Devotionals

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Bullies are associated with hate crimes; no longer do they face the wrath of a school principal, instead they are accountable to court systems. We became familiar with bullies as young children and shied away. At the same time, we met another easily identified group, tattletales.

Nobody likes a tattletale. They are eager to report every incident of wrongdoing to authorities. That covers a lot of territory, including parents, teachers, and principals. They might even use their tales to gain approval from a babysitter. It is not always easy to determine if they believe snitching will make them look good, or if they just have a mean streak.

Joseph, favorite son of Jacob made a reputation for himself. “This is the account of Jacob. Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them (Genesis 37:1-4 NIV).”

Jacob pampered Joseph, and likely came down hard on his other sons. The results were arrogance in Joseph and resentment from his brothers. If I am tempted to pass along a tale, I will recall the words of a great authority, Barney Fife: “Zip it!”

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