Is Joseph the Right Choice?
Jacob has 12 sons; which son will be the next leader of the family? Which son will take his father’s place?
Genesis 12-36 is about the formation of a family that will pass on God’s new way from generation to generation. God chooses Abraham, and then Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are taught what it will take to be the founders of this new way.
We now come to the third and final part of Genesis—chapters 37-50—which will be about the problem of passing on God’s new way when there are 12(!) sons that make up the next generation.
Right off, we assume it will be Joseph, the 11th son, who will lead the family when Jacob dies. Joseph is more gifted than his brothers, and Jacob has set him apart to be the future leader of his brothers. The coat Jacob gives Joseph (an obscure Hebrew term—”coat with long sleeves” or “coat of many colors”) is meant to mark him as Jacob’s heir.
As his dreams prove, Joseph is a boy of remarkable insight. But is he the right one to lead the family into the future?
We’ll have to read on to find out.