Genesis-122-The Genealogy of Jacob

The Word of God is from Genesis, chapter 37, verses 2 to 4.

 

"These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives, and Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age, and he made him a coat of many colors. When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him." Amen.

 

Unchanging Humanity and a Faithful God

Genesis is a book structured around ten key points. Moses wrote Genesis focusing on the 'toledot,' which means the generations or genealogy of Israel. The entire book of Genesis contains ten 'toledot,' and the verse we read today, "These are the generations of Jacob," is the very last one. This final genealogy is quite long, spanning from chapter 37 to chapter 50.

 

As you know, when you read "the generations of Jacob," the story that follows is not about Jacob himself, but about his descendants. In this long final section of Genesis, two individuals are primarily focused on: Joseph and Judah. While Jacob continues to appear as the father, the story centers on these two. Those who have read more of the Old Testament will know that later, the northern kingdom of Israel would be led by the tribe of Ephraim, Joseph's son, while the southern kingdom of Judah would have a line of kings from the house of David. Thus, the two families destined to play significant roles in God's redemptive history are already emerging at this point. Although these events took place a very long time before the book was written, God is showing us His history of salvation in this way. Because the history is focused on Judah and Joseph, we are able to see without missing a beat how God worked in Joseph, why Judah appears, and what results from their stories.

 

Today, as we look at the generations of Jacob, we will cover two of the several important perspectives. The remaining ones will be addressed as the story progresses. The first and most important characteristic of the generations of Jacob is that it contains the features of "unchanging humanity" and a "faithful God." We are now past Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and into the twelve tribes—the fourth generation—yet it seems the same things are repeating themselves.

 

Who did Isaac favor? He favored Esau. And Rebekah? She favored Jacob. They played favorites. And today, in our story, who does Jacob favor? It says that he loved Joseph more than his other eleven sons. The same favoritism appears, and the story seems to be repeating itself. Their religious character has also not changed much from the past. While Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob certainly had a spiritual essence, the family as a whole continues to repeat the same mistakes.

 

Because We Are Sinners, We Need Grace

We tend to think that things will eventually change for the better. Abraham's father, Terah, was a worshiper of idols. Yet, God saved Abraham and brought him to Canaan. If you were to wake up one morning and hear the voice of God say, "I will be with you," wouldn't you all fall on your knees and say, "Speak, Lord, and I will go wherever you command"? But despite hearing that voice and receiving the promise, Abraham, out of fear, lied about his wife, claiming she was his sister. He showed a brave side, yet at other times he was not brave at all. What about Isaac? He, too, was incredibly stubborn. He held onto Esau until he was badly hurt by it. And Jacob? There's no need to even mention him. He's so much like us that there's a lot to say about him. When we look at their lives, we might wonder, "How could they do that?"

 

A Father's Favoritism Leads to Arrogance

We might have hoped that now that there were twelve tribes, things would be different. But they weren't. When we look at the story of the twelve tribes, which begins with Joseph, we see that Joseph received the most love from his father, Jacob, from a young age. One might think that Joseph became twisted because of Jacob's favoritism, but today, we all try to give our children love. We believe that children who receive love can have warm and upright hearts. Of course, that's not entirely untrue. But if we look at Joseph's story, who received so much love from Jacob, he didn't develop a warm heart; instead, he grew to believe he was the best person in the world. While Jacob's misguided love was certainly a problem, Joseph, who received that love, was also a sinner.

 

Let's look at the result. Verse 2 says, "Joseph, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers." Joseph was seventeen, while Jacob was 108. His brothers would have been somewhere between their 40s and 50s. The age difference was quite large, so it's most likely that their father said, "Go and help your brothers." But the Bible states here, "he brought a bad report of them to their father." One might think the brothers had so many problems that Jacob told Joseph, "Go see what your brothers are doing and report back to me," and so Joseph reported their wrongdoing to his father.

 

However, the Hebrew word for "brought a bad report" is never used in a positive sense in the Old Testament. It always refers to making a false report, exaggerating, or reporting with malicious intent. This same word is used when the spies returned from Canaan and were said to have "spread a bad report." Joseph didn't honestly report his brothers' story; he was exaggerating, distorting, and telling tales. A more accurate translation would be, "Joseph brought a malicious, untrue report about his brothers to his father."

 

Whose fault is this now? Joseph receives the most love from his father and is in a favorable position in every situation. Despite this, he talks badly about his brothers and tries to tear them down. Why would he do that? It's to make himself look good.

 

This is a mindset that's not limited to Joseph; it's in all of us, so there's no need for further explanation. We often unconsciously put others down when we have difficulty boasting about ourselves. If someone says, "My child got into Harvard this year," a common response might be, "Harvard isn't that popular these days." Of course, even then, we'd still want our child to get into Harvard, right?

 

You are all very familiar with the story of Joseph's dreams. After his first dream, he said that his sheaf of grain rose and all the other sheaves bowed down to it. At first, he seems to be naively telling his story, but when his brothers heard it, they got angry and said, "So you're going to be our king, and we are going to be your servants?" and they hated Joseph even more. Wouldn't a person with any sense have realized what was happening by then? Yet, Joseph had a second dream and told that story, too. This time, he said that the sun, the moon, and eleven stars all bowed down to him. The result? His brothers "hated him even more."

 

Looking at the man Joseph became, he was a very intelligent person. At this point, it's clear that he wasn't speaking out of foolishness or naivety, but with intent. Joseph was working to elevate himself, and the fact that he was even rebuked by his father suggests his statements were quite deliberate. Jacob rebuked him, saying, "Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to you?" It seems Joseph had the character of a "person seeking attention." His father's lavish love didn't make him a warm person, but instead contributed significantly to his delusion that he was the center of the world. He showed no consideration for his brothers, and as a result, they became furious.

 

Hatred Leads to Disaster

Usually, the youngest sibling is loved by their older brothers. No matter how much they act up, their brothers tend to just say, "He's the youngest," and let it slide. But in this case, brothers in their thirties, forties, and fifties wanted to kill their seventeen-year-old brother. Not a single one of them opposed this idea; they all agreed. If it came to this, it wasn't the brothers who were the problem, but Joseph. You might think, "No matter what, the brothers were too evil," but the fact that they all unanimously decided to kill Joseph shows that he was an extraordinary problem. They must have felt he was utterly unforgivable. Ultimately, Joseph became a person who, despite receiving the most love, was the most self-centered.

 

Wounds Caused by Love

It's not just Joseph we should talk about; his brothers were the same. They had already done so many terrible things, like the incident at Shechem and Reuben's actions. From Jacob's perspective, he might have felt there was no child he could truly be proud of, which could have led to his greater attachment to Joseph, who may have been more obedient.

 

But we can't leave out Jacob's role. Joseph probably went out with his brothers and came back, tattling, "Reuben did this. Simeon did this. Levi did this. Judah did this." He probably made false reports like, "They weren't working; they were just sleeping in the shade." This led to his father's misunderstanding of the brothers. However, given how much the father loved Joseph, the usual response would have been, "Why are you talking about your brothers like that?" But the Bible records that Jacob instead bought him a coat.

 

This was a coat of many colors, which also appears in the Old Testament when a princess wears it. It was a garment worn by royalty at the time. Since there was no king in Israel yet, we could describe it in modern terms as a "luxury brand." Dyed clothes were difficult for the average wealthy person to own, and the term "of many colors" refers to a garment dyed with multiple colors. Archaeologically, it's believed to have been a lavish garment that reached the wrists and ankles. Instead of scolding Joseph, Jacob gave him this coat, which was essentially a reward.

 

Jacob was also in a total mess that he couldn't escape from. The brothers, Joseph, and Jacob were all at fault. As a result, the brothers must have wondered, "How can our father only care for Joseph?" It seems that just looking at Joseph’s face made Jacob happy. It was as if he was saying, "You don't have to do anything. Just be by my side. That's all I need." Because Jacob doted on Joseph so much, who became the object of hatred? Joseph.

 

Let me reread verse 4, which contains a crucial conclusion. "When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him." This verse is often misunderstood to mean, "Whenever Joseph said anything, he would tattle to his father." But the original Hebrew does not mean that. The phrase "could not speak peaceably to him" means "they could not 'shalom' with him." They could not achieve 'shalom,' which means "peace." They couldn't be at peace with him. Conflict had now entered between the twelve sons, and the peace of the family was shattered.

 

God's History of Salvation

We might look at Jacob's family and think, "How broken they were." But the truth is, all our families have cracks somewhere. Whether it's because of children, our own inner struggles, or financial problems, cracks appear for many reasons. If there were no cracks, we'd have no prayer requests. We all go before God and confess how broken we are. This isn't just Jacob's story.

 

When you're broken like that, what do you do? How do you overcome it? That's why the story of Joseph is not a simple one. How can a broken family be restored? The truly astonishing thing about this story is not Jacob's family. It's the fact that God is still leading this family, never giving up on them. The Bible shows us that God never abandons them.

 

Think about the first people to hear this story. They were in the wilderness, having just left Egypt, and were on their way to Canaan. They were hearing the stories of their ancestors. Frankly, those ancestors were a mess. There was nothing to learn from them, and most of what they did was not pleasing to God. To think that these people, these twelve tribes, were their ancestors would make them think, "Wow, how could God have endured that for so long?" Yet, now they were becoming a nation and entering Canaan.

 

Know the Faithful God

You, who live so righteously, may not feel the full impact of this. I had a friend in high school whose family had given up on him, saying, "You'll never amount to anything!" But he met a girlfriend, got his act together, and got into college. In our time, getting into college meant you had become a good person, so his parents came to the school and bought sweet buns for the entire student body. Imagine how happy they were to see something like this happen after they had given up on their child.

 

But think about this: the nation of Israel was a shambolic people. It seemed they were headed for ruin. Just as we look at the Joseon or Goryeo dynasties and think, "That's why they failed!", looking at Jacob's twelve tribes would make us think, "You won't last long! This is where your line ends!" Yet, after 400 years, they have become a nation and are entering Canaan. When they read the stories of their ancestors, it must have seemed like an incredible miracle.

 

"How did this happen?" What held them together was not Jacob's lineage or Abraham's weak faith. It was the unwavering hand of God, the salvation of God, the heart of God who was building His kingdom.

 

God's Grace and Power

From this perspective, it's perfectly natural for Moses to describe God's formation of Israel in this way. This is a passage from Deuteronomy: "The Lord did not set his love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But because the Lord loved you and kept the oath that he swore to your fathers, he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery..."

 

Then comes this line: "Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God." Moses truly saw this truth clearly. This is why Moses was a great theologian. Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he deeply understood the Scriptures and accurately grasped the core issue.

 

Moses is saying this to the Israelites: "You might say, 'We were chosen because we were numerous. God loves us more. I am a saved child of God. This is why I came to believe in Jesus.' But you must know..."

 

"...that you are here not because of those things, but because of the promise God made with you before the world was created and because of His love for you." Does the phrase "you must know" make you feel uncomfortable? "You must know. You, everyone, must know! Please, know what brought you to this place. It wasn't your feet or your hands. It was God."

 

God Connects Shalom

Joseph lived with Jacob for seventeen years, until he was seventeen. Jacob would have been around 108 at the time. But when they met again, Jacob's age is recorded as exactly 130. This is based on the calculation that Joseph had been in Egypt for 39 years. Jacob died at 147, meaning he lived another 17 years after reuniting with Joseph. The first 17 years and the last 17 years form an astonishing parallel.

 

Why is that? The first 17 years are a story of division, conflict, and hatred among the brothers. The last 17 years are a story of reconciliation, forgiveness, and shalom. There was no shalom in the first period, but shalom was created in the second. But what connects these two completely different periods of 17 years?

 

Listen to Joseph's words: "God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance." Some of us might think, "This makes no sense. The brothers sold him, so how could God have sent him?" But with faith, you can now fully understand Joseph's meaning. "God sent me." And he says, "You meant to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done—the saving of many lives."

 

So, I ask again: What connects Joseph's first 17 years with Jacob to his last 17 years with him? God connects the two periods. The change was not made by Joseph, Jacob, or the twelve tribes. It was done by God. We usually track "how Joseph changed," but what we should really be tracking is "how much God loves us." The Bible expresses that God's grace and power accomplished this.

 

Our Unchanging Selves and an Unwavering Faith

This truth is incredibly important for your faith. Jacob's family did not change, nor did Abraham's. Isaac, Jacob, the twelve tribes, and even Joseph are the same. When we think, "Are these really the people who will bring about salvation history?" we look at ourselves and realize, "Ah, I don't change either."

 

What's most difficult and worrying about a life of faith is the feeling that we ourselves never change. I've met many pastors who struggle, saying, "I've been preaching for over 20 years, and my congregation doesn't change." While it's important to reflect on our unchanging selves, being disappointed by it is not the attitude of a person of faith. That's because change doesn't happen through our efforts, time, or plans; it happens through God. To change, we need to rely on God, but instead, we try to fix ourselves. We end up trapped in a religious framework of our own making. At first, there's not much of a difference, but as we drift further, the kind of faith we worry about emerges.

 

A Remarkable Miracle in the Everyday

There are no miracles in the story of Joseph and Judah. No miraculous events occur. God's will is fulfilled, His plan is carried out, and His grace is clearly revealed. But God doesn't work through miraculous events in all of these situations.

 

When Joseph was in prison, the prison doors didn't suddenly open, nor did an earthquake cause everything to collapse. There was no miraculous event at all. Instead, unexpected things happened through the ordinary events of life, all within God's plan. The time he spent in prison, which seemed to pass without purpose, was a time when God's work was happening.

 

When Joseph helped an official in prison, he expected the man to remember him and tell of his injustice once he was free. But the official forgot Joseph as soon as he was released. This is a very natural occurrence. It seemed that everything was happening in opposition to Joseph’s expectations, but God accomplished His will for Joseph. He literally produced "extraordinary results through ordinary days." In this way, God saved, delivered, and exalted Joseph.

 

A Life That Never Forgets True Gratitude

This seems to be the part we miss most often in our faith. Most of us hope and expect God to work in our lives in miraculous ways. We don't give thanks for just being able to breathe; we wait to be brought back from the brink of death to praise Him, saying, "The Lord is with me." But isn't it better not to have to go through a near-death experience in the first place?

 

Most of us don't wake up in the morning and exclaim, "Oh, Lord!" But I've seen many people give testimonies after being told, "Your cancer is gone." How much do we recognize God working in our daily lives? Do you truly not know that God is bringing about your salvation through what seems like the same daily routine? You must see it.

 

Your salvation happens every moment. In a conversation, at the dinner table, with a friend, at a worship service, while reading the Bible, at work, at home, even while doing the dishes or cleaning—you are experiencing the touch of the Lord, who is leading you to holy salvation every day. If these things don't become precious to you, then even if a miracle happens, you'll be more interested in the event itself than in giving genuine thanks to God.

 

It's just as Jesus said: "You are looking for me not because you saw the signs, but because you ate the loaves and had your fill." Why work when Jesus can pray and feed five thousand people with one loaf of bread? What kind of king is that? This is what Jesus said when He saw them trying to make Him their king. If we live by missing the miracles that happen in our daily lives and are not grateful for them, our faith will have a very hard time coming to know God and His grace.

 

In the midst of seemingly ordinary daily life, God is creating extraordinary things. He is building eternal life in you, establishing His kingdom within you, and forming the image of Jesus Christ—God's goodness and holiness beyond your imagination—in your daily life right now. Of course, sometimes we experience more dramatic events. But dramatic events are like shocks. What's more important is your daily life. You must not lose sight of this.

 

Because We Are Sinners, We Need Grace

Most of us like the successful, final version of Joseph because he was successful and respected by people. Of course, some people admire the Joseph in prison and wonder, "How did he endure all that suffering?" But most people prefer the final Joseph.

 

However, when you look at the life of that admirable young man, Joseph, the words that appear repeatedly in his life are not "how much work Joseph did," but rather "how God's grace was at work in Joseph's life." The chief jailer recorded that "the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in everything he did." Joseph may not have known it, but that is what changed his life.

 

I am 100% certain that everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ, clings to His cross, and dedicates their life to God is experiencing this very thing. "You are all recipients of God's grace." That's why we are living. How did Joseph overcome his difficult circumstances? Was it because of his father's love? Was it because of his high self-esteem and confidence from childhood? These things may have helped, but they are not the answer.

 

When he was sold, his heart must have been filled with hatred, conflict, and pride towards his brothers. Having received Jacob's warped love, Joseph may have had a twisted heart to match. Despite receiving so much love, his life produced nothing but sin.

 

Just as there is "Aggravated Punishment for Specific Crimes" that imposes heavier penalties for certain offenses, it seemed Joseph was being subject to "Aggravated Punishment for Specific Love." Despite receiving so much love from his father, he continued to sin. Of course, parental neglect or evil also hurts children. But simply showing children good things doesn't guarantee they will grow up well. That's because even good things are hard for us to make beautiful, simply because we are twisted. We think that if children see and eat only good things, they will become good people, but sadly, we are all sinners.

 

Hold Onto Christ's Hand

When we come to believe in Jesus, we all hope to become upright believers and to love rightly. But we know how difficult that is, and sometimes we are disappointed and despair when things don't go as we wish. Nevertheless, we know that we must walk this path. But sometimes we have the wrong idea. We make it our goal to see "how straight and well I can walk this path." We think, "Now that I believe in Jesus and have received God's grace, shouldn't I walk this path straight? That's what it means to be a Christian, a person of faith!"

 

This is the greatest temptation that many believers, including the Pharisees, always face. Because with this mindset, we judge not only ourselves but others as well. But that is not the first thing to focus on. The first thing to know when walking this path is that "I cannot walk this path on my own strength." We must sincerely realize that even if we do our best and dedicate our entire heart, life, and will, we cannot live a life that pleases God on our own. It's only then that we can finally take hold of Jesus's hand. The only way to walk this path is to hold onto the hand of Christ, not to become independent and stand on your own strength.

 

We are all people who limp, who cannot hear, and who are blind. Therefore, we cannot walk the path on our own. To walk this path, we must hold onto God. For only the Lord sees, only the Lord walks, and only the Lord hears. Holding onto Christ—this must come first. If we don't know our own weakness, we will love the command "Love one another" but find ourselves unable to love in reality. Yet we continue to shout "Let's love!" and applaud those who love well, saying that they are the real believers.

 

That's not right. A true believer is a person who knows that they cannot love on their own and therefore holds onto Christ alone. That's why the Bible insists on using the word 'believer' (신자, 'shin-ja'), which uses the character for 'faith' (信). It means a person who trusts and relies on God, which means a person who does not rely on themselves. This is why the Bible doesn't call a believer a 'gentleman' (군자), which refers to a person who lived a straight and upright life.

 

The Confession of a True Believer

If you want to become a true believer, you must first know what it means to be a true believer. It's very easy to pursue a believer of our own making and to think that is what a true believer is. The Bible is full of such people, and they were among the people Jesus was most angry with. They said, "We prophesied in your name, drove out demons, and performed many miracles." In other words, they prayed, worshiped, and studied the Bible in the Lord's name.

 

This can easily become Satan's most dangerous temptation. It's easy to think, "Isn't that a great believer?" No, it's not. To be like a believer is not to be walking straighter and doing what God commands better than others. Rather, a believer is a person who confesses, "Lord, I continue to realize that I am a person who cannot walk this path. That's why I need your grace for every single moment. I am nothing without you."

 

When we do this, we can finally accomplish the law that God speaks of and courageously walk uprightly before God. There is no need to fear failure, no need to grieve when we fall, and no reason to waver even if we are limping and trembling. That's because we rely on the Lord, knowing that the Lord holds us and Christ walks with us. If not, we will try to walk straight on our own strength, and in the end, we will be believing in a religion of our own making, not Christianity.

 

The Promise God Remembers

Knowing that we have become believers by God's grace—that is what it means to be a true believer and to hold onto the Lord. It's then that we can constantly repent, not despair, and rely only on God, not on ourselves.

 

I am truly worried that if the Lord asks on the last day, "What did you do on earth?" I might answer, "I faithfully lived my life of faith at Nampochurch in Los Angeles. I volunteered a lot, and I tried to be a faithful deacon and elder. I went on missions and helped the needy."

 

At that moment, it would be right to answer like the words in Luke: "Lord, I have done nothing. All of this was your grace. I rely on you alone." This is what a believer is.

 

Does this mean he didn't do good deeds or try to seek God's will? On the contrary. Because he knew the Lord—who leads him with grace and holds him in every situation—he holds on to the grace of the Lord who did not abandon his life, even though it was worthy of being abandoned. A believer is a person who confesses that he is in this place today by the grace of the Lord who did not abandon his life, even though he was crushed like Jacob, fearful like Abraham, stubborn like Isaac, and self-willed like the twelve tribes.

 

When Joseph was sold into Egypt, what hope did he have? He probably regretted it, resented it, hated it, and was angry. Did he see God? I think if he did, it would have been very faintly. Some people might say, "Didn't Joseph's dream sustain him?" But the Bible says something different. The name of Joseph's first son was Manasseh, which means "I have forgotten." Joseph said, "God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father's house," wanting to forget his painful past.

 

So when did he remember the dream? When all his brothers came and bowed down to him, the Bible records, "Then Joseph remembered the dreams." You see, the one who remembered the dream was not Joseph, but God. We forget the promise, "I am with you always, to the end of the age," and live as if we are alone every day, but the one who does not forget that promise and fulfills it is our Lord. When we easily despair and feel that hope is cut off, the one who remembers the promise, "I delight in you," is God.

 

And so the Lord brings it to pass. Every day, every moment, He makes your daily life a miracle. Things that could never happen happen in your life. Today's day, to which you have been invited, is a day of salvation for you, a day when you are loved. Therefore, let the troubles of today be sufficient for today. May you stand on that path today, walk, and live, knowing that Christ has not forgotten you.

 

Let us pray.

 

Lord, we so easily forget you and bow down to the Lord we have created—whether it be money, our happiness, or our desires—living our lives with so many things that we confuse with Jesus Christ and God. We come to you, O Lord, who endures us, calls us, and embraces us, saying, "You are my beloved." Lord, may we feel, know, learn, enjoy, and rejoice in your grace and love with our hearts full. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.