A philosopher once observed, “To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering.” One question that often haunts people experiencing suffering is: “Where is God in this?” Joseph might have asked the same question.

In Genesis 37, we shift our focus from Jacob to the next generation. Joseph and his brothers did not get along (to put it mildly). Most of the blame can be laid at Jacob’s feet. He continued in the pattern of his parents by showing favoritism. He not only treated Joseph better, but also gave him a special coat, marking him as the favored one (v. 3).

Joseph leaned into this role. He acted as the overseer of his brothers and brought a bad report about them to their father (v. 2). He bragged about a series of dreams he had which portrayed his brothers bowing down to him (vv. 5–11). Joseph’s brothers seized an opportunity to rid themselves of their brother once and for all. They sold Joseph as a slave to a traveling caravan of merchants (vv. 27–28). They covered their actions by taking Joseph’s robe, dipping it in blood and showing it to their father (vv. 31–32). Jacob concluded that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal (v. 33).

In this chapter, filled with callous violence and hatred, we may wonder where God is. He is not mentioned at all! Yet, the dreams of Joseph are a hint that God has a larger plan. The story of Joseph demonstrates how God can redeem human evil and even use it for His own purposes (Gen. 45:5). The ultimate example of this comes with the cross. The church father Augustine said, “God had one son on earth without sin, but never one without suffering.”

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