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As we study through Genesis we’ve shifted our focus from Joseph to Joseph’s brothers. Clearly there were serious issues of character in the hearts of these brothers. The problem really stems from souls that were selfish and immature to the point of wanting to kill their brother, but deciding to sell him into slavery instead. They needed to be transformed in heart.

God was working on these brothers and He was using troubles and difficulties to do it, in this case, an extreme famine.

God is committed to our spiritual condition. There is an old saying, “God loves you just the way you are, but loves you too much to let you stay that way.”

God will use even the storms of life, or the troubles and difficulties of life, to work out the character issues in your life. In other words, God is committed to transforming your heart.

But what does true change really look like? As we study the process of transformation in Joseph’s brothers, there is much we can apply to our lives as well.


I. The Apple Doesn’t Fall Very Far

 The old saying, “The apple doesn’t fall very far from the tree” tells us something about how we come to have some of the traits we have.

 Of course we have physical traits from our father. I have my father’s chin, for example. But we get often get character traits as well. This gives us great insights into what was happening in the hearts of Joseph’s brothers.

A. Like father like sons

 As you read through the story of Genesis, you see something interesting. The name Jacob means heal-snatcher. In other words, he got what he wanted by catching people by the heel, he tripped them up.
 He deceived and manipulated to get Esau’s birthright and blessing and then spent twenty years getting his uncle Laban’s goat; actually goats and sheep and most of the rest of the flocks. He and his uncle Laban, who was a manipulator extraordinaire himself, had quite a time taking advantage of each other.
 Is it any wonder Jacob’s boys had serious character flaws? What’s the common thread? Favoring one’s self at the expense of others. That’s the very definition of being self-focused and self-centered.
 When Joseph had the two dreams that he was going to rise above his brothers and that they would all bow down to him, that was too much, their pride couldn’t take it.
 When the opportunity came they took hold of Joseph and sold him to Midianites traders who then sold him as a slave in Egypt. That is a serious character flaw!
 You can see the character flaws from one generation to the next…
Illus – Abraham told a half-lie about his wife being his sister. Later, Isaac said the exact same thing, but it wasn’t a half-lie it was a full lie.
 You see the same principle in other places in scripture.
2 Kings 17:14, However, they did not listen, they stiffened their neck like their fathers, who did not believe in the Lord their God.
 God gives fathers to teach children about God and to be an example for them. It’s sad when this breaks down and becomes much less than what God desires.
Illus – We played a video this week of a Palestinian Arab Muslim who is a supporter of Israel. He gave us insight into the nature of the problem in the Middle East. The problem is what happens in the homes of Arabs all through the region. They teach their children to hate Jews, so they become like their fathers. It just keeps going from one generation to another.
Illus – When I was very young I admired my father and tried to please him. I helped him work on cars and dreamed of going fishing with him. But later I became angry and didn’t want to be like him at all. But then I was afraid that my anger might make me become like him even more. I knew I had to stop being angry. I knew also that I couldn’t drink alcohol because I was like him in that as well.

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