Jacobloved 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 brothers hated Joseph because their father loved him more than the rest of them. They couldn’t say a kind word to him.” (Genesis 37:3-5 NLT)
Unless you speak Hebrew, I know you probably read the title above and said, “That man was having typing problems this Monday morning or either typing issues.” I had neither. It was intentional. I was using the Hebrew phrase that means “long coat with stripes.” Kethinet passim is referring to what we learned in Sunday School about the coat of many colors, in reference to the coat that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. I’m confident that you know the story, so you instantly related to the context to which the verses above refer.
Joseph got the coat and his brothers hated him because of the “Kethinet passim.” Immediately after that there was the dream about Joseph’s sheaf, standing upright and the other sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to Joseph’s sheaf. In other words, they bowed to Joseph’s sheaf. You know the story. Many things happened to Joseph that were undesirable, and probably as Joseph understood, undeserved. However at the end of the story, after going from the pit to the palace, Joseph realizes God was in the unfolding of his life story and what others meant for bad, God meant for God. Joseph became the second highest ranking man in Egypt. Only Pharaoh was higher than him. Long story short, after a few ordeals, reconciliation took place and the children of Jacob, Israel, were in a place of plenty during a famine and they remained on their long path of becoming a great nation. Yes, in spite of all the ordeals, Almighty, Omniscient God was keeping His promise to Abraham. You read your Bible so you know I’m right,
Now as I refer to “The Kethinet Passim Syndrome,” I am looking at all the silent, long family tensions and with stripes of stress that originated in childhood, but never got worked out. Even if harbored internally and sometimes unrecognizable to the person who is fighting the syndrome, it is interfering with relationships in families where everybody thought someone else was t Mom’s or Dad’s favorite child. If this diagnosis fits you, my recommendation is to follow Joseph’s actions and come to the realization that it’s time for an overdue reconciliation; time to make peace with our loved ones. Apply Jesus three principles for His church: love, forgiveness, and as mentioned right above, reconciliation. Get rid of “The Kethinet Passim Syndrome.” Address your inner feelings on one side and/or the other side to act to save the relationships between family members; especially brothers and sisters, as well as between parents and their sons and daughters. Guess what will happen? Stop guessing. I will tell you what will happen! Dysfunction, discord, and disconnection will dissipate and eventually disappear. Take the initiative and be a peacemaker. End the silent struggles that exist and give your family relationship an elevated, new start and don’t look back! Know that God wants to use you for a good purpose in this matter, if applicable. Am I meddling? No. I’m just ministering to you and many others. Be blessed!
“Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” (Matthew 5:9 KJV)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King