhard Lang, Joseph in Egypt

noun

plural noun: emotions

1. a natural instinctive state of mind deriving from one's circumstances, mood, or relationships with others:

"she was attempting to control her emotions"

synonyms: passion · strength of feeling · warmth of feeling

2.instinctive or intuitive feeling as distinguished from reasoning or knowledge:

"responses have to be based on historical insight, not simply on emotion"

synonyms: instinct · intuition · gut feeling · sentiment · the heart

Powered by Oxford Dictionaries · © Oxford University Press

Berating, belittling, criticizing, name calling, screaming, threatening, excessive blaming, and using sarcasm and humiliation are some forms of emotional abuse.  Blowing your flaws out of proportion and making fun of you in front of others, is another form of emotional abuse. Over time, this type of abuse erodes your sense of self confidence and self-worth. No one has the right to do this to someone because as believers our self-worth and self-esteem comes from the Lord, because we are children of God, Who is the master artist formed us in our mother’s womb and called us by name.

Verbal Assaults can happen the following ways and this can over a period of time destroy one’s value and self-worth. Very often people who verbally assault the others are very insecure people and they have done this when they were young and this continued in their adulthood. Abusers project their words and actions very often towards a non-suspecting victim, because they are hurt from child hood and have not dealt with the wounds in a matured way so far. They now become abusers and do it to others and this has developed to a pattern of abuse. Emotionally wounded victim wound others and victimize people around them and very often they could be close relations or some family members or we can find such people even in work places. Here in the story of Joseph we find that his brothers are very insecure and jealous and they are abusing Joseph to the point of selling him off to Potiphar.

Suffering Servant

Joseph is one of the most striking Old Testament character who was pictured as the true Messiah the son of David. He suffered so much at the hands of his brothers before He was exalted, and this pictures the suffering servant Jesus Christ. Joseph is the preeminent Old Testament type of Christ, the suffering servant King and the patterns of Joseph’s life foreshadow and point forward to the life of Christ. The chronological order may differ from that of Christ but the patterns are very similar. As it is written in God’s Word the son of David, and from the root of Jessie Jesus brought glory to Israel and peace to the whole world.

Dream of Joseph concerning his brothers

Joseph when he was growing as a child in his father’s house Jacob along with his eleven brothers was different. He was a the favoured son of Jacob and the following dream clearly states that Joseph would rule over them one day and for this reason his brothers hated him so much. ³ Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours; Gen: 37:3.  ⁵And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more. ⁶ And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: ⁷ For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf. ⁸ And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words; Gen: 37:3-5. While Jesus was in this earth while growing up faced similar trials and hatred from his actual brothers.

Jesus in His earthly ministry in his home town and other parts faced tremendous trials and persecutions. ⁵⁵ Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses,^[a] Simon, and Judas? ⁵⁶ And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?” ⁵⁷ So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.” Matt 13:55-57. His own brothers did not believe Jesus and the national leaders went to the extent of calling him demon possessed and they were asking for more signs^{.  5} For neither did his brethren believe in him; Jn: 7:5.

Conspiracy against Joseph

 ¹⁸ And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him. ¹⁹ And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh. Gen: 37:18-19. Joseph’s life was very uncomfortable when he was growing up with his fathers. His father’s special love for him would have been one of the reasons why his brothers were angry with Joseph apart from his dreams about them. When Joseph saw his brothers near Dothan, before he would reach them they plotted to kill him and they said to one another here comes the dreamer! Brothers probably would have thought that if they would kill him, that would be the end of his dreams and this tell us something more about his brothers. His brothers thought they can take the actions in their hands and they did know very little that God’s plan would eventually prevail. 

The seven deadly sins, also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins, is a classification of vices (part of Christian ethics) that has been used since early Christian times to educate and instruct Christians concerning fallen humanity's tendency to sin. In the currently recognized version, the sins are usually given as wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony. Each is a form of Idolatry-of-Self wherein the subjective reigns over the objective.¹

Jealousy is tyrannical. It is catastrophic. It is metaphysical. It feels controlling and you cannot escape. It feels as if every particle of self-control you have in your entire being is vaporized in one fell emotional swoop. It brings people to the end of themselves in a millisecond, and they are no longer the same people.²

Jealousy and envy of Joseph’s brothers led to a plan to destroy Joseph. In the same way leaders of Israel hated Jesus because He did not submit Himself to their rules and pattern of life and always showed through God’s Word and deed that He was above their rules and them. When Jesus claimed to the religious leaders that He came from heaven and He is greater than Abraham this was met with great venomous reaction and this forced them to plot to take His life. Religious leaders knew not the God of Abraham, but they knew about Him through what is written! Their knowledge of God was only in theory but they could not understand what Jesus is saying to them, because of their own blindness of heart and mind. ³ Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, ⁴ And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him; Matt 26:3-4.