Posts Tagged: sibling rivalry
“The Bible and Sibling Rivalry”
The Bible talks a lot about sibling rivalry. Sometimes, such rivalry becomes “sibyl war”!
I was at a virtual scholarly meeting this morning in which a very thought-provoking paper was presented on sibling rivalry. The presenter said that the book of Genesis is shot through with brothers (and sisters) who don’t get along. The Bible can be incredibly frank about human nature and family dynamics.
And yet, the book of Genesis ends on a somewhat hopeful note. Joseph had been horribly treated by his brothers. They had planned to kill him outright, then threw him into a well to starve to death, but then had a change of plans if not of heart. No, they would not kill their brother. (“After all, he is our brother,” they had said to one another.) Instead, they would sell Joseph into slavery in Egypt. It was a more compassionate (and lucrative) action.
Some compassion, right?
However, Joseph rose from being a slave to being second in command to Pharaoh. He was in charge of grain distribution during a severe food shortage. His brothers came to Egypt to buy food and did not recognize that they were dealing with their brother. But they were.
Eventually, Joseph revealed himself to them. They were justifiably shocked and eaten up with guilt and fear.
Yet, the story ends with Joseph saying that what his brothers had meant for evil, God had worked for their good. Joseph promised them that he was not going to treat them as they deserved, but rather, as they needed to be treated. He would not kill them. Rather, he would help keep them alive.
A lot of us—probably most of us—have serious problems with at least part of our families. Estrangement is no stranger to many of us. Perhaps we would do well to remember the ending of Genesis. Perhaps we could show mercy, rather than harboring resentment or exacting revenge. Perhaps the ending of Genesis could be where we end up in our own lives.
DOWN TO EARTH BELIEVER
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