Sunday

Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan. This is the account of Jacob. 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 [aka Jacob] loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made a richly ornamented robe for him. 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.
(Genesis 37:1-4, NIV)

The well-known story of Joseph recorded in chapters 37-44 of the book of Genesis contains several different usages of the Hebrew word shalom. The story of Joseph’s life begins with a description of the patriarch Jacob, who had twelve sons by four women and who chose to live in the same place where his father Isaac had resided, the land of Canaan. The text tells us very little about Joseph’s youth. We only know that as a seventeen-year-old lad he tended sheep with his older brothers and reported to his father about some of their wicked behavior.

Jacob definitely showed favoritism toward Joseph because Joseph “had been born to him in his old age.” This favoritism was so obvious that Joseph received an extravagant gift of a multicolored coat, which greatly angered his brothers. Verse 4 concludes with the vivid description that Joseph’s brothers “hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.” They could not speak “peaceably” to him.

This dramatic portrayal illuminates one aspect of the Hebrew word shalom. In this context, shalom involves interpersonal relationships. The relationship between Joseph and his brothers was exactly the opposite of what it should have been. There was no peace between them. Joseph reported on them to his father and they, in turn, despised him, especially because he was their father’s favorite.

This episode illustrates one facet of a multifaceted word. In this case, the lack of shalom is used to describe a fracture between individuals. The point here is a negative one – peace between brothers did not exist. There was no peace, no shalom. Conflict between individuals is the opposite of what the Hebrews meant when they spoke about shalom between friends. It is this aspect of peace that the Apostle Paul was referring to when he instructed the Christians in Thessalonica to “live in peace with each other” (I Thessalonians. 5:13b).

Prayer

Lord, help us to live in peace with our family, our friends, our associates at work. As you desire to live at peace with us, empower us through your Holy Spirit to have a desire to live at peace with others that you have placed in our lives. Amen.