Genesis 45:16 “Now when the news was heard in Pharaoh’s house that Joseph’s brothers had come, it pleased Pharaoh and his servants.”

This may seem like a strange verse to pick out, but something about this intrigued me. Look at what it says. Pharaoh and his servants were pleased when they heard his brothers had come. Hmmm…..

Now this is TOTALLY reading between the lines, but it appears to me that they must have heard Joseph’s story about his brothers selling him into slavery. He had probably told them how many brothers he had. He probably told them about his father and mother. Now, out of nowhere, they appear.

And it says they were pleased. Why? Why should they care about Joseph’s family? Don’t you rejoice with your friends when they receive good news? Joseph had obviously endeared himself to Pharaoh and his servants. They rejoiced with him. They were happy for him.

The next time you hear of some good news about a family member or a family friend, bring out this story. Explain to your children that, just like Joseph’s friends celebrated with him, we celebrate with our friends and family. Not because we just want an excuse to party, but because our love for our friends and family is built upon years of “doing life” with them. We celebrate because we know their story. We celebrate because we have probably also cried with them and know how they may have suffered in the past.

Do you rejoice with others? Or are you jealous of them? I think we can learn a lesson here. Rejoice when others rejoice and weep when they weep. That sure sounds familiar, doesn’t it?