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Jacob Comes Home
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furnace fire; the true gold was refined until the faith of Abraham and
Isaac appeared undimmed in Jacob.
The sin of Jacob and the chain of events to which it led bore
bitter fruit in the character of his sons, and these sons developed
serious faults. The household revealed the results of polygamy—this
terrible evil tends to dry up the springs of love, and its influence
weakens the most sacred ties. The jealousy of the several mothers
had embittered the family relationships; the children had grown up
ill-tempered, impatient of control. The father’s life was darkened
with anxiety and grief.
There was one, however, whose character was widely differ-
ent—the elder son of Rachel, Joseph, whose rare outward beauty
seemed to reflect an inward beauty of mind and heart. Pure, active,
and joyous, the lad possessed moral earnestness and firmness. He
listened to his father’s instructions and loved to obey God. The
qualities that later distinguished him in Egypt—gentleness, fidelity,
and truthfulness—were already evident. His mother being dead, his
affections clung the more closely to the father. Jacob’s heart was
bound up in this child of his old age. He “loved Joseph more than
all his children.”
But this affection was to become a cause of trouble and sorrow.
Jacob unwisely showed his preference for Joseph, and this inflamed
the jealousy of his other sons. Joseph tried gently to correct them
but this only increased their hatred and resentment. He could not
endure to see them sinning against God and laid the matter before
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his father.
With deep emotion Jacob begged them not to bring reproach on
his name and above all not to dishonor God by such disregard of
His laws. Ashamed that their wickedness was known, the young
men seemed to be repentant but only hid their real feelings, which
became more bitter by this exposure.
The father’s gift to Joseph of a costly coat, usually worn by
persons of distinction, fueled a suspicion that he intended to bypass
his older children to bestow the birthright on the son of Rachel.
The boy one day told them of a dream that he had had. “There
we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose
and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around
and bowed down to my sheaf.”