Jacob was apparently clueless about the sinfulness of his favoritism of Joseph, but that was not all he missed. He also seems to have had no idea how deeply his favoritism wounded his other sons. Jacob used Joseph sort of like a spy to report on his older brothers, causing Joseph to bring back at least one bad report (37:12). Jacob was most likely clueless to the danger he placed Joseph in when he sent him to check on his brothers again. He had no idea what destruction his poor decision would cause; how Joseph would be rejected by his brothers, betrayed, and nearly killed.

But there is a Father who did know the perils His Son would face because of His decision to send Him to His own. He knew His Son would be rejected, betrayed, and would not escape death, but would be executed while His people mocked Him. Of course, we are talking about God and His Son, Christ Jesus – not as a clueless Father, but an all-knowing Father who worked providentially to bring the Cross to pass so we might experience salvation from our sin.

• How does knowing that God knew what Jesus would experience and worked to bring it to pass deepen your understanding of the Gospel and love for Him?