A dysfunctional home (family) is –

One that is not functioning as God

intended.

Signs of Stress in Joseph’s Family

• Teenagers

“Joseph, a young man of seventeen.” –

Genesis 37:2

Signs of Stress in Joseph’s Family

• Multiple wives

“And the lad was with the sons of

Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his

father’s wives.” – Genesis 37:2

Signs of Stress in Joseph’s Family

• Favoritism

“Israel (or Jacob) loved Joseph more

than any of the other sons.” –

Genesis 37:3

Signs of Stress in Joseph’s Family

• Sibling Rivalry (or Hatred)

“When his brothers saw that their father

loved him (Joseph) more than any of

them, they hated him.” – Genesis 37:4

Signs of Stress in Joseph’s Family

• Recent (or Constant) Moves

“Jacob lived in the land where his father

stayed.” – Genesis 37:1

Signs of Stress in Joseph’s Family

• Loss of Close Family Members

“So Rachel died” – Genesis 35:19

An Indication of

EGOTISM

in Joseph’s Character

“Joseph had a dream, and when he told

it to his brothers, they hated him all the

more. He said to them, ‘Listen to this

dream I had: We were binding sheaves

of grain out in the field when suddenly

my sheaf rose and stood upright…..”

“…..while your sheaves gathered

around mine and bowed down to it.’

His brothers said to him, ‘Do you intend

to reign over us? Will you actually rule

us?’ And they hated him all the more

because of his dream and what he had

said.” – Genesis 37:5-8

If God gives you a favored status

BE HUMBLE!

Don’t flaunt it.

“Listen, I had another dream, and this

time the sun and moon and eleven

stars were bowing down to me.” –

Genesis 37:9

“When he told his father as well as his

brothers, his father rebuked him and

said, ‘What is this dream you had? Will

your mother and I and your brothers

actually come and bow down to the

ground before you?.....”

“.....His brothers were jealous of him,

but his father kept the matter in mind.”–

Genesis 37:10-11

“Go, find your brothers, take them this

care package, and see how they’re

doing. They’re tending sheep near

Shechem.”– Genesis 37:12

An Example of

SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS

in Joseph’s Father

“Folly (or foolishness) is bound up in

the heart of a child, but the rod of

discipline will drive it far from him.”–

Proverbs 22:15

A Warning to Parents:

Don’t be naïve about the evil nature in

your children

An Incident of

HORRID BETRAYAL

in Joseph’s Biography

“Here comes that dreamer.”–

Genesis 37:19

“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 loopy

dreams.”– Genesis 37:20

“Don’t kill him. Just throw him in this

deep cistern. He’ll die and we’ll not

have his blood on our hands. After all,

he is our brother.”– Genesis 37:22

“As they sat down to eat their meal,

they looked up and saw a caravan of

Ishmaelites coming from Gilead.”–

Genesis 37:25

“If we kill our brother we get nothing out

of it. Let’s sell him as a slave to these

traders.”– Genesis 37:26

“Pulled Joseph out of the cistern and

sold him for twenty shekels of silver to

the Ishmaelites, who took him to

Egypt.”– Genesis 37:28

“The Lord was with Joseph and he

prospered.”– Genesis 39:2

One Simple Conclusion

It’s difficult to be faithful to God if you

are reared in a dysfunctional home –

BUT IT’S POSSIBLE

Even Bigger Life Lesson

It’s Not About Us!

God Is Still In Control!

Choose Trust Over Fear!