For Us All

Jacob had twelve sons, but the Bible says he loved one of his sons more than any of his other children. Jacob's favorite son was named Joseph. Jacob loved Joseph so much more than any of his other sons, he gave Joseph a very special gift, a beautiful robe, but gave nothing to his other sons.

Jacob was wrong---very wrong! and as a result, he suffered horrible consequences for his sin. His favorite son Joseph was taken from him when Joseph was only seventeen years old, never to be seen again until twenty years later. During those twenty grievous years, Jacob lived with the belief his beloved son died a savage death by a wild man-eating animal and agonized at the thought of not being able to give his precious son a burial. 

Jacob's favoritism also created a breeding ground for hatred to grow in the hearts of his other sons, so much so their initial plan was to murder their own brother. For twenty years, not only did Jacob live in misery, but so did his other sons who had to live with the guilt of selling their younger brother into slavery, lying to their father, and watching their father's heart ache and Joseph's mother's devastation of losing her long awaited first-born son.

Then there was Joseph's pain of rejection from his brothers, loss of his family and home, hardships of forced labor, and prison times.

"Jacob loved Joseph 

more than any of his other children

because Joseph had been born to him in his old age.

So one day Jacob had a special gift

 made for Joseph---a beautiful robe.

But his brother hated Joseph

 because their father loved him

more than the rest of them.

They couldn't say a kind word to him."

Genesis 37: 3-4 (NLT)

Thank goodness God is not like Jacob for He shows no favoritism to any of his children.

"For God does not show favoritism."

Romans 2:11 (NLT)

The Bible says God gave up His own Son for us all and desires to give each of us everything else as well. What God gives to one of His children, He will give to another.

"Since He did not spare even His own Son

but gave Him up for us all,

won't He also give us everything else?

Romans 8:32 (NLT)