The Vine: August 11, 2025

“Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the Vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing”

— John 15:4-5

This is a weekly reflection on the previous week’s sermon text. Each week there will be a devotional related to the scripture for the week, along with questions for reflection/discussion, as well as prayer. Feel free to make this a part of your individual spiritual growth throughout the week or utilize in small group settings (growth groups, Sunday school, etc.)

“Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan.
This is the account of Jacob’s family line.
Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them.
Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate[a] robe for him. 4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.
Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.”
His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said.
Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”
When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?” 11 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.
”

— Genesis 37:1-11

Genesis 37 marks the beginning of the Joseph narrative in Genesis. It is the story of the relationship between Joseph and his family, particularly his parents and brothers. Upon reading the first part of chapter 37, we can easily discern that things did not get off to a good start for Joseph. His dreams and their interpretations didn’t exactly go over so well with the family, and rightfully so. If you have siblings, can you imagine walking into your sister or brother’s room saying, “I had a dream last night that you bowed down to me.” I have a sister who is three years older than me and I annoyed her beyond belief when we were growing up (still do to this day). I can tell you she would not have been amused with such a dream.

It’s not difficult to see why Joseph’s brothers and parents were upset with his dreams. This was just the beginning of Joseph’s troubles. As we will see in the coming weeks, Joseph’s life would consist of many peaks and valleys, but from this point in the story he ends up in a deep valley – a literal, physical pit. His brothers threw him in the pit and left him for dead before deciding to sell him into servitude.

Thankfully, for Joseph’s sake, the pit was not the end of his story. God would intervene and Joseph would be redeemed, along with greater purposes God had in store for the people of Israel. There are many lessons to be learned from Joseph’s life, not the least of which is to remain hopeful when we find ourselves in a pit. If you happen to be in a pit today in your life, remember that God is with you and anything is possible with God, especially redemption and a future.

Prayer:

“Almighty and all loving God, we come to you today acknowledging the difficulties of life. Some hardships we bring on ourselves, while others seem to find us, but through it all we trust you and your presence among us. Thank you for coming to us in Christ and experiencing suffering on our behalf and being with us in the pit. Amen.”

QUESTION FOR REFLECTION:

Jacob exhibited favoritism towards Joseph, contributing to Joseph’s problems. What lessons can we learn about showing partiality in families and communities?
Joseph’s brothers were not just angry; they were angry with an intense hatred. Hatred has a way of escalating and consuming us. How do you manage your anger and feelings of hatred? What has helped you overcome anger/hatred in the past?
Through the Joseph narrative, we will explore the sovereignty of God and the surprising ways God’s hand seems to be at work in the world, even during chaos. With all the good, bad, and even evil things that occur in our world, how do you reconcile all those things with a good, sovereign God? What place does free will among humans have in the bigger picture?

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