Rube Goldberg machines are amazing, aren’t they? Watching the series of chain reactions can be fascinating, even if they often end up accomplishing something rather mundane. But that is the appeal of these machines; it isn’t as much what they accomplish, but rather seeing how each action causes the next.
In this week’s session, we will see how sin can often be like a sinister Rube Goldberg machine. One sin can so easily lead to another, and another, and another, on and on. Only the result of sin—any sin—is never mundane; it is always lethal and can bring about tragic consequences. And that is precisely what we see in Genesis 37.
The Pain of the Sin of Favoritism
As you read this week’s Bible passage, don’t read past this too quickly:Now Israel loved Joseph more than his other sons… (Genesis 37:3)Read those nine words, and then pause to consider their power. Remember, this is history. We are talking about real people here—people with thoughts and feelings—and real events. This is not sterile, nor merely academic. This is real life. This really happened. Israel, or Jacob, loved Joseph more than his other eleven sons. And based on what we read at the end of this verse—that Jacob gave Joseph a special robe—and what follows in the account, this favoritism was no secret. Jacob knew it. Joseph knew it. And the brothers knew it as well. Let’s be clear: Jacob’s favoritism of Joseph was sin. Period. Full stop. And this sin can be especially destructive. Jacob was a man who was well-versed in the pain and tragic consequences of this sin. He knew what it was like to have a father who favored another. He had witnessed favoritism tear his family apart—much because of his own actions. And yet, here was Jacob repeating this sin once more. Once more, because we already saw Jacob play favorites with his two wives and we saw the heartache and friction that caused.
Sin Gives Birth to More Sin
The sin of Jacob’s favoritism is what gave birth to the brothers’ sin of betrayal. Once again, we need to be clear: the brothers’ betrayal was sin. We might be able to understand it, but we cannot excuse it. They were accountable for their own sinful behavior. Was it wrong that their father loved them less? Sure it was. Did that hurt them? Sure it did. But sin is never justified. The brothers’ betrayal of Joseph is where we see sin working like a Rube Goldberg machine. The actions are pretty easy to connect. Had Jacob not loved Joseph more, the brothers would not have been hurt and angry. Had the brothers not been hurt and angry, they would not have wanted to kill Joseph. Had the brothers not wanted to kill Joseph, they would not have sold him into slavery—an action they likely justified and felt good and gracious about in a sinister way. (“At least we didn’t kill him like he deserved!”) As dark as this account is, there is another side—a beautiful side—that deserves our attention and that needs to be the focus of our teaching. Yes, sin abounded, yet God was at work still. And God was even using the sins of this family to bring about His promises. We will see this more next session, but for now we can focus on God protecting Joseph and that God would be with him in Egypt and use him to rescue his family years later.We Cannot Study this from a Safe Distance
If we are honest, we would have to admit that this is one of those sessions that feels safe to us. We can’t see ourselves showing such blatant favoritism like Jacob. And we cannot see ourselves betraying someone else—especially a family member—like the brothers. And so, it is rather easy for us to read this passage from a distance, or if we do relate, relate with how Joseph was wronged. But if we do this, we miss the power of this story. And if we miss the power, we miss its majesty. The truth is that we are not like Jacob or the brothers. We are worse. Much worse. We indeed show favoritism—every day—as we choose to play favorites with ourselves—with our own selfish desires—over our God. And we have also betrayed another—we have betrayed our God time and time again in how we live for our glory rather than His. And yet, our loving, merciful, and gracious God sent Christ Jesus into the world to be betrayed by His own so that He would lay down His life for us. Jacob didn’t deserve to be forgiven of his sin. Neither did Joseph’s brothers. And neither do we. But that is precisely what God extends to us because of Christ. This is the key take-away of this story, one that shouts of the scandalous forgiveness that would follow. Of how God can even use evil to bring His good purposes about. It is a story that points us to the greatest example of that: the cross.My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought: My sin—not in part, but the whole Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!”—Horatio G. Spafford (1828-1888) [1]Preschool Tip: This session offers some sensitive content, but it is content that we need to address in age-appropriate ways with our preschoolers. It is critical that our preschoolers understand Jacob’s sin and the brothers’ betrayal. Without that context, what follows in the next session doesn’t make as much sense. We strive to be age-appropriate in our suggested “say” prompts and so forth, but you know your preschoolers better than we do. Don’t hesitate to adjust as needed. Kids Tip: Be aware of potential pain this session might elicit in your kids. Some of your kids may feel the sting of being unloved by a parent. For some of your kids, this might because it is true. We live in a broken world full of broken people, and some of them are parents who are failing to love their children as they should. For others, it might be because that is how they feel. Their parents might indeed love them, but they may not feel as if they do. Either way, be prepared to address this if needed. [1] Horatio G. Spafford, “It Is Well with My Soul,” in Baptist Hymnal (Nashville: Lifeway Worship, 2008), 447.
Roger Bus says
Hi: My church does not use The Gospel Project. That being said, I teach the Bible stories to all the kids (K-5th Grade) in September, 2019 and beyond- starting out with the life of Joseph.
Can I just buy some digital video materials telling the stories from Joseph either digitally or in DVD format to supplement the materials I have already been given to use? Can I purchase a DVD of Out of Egypt, Volume 2?
Thanks, Roger Bus
Brian Dembowczyk says
Hi, Roger. We do not sell specific session content by itself, just as part of a full Volume. And we also do not sell just the DVDs without the purchase of a Leader Kit, so you would need to purchase one of those to get the videos.