In order to become mature, Jacob firstly had to suffer the loss of Joseph, the treasure of his heart. It seems impossible that Joseph could have been lost. He could easily have died of a certain illness, but how could Jacob have lost him? Although he was not to die, because he was still very useful, he had to be taken away from Jacob. Now we need to consider by what way Jacob's loss of Joseph took place.
Verse 2 says that Joseph brought to his father evil reports regarding his brothers. Of all the twelve sons of Jacob, only two were good—Joseph, who was seventeen years of age, and his younger brother, Benjamin, who was still a small child. The other ten brothers were dirty and evil, and Joseph constantly brought to his father evil reports about them. The first of these ten brothers, Reuben, committed adultery with his father's concubine (35:22); and the fourth, Judah, committed fornication with his daughter-in-law, who was disguised as a harlot (38:12-26). Levi and Simeon were cruel, having avenged the defilement of their sister, Dinah, by slaying Hamor and Shechem and plundering their city (34:25-29). The fact that these brothers conspired to slay their own brother in the flesh indicates how sinful they were. It is difficult to believe that they were the sons of a chosen, holy family and that they were to become the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel chosen of God. However, had his brothers been good instead of evil, Joseph would never have been lost.
As we have seen, "Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colors" (v. 3, Heb.). Because of the partiality of Jacob's love for Joseph, he had to lose him in order to mature. The loss of Joseph was mainly due to Jacob's partial love for him.
Verse 4 says, "And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him." Jacob's partial love for Joseph caused his other sons to hate Joseph. Because a partial love for a child creates hatred among the other children, parents should avoid it. Our love must be equal and impartial. Joseph's brothers also hated him because he was good and because he gave evil reports about them to their father.