24.“Look, here comes that dreamer!

24.“Look, here comes that dreamer!  Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.” (Genesis 37:19-20) Jacob, who inherited Abraham’s faith through Isaac, despite the harsh conditions and circumstances of his life, made the best efforts and ended up marrying the two daughters of his uncle. Due to the jealousy of these sisters, he even took their two maidservants as wives and had twelve sons with them. As the saying goes, “The more branches, the more the wind blows.” However, at that time, having many sons symbolized blessings and wealth. In the agricultural and pastoral eras, having many sons was essential to manage various household tasks, and the strength derived from their labor became the power and capability of the family, establishing it as a prosperous and influential household in that era. Among these many sons, Jacob particularly loved Joseph, the son he had with Rachel. This seems to be a trait passed down from father to son, as Jacob received special love from his father, who in turn received it from his own father. Rachel was the woman Jacob fell in love with at first sight when he first went to his uncle’s house. Despite marrying her and giving her special love and attention, she was in poor health and could not conceive. Out of jealousy towards her sister, she gave her maidservant to her husband to bear a son, but since that child was not her own, Rachel was finally blessed by God with a son. Jacob, like Rachel, showed exceptional love and attention to this son. However, this became the family’s tragedy. The other brothers envied, were jealous of, and hated Joseph, who always received special treatment. Eventually, they sold Joseph as a slave to a caravan of merchants and tore his clothes to show their father, lying that Joseph had been devoured by a wild animal. Father Jacob, upon hearing this, experienced heart-wrenching pain and long-lasting sorrow over the loss of Joseph. His sons deeply regretted their actions, but it was already too late, and there was no way to undo what had been done.