"Teacher's pet! Teacher's pet!" When I was a little girl, that is what the class would call the boy or girl that seemed to be the teacher's favorite. In our Bible lesson today, Joseph was the favorite of 12 sons. The Bible says that his old father Jacob loved Joseph best because he was the son of his old age. Perhaps there are other reasons as well. We do know that Joseph was a very wise and obedient son even at just 17 years of age. And according to Genesis chapter 27, not all Jacob's sons were that way.
As far as we know, all Jacob's sons were shepherds. That means they watched over their father's many herds of animal. Joseph was sent by his father one day to check on 4 of his brothers. They were out in the field with the herds.he Bible said that Joseph had to bring back an honest report of his brothers. But oh, oh, Joseph brought back to his father their evil report. That means they were doing very bad things. What it was we don't know for there are many ways to sin. Disobeying their parents or pouting, perhaps mistreating the animals, or talking mean to each other or saying dirty things. Oh, there are many ways to sin, but there is one everlasting punishment. The punishment for sin is that we were separated from God forever. You know, you may look at someone else and say："At least I don't do what they do!" But remember, God see us all as sinners. And He saw what Jacob's sons were doing even though we don't know what it was. When Joseph brought the report back to his father, his father knew it was true for Joseph was honest. He was a son who loved to obey and please his father, a son that could be trusted. How Jacob loved that boy, so much so that he made a special coat with many color just for Joseph. It was a coat like a king's son would wear. You know it was probably easy for Jacob to love Joseph because Joseph was a wise and obedient son, and the son of his old age. God loves you and me even when he sees us filthy in our sin. Isn't that sin like filthy cloth？God loves you so much, that He sent someone to change clothes with us, well sort of. You see, when Jesus Christ died on the cross almost 2000 years ago, He took your sin and my sin that was like a filthy garment of sin upon Him, so that we can have His pure, clean righteousness that was also like a garment, or coat. Oh how much God loved us, to do that for us, much more than Jacob could have ever loved his son Joseph. Of course he loved him, and everybody knew it including 10 of Joseph's bothers. Now Benjamin was the baby brother, so he didn't know much about this. But those 10 older brothers saw that new coat Joseph had, and they were very upset. And when his brothers saw that their father loved Joseph more than them, they hated him. They could not speak peaceably to him. They were thinking, not only was Joseph a little tattle tail, but he was daddy's favorite that he could get something special they couldn't get. Oh my, their hearts were so full of jealousy.
The Bible says that one night, Joseph had a dream. It was a strange dream, and when he woke up the next morning he wanted to tell someone about it. Now, if it were you and me, would we want to tell those brothers？No, we would be so upset with them, who would want to talk to them？Do you know Joseph had such a forgiving spirit, that is exactly where he went. And this is what he said to them. "Listen, please, I want you to hear what I dreamed. We were in the fields, and we were bundling wheat when all of a sudden, my bundle of grain stood up, and your bundle stood up too. And all of a sudden , your bundles of grain bowed to my bundle of grain." Ohhh, how do you think his brothers felt？They spoke to him："Are you trying to tell us that you are going to rule over us？Do you think you are going to have dominion over us？" The Bible says "And they hated him yet the more, for his dreams and for his words." What is this jealousy going to cause Joseph's brothers to do？You can be sure it is a very shocking story next week. So don’t miss it.
老师的小红人！老师的小红人！在我小的时候，同学们管那些看起来更招老师喜欢的学生，叫老师的小红人。在我们今天的圣经故事里，约瑟是十二个孩子中最招人喜爱的，圣经里说老雅各最喜欢约瑟，因为他是他晚年时所生的孩子。可能还有别的原因吧；但我们的确知道，约瑟在年仅十七岁的时候，就是一个聪明听话的孩子。圣经里又说，雅各别的儿子，都不像约瑟那样好。
据我们所知，雅各的儿子都是放羊的。有一天呢，雅各叫约瑟去看看他的四个哥哥们都在干什么。那时候他们在野地里放羊。圣经里说约瑟必需诚实地告诉雅各他看见的每一件事，所以呀，约瑟带回来一些不好的报告；他把他们所做的坏事情，都诚诚实实的告诉了他的父亲。他们在做什么坏事情呢？我们也不知道，也许是不听父母的话，也许是乱打牛羊、或许是互相吵架吧。你知道吗？人可以犯各种各样的罪，做各种各样的坏事情，但是啊，有一个永远的惩罚。约瑟把他哥哥们的行为告诉了他的父亲，他父亲知道约瑟所讲的是真的，因为他从来不说谎，他很听话、并且愿意让他父亲高兴。雅各真是非常非常喜欢这个孩子，所以他为他做了一件有许多颜色的彩衣，就像王子穿的那样的衣服。你知道吗？雅各喜欢约瑟，因为他是一个又聪明、又听话的孩子，而且是他年老的时候所生的。我们的神也是非常的爱我们，当他看见我们陷在我们的罪里的时候，我们好像穿着破烂的衣裳；神因为爱我们，所以他就让人换去我们破烂的衣裳。怎么换呢？就是在两千年以前，主耶稣基督死在十字架上，他担当了我们的罪，他穿去了我们身上破烂的衣服，而让我们穿上他那干净、圣洁、无瑕疵的袍子。所以雅各喜欢约瑟，大家都知道，包括约瑟的那十个哥哥。在那个时候，他的小弟弟本洁明还不太懂事，但是那十个哥哥看到约瑟的彩衣，他们非常非常生气，他们看见父亲喜欢约瑟，他们就更恨约瑟。他们对他讲非常不友好的话。他们想：哼！约瑟最招父亲喜欢，所以他可以得到他们得不到的东西，他们的心里充满了忌妒。
圣经里说有一天晚上约瑟做了一个梦，很奇怪很奇怪的梦；第二天他醒过来的时候，他想去告诉别人。想一想，如果是你跟我，做了梦会去告诉别人吗？嗯，才不会呢，我们才不会告诉那些让我们生气的人呢。可是啊，约瑟有一个非常非常愿意原谅别人的心。所以他跑去告诉他的哥哥们，他说：“嘿！我要告诉你们我做的一个梦，我们在田里面捆小麦，突然，你们捆的小麦向我捆的大捆小麦下跪哪！”哦！你想他的弟兄们对他的感觉会怎么样呢？他们对他说：“你以为你想你会统治我们吗？你会比我们都大吗？”
圣经说因为他的梦和他所说的话，他们就更恨他了。约瑟的哥哥们会因为忌妒他会去做什么呢？你可以相信有非常令人吃惊的故事，在下个星期等着我们。千万不要错过 哦！
