But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him. Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more. – (Genesis 37: 3-5)

Sibling rivalry in a family is natural, normal and even healthy. However, the relationship between Joseph and his brothers went way passed a friendly rivalry to a completely dysfunctional family. It was so bad that Joseph’s brothers could not even speak peaceably to him. They actually hated him. How did this happen then and how does it happen today? Here is a list of contributing factors to be considered.

Joseph was set up as a target for adversity in his family because of parental partiality. The fact that he was his father’s favorite and that his father made this known to the other children immediately put them in opposition to him.

Next, there is Joseph’s own personal immaturity. He had a dream as a young man that one day both his parents and his brothers would bow down to him. He had the gift of dreams, but he lacked the wisdom and maturity to simply wait and see. Instead, he kept throwing it in their face. Now, add to this the jealousy that the brothers had for him because of the special treatment he was given.

Then, finally, consider that his family adversity was tied to his divine destiny. It was this adversity that put him in a position to become Prime Minister of Egypt where he eventually not only saved his family, but saved a nation. The bottom line is that while adversity in a family can be normal, it can be prevented from becoming extreme. Nevertheless, even when it does become extreme, God has a way of working it out for good and His glory.