TO CHEW ON: “His brothers were jealous of him (Joseph), but his father kept the matter in mind.” Genesis 37:11
Joseph was his dad’s favorite. Joseph’s brothers knew this because their dad made Joseph a special coat.
Joseph also had dreams. In them his brothers and parents bowed down to him. When his brothers saw his special coat and heard his dreams they became jealous of him. Soon they hated him.
What is jealousy? It’s a bad feeling we have toward someone who:
- gets what we think we deserve.
- gets what we would like to have.
- gets what we once had and lost.
Jealous feelings can start with something as small as not liking someone. But if we let them grow they become hate. Have you been jealous at times like these?
- a brother or sister gets a lot of your parents’ attention.
- someone else gets picked for the position you wanted on the team.
- the trophy you won last year now goes to someone else.
Can you name more?
PRAYER: Dear God, help me to recognize the jealousy in my life. Amen.
MORE: The end of the jealousy story
If we let jealousy grow, it leads to a bad ending. Match the beginning of each jealousy story with what was (or might have been) its ending. Look up the Bible references if you need help.
Cain – Genesis 4:8
Saul – 1 Samuel 18:9-11
The administrators and satraps – Daniel 6:6,7,16
Priests and Pharisees – John 11:53
Answers
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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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